Kennedy Sullivan of Morris earned a silver medal Nov. 5 at the Oklahoma School for the Blind’s 13th annual Oklahoma Regional Cane Quest competition in Muskogee.

Sullivan, a 7th grader at OSB, took home the Explorers B1 Silver Medal. She competed against fellow students in grades 6-9. Explorers’ competitors had to complete five types of street crossings and demonstrate more advanced cane skills along a route in downtown Muskogee.

OSB staff thanked longtime supporter Patsi Nix Smith for making the day even better by handing out medals and congratulating each winner during the awards ceremony following the competition. A total of 44 students took part in the competition, making it the largest in school history, said Faye Miller, OSB orientation and mobility specialist and regional Cane Quest coordinator.

Cane Quest is a national program of the Braille Institute of America, based in Los Angeles.

More than 85 volunteers from across the state scored performance or partnered as a teammate or shadow with each contestant.

Oklahoma law requires drivers to completely stop their vehicles 15 feet away from pedestrians who are visually impaired and identified by their use of white canes or dog guides. People who violate this law are guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to three months or $100 fine or both.

Cane Quest sponsors include: Oklahoma School for the Blind, Braille Institute, AERBVI, Friends of the Library OSLS, Liberty Braille, Muskogee Youth Volunteer Corps, NanoPac, NewView Oklahoma, OG&E Energy Corporation, Oklahoma Chapter of AERBVI, Oklahoma Council of the Blind, Ruth Kelly Studios, Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Transcribing Mariners and the Tulsa Downtown Lions Club.

OSB and Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired are divisions of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.

OSB’s staff serves students from preschool through 12th grade, offering specialized educational instruction that meets all state education requirements. Students also receive instruction in Braille, orientation and mobility, assistive technology and other specialty areas. They attend classes Monday through Thursday free of charge and are transported to regional stops throughout the state for holidays, summer breaks and three-day weekends during the regular school year. OSB outreach staff also assists students with visual disabilities who attend other Oklahoma public schools, their families and educators.

For more information, call OSB toll-free at 877229-7136 or visit osb.k12.ok.us.