[nabs-l] Trip to Israel for Youth who are Both Jewish and Blind

[Arielle Silverman]

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> Israel on the Horizon   Summer Experience in Israel for Blind and Visually Impaired Youth   Summer 2012   Ofek Liyladenu Israel National Association of Parents of Blind and Visually Impaired Children, in conjunction with the Jewish Institute for the Blind in Jerusalem, are planning the first special Israel summer tour program for blind and visually impaired youth, ages 15 to 21. The pilot trip will be for twelve days, combining educational touring throughout the country with outdoor activities and social programs with Israeli youth. The 2012 summer program has reached out to include visually impaired youth from North America, England and Australia.     The Israel experience has always been seen as an essential part of fostering Jewish identity and creating a bond between Jews around the world.  Today, over 300,000 youth, 18 to 26 years old have participated in the Taglit Birthright program, bringing youth from all over the world to Israel for a 10 day educational experience.  Research reflects that this experience is powerful in influencing Jewish identity, a connection to Israel, and solidarity with the Jewish people.   Where Israel once received high ratings as inaccessible to people with disabilities, today the Ministry of Tourism has made great efforts to make tourism more accessible to those with disabilities and tourist companies have sprung up offering accessibe tourism for all ages.    Potential highlights of the trip include: •    Jerusalem’s Old and New cities, including the Western Wall and Jerusalem’s unique markets •     Climbing Masada and swimming in the Dead Sea  • Visit to Bedouin tent and discussion of minorities in Israel  • Neot Kedomim, the biblical landscape reserve  • Sports including goal ball, tandem biking, horseback riding and swimming  •     Meetings with individuals and organizations involved in issues of disability rights in Israel, including Members of Knesset  •  Visit to Israel Defense Force base for a briefing and army experience.  We hope you’ll join us and tell your friends about the program.   For more information, and pre-registration contact:   Bob Fenton: bfenton at actcom.co.il
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>> Ofek Liyladenu  www.ofek-liyladenu.org.il Jewish Institute for the Blind
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>> Ofek Liyladenu – Israel National Association of Parents of Blind and Visually Impaired Children
>> Spring 2012
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>> Ofek Liyladenu – Israel National Association of Parents of Blind and Visually Impaired Children is an organization that advocates for the needs of the 3,000 blind and visually impaired children in Israel. Established in 1997 by Guila Seidel, whose daughter Nellie was born blind, we provide a friendly supportive network for families, offer updated information, and initiate and implement innovative projects to maximize the integration of our children into mainstream society. In addition to building a warm caring community for families and children, our wide range of activities benefit 20,000 visually impaired and blind adults throughout the country and promote awareness of the needs and rights of the blind among the general public in Israel. The organization is operated by volunteers and two part-time staff members.
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>> Main Activities of Ofek Liyladenu (Our Children’s Horizon) include:
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>> Advocacy: Promoting solutions to the needs of our children and others with disabilities through advocacy in government and the Knesset. We hold individual meeting with Members of Knesset, Knesset committees, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Welfare and the National Insurance Institute. This year, in conjunction with B’zchut – Israel Human Rights Center for People with Disabilities, we petitioned the High Court demanding that all educational materials, including matriculation exams, be made accessible in Braille, large print and audio format.
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>> Public Education and Awareness: “Seeing It Differently” is a project where blind youth lead an experiential workshop for non-visually impaired audiences through which they can convey the everyday challenges of being blind. In addition, the chairperson of Ofek and parent volunteers devote time to media appearances and meet regularly with medical students, parents from kindergartens for the visually impaired, teachers and other groups. Our annual conference is a platform for sharing new ideas and knowledge with parents and professionals and serves to promote awareness among the general public.
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>> Supporting Parents:  Parent volunteers provide practical advice, support and encouragement to other parents of blind children, thus building a warm, supportive network for families. In addition, parent groups, a hotline, e-letter, bi-annual magazine and a website are all part of our wide support network, providing up-to-date information, referrals and advice. Family gatherings held throughout the year give parents and siblings a safe caring environment in which to meet other families that cope with similar challenges.
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>> Special Programs: “Work on the Horizon”, a summer work program for high school youth, empowers and prepares youth for integration into the workforce and educates employers to the potential of the visually impaired. Our Electronic Library (the first in Israel) provides online content including newspapers, magazines and books, which can be read in text to voice format or Braille.  Special workshops for adolescent girls deal with the specific challenges of their age group. “Musical Dreams” offers subsidized music lessons to children and youth throughout the country; home tutoring provides extra educational support. The Fund for Special Equipment subsidizes essential educational and medical equipment.
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>> “Ofek Liyladenu is a family of families, providing every parent with the support and tools needed to raise independent children that can integrate into the mainstream of society. We insure that no one is left alone to cope with the complex challenges of raising a visually impaired child in Israeli society.”
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