Page 80 - The Exceptional Harley Fetterman

JUDY K JOHNSON

When asked about the actual Braille competitions that followed, he
noted, “I think the hardest competition was the speed and accuracy
section because one of the bibliography formats was not what I
expected.”

At the end of the event, the Awards Ceremony was a spectacular
event. Although Harley did not place in the top three places that year,
he had a lot of supporters and friends cheering him on because they
admired the humor and kindness that radiated from his personality.
When asked which place he earned, he theorized, “I probably was in
fourth place because I don't want to believe otherwise.”
The 2015 Braille Challenge was Harley's eighth year to attend. He
had been reading braille for eleven years. He was among the sixty
students from across the country that won honors in the finals out of
1,106 participants from 39 states and four Canadian provinces.

Harley's Facebook account showed a comment from friend,
Candice Chapman, upon his update that he had qualified for the
National Braille Challenge.

“Congratulations, my Harley. You're going to be spectacular!” she
noted.

“That's the plan,” Harley responded with fine-tuned confidence
which left no doubt in his mind.

Figure 31: Participants march in together at opening ceremony.

64