When Jean Olech and her husband brought their new daughter EmmaGrace home after adopting her from China at six years old, they weren’t sure what to expect. The Oleches knew EmmaGrace was visually impaired, but the Chinese government-regulated system didn’t provide a lot of information about her condition.
Jean said they expected a child with a visual impairment would be “very timid and cautious” and that there would have to be a lot of “coaxing to get her to navigate” her new surroundings.
EmmaGrace, however, had other plans.
“The first day home, she was running up and down the stairs like she’d lived there her whole life,” Jean told the San Antonio Report during a recent interview. “That should have been our first clue that she was a go-getter. She totally blew us away.”
Now 18 years old, EmmaGrace, who was born with the rare genetic condition known as blue cone monochromacy, which affects her ability to see color and fine detail, is still impressing everyone with her determination and fearlessness. This fall, she is attending Texas A&M University in College Station to study biomedical science.
Earlier this summer, EmmaGrace won first place in the varsity division of the 2026 Braille Challenge, an international academic competition for students who are blind or visually impaired that promotes Braille literacy through tests of reading comprehension, spelling, speed and accuracy, proofreading and tactile charts and graphs. Of the more than 2,000 competitors worldwide this year, only 50 students were selected to compete in the finals at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
According to the National Federation of the Blind, approximately 90% of employed adults who are blind are Braille literate, underscoring a strong connection between Braille proficiency and employment.
“Knowing Braille gives those who are visually impaired a gateway to independence,” Dimitri Kales, CEO of the Braille Institute, said in a statement. “We celebrate and recognize the importance of Braille reading and writing. These students are all winners and an inspiration to us all.”
Mastering the Challenge
EmmaGrace has competed across all levels (apprentice through varsity) of the Braille Challenge since the third grade. This was her third year competing in the varsity division. She placed second in 2025.
In the third grade, one of EmmaGrace’s teachers told her about the competition. Regionals were held at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin every year, so EmmaGrace began to attend.
“It started off as more of a recreational experience,” she said. “There was reading comprehension and proofreading — things I was already doing in school.”
She also competed in events such as Charts and Graphs, in which students are given tactile graphics and must analyze them to answer questions, and Speed and Accuracy, in which they listen to an audio passage and transcribe it into Braille using a device called a brailler.
As she got older, the competition became even more challenging. Students were expected to correctly spell French words and transcribe excerpts from writers such as Charles Dickens and Mark Twain.
“Sometimes, we’d get passages about Japanese art, and we’d have to figure out how to spell all the words,” EmmaGrace explained. “You’d have to remember how to spell everything.”
Besides the actual competition, EmmaGrace said she’s always enjoyed the Braille Challenge because of the people she’s met and the community she’s found along the way.
“We get to connect with each other and share our goals and the challenges we have in school and help each other out,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of lasting friendships.”
Building Her Future
Now headed to Texas A&M University, EmmaGrace is setting new goals for herself. She hopes to one day become a medicinal chemist to “develop and improve on medicines,” with a particular interest in the nervous and immune systems.
During high school, she supplemented her homeschool curriculum with college classes. Her first introduction to chemistry came when she got the opportunity to do some research in a biochemistry lab at Baylor University.
“That really drew me to chemistry,” she said. “Then, I took a nutrition class my senior year. I really enjoyed learning about how nutrition affects the body. I realized I wanted to do something with medicine. I really like the physiology aspect of it.”
Her mother is confident EmmaGrace is going to excel in college. She thinks back to that little girl they brought home 12 years ago, who bravely took on the world from the moment she arrived.
“She’s determined, inquisitive, motivated and she doesn’t ever stop,” she said. “I’m so excited for her.”
For EmmaGrace, the Braille Challenge has been about much more than winning competitions. The skills in Braille she’s developed over the years have given her a foundation for tackling complex subjects. It’s something she believes can make a difference for other students who are blind or visually impaired.
“Braille is the baseline to accessing so many more resources,” EmmaGrace said. “It unlocks the door to learning higher math, tactile graphics, difficult texts and foreign languages. Even if there are obstacles, it’ll give students the keys to success.”
