[nfbmi-talk] Fw: Trip to Israel for Youth who are Both Jewish and Blind

[Elizabeth]

This looks like a really great oppurtunity, so I thought I would pass along 
the information for those who may be interested.

Elizabeth

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2012 6:05 PM
To: "lca" <lca at yahoogroups.com>; <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [nabs-l] Trip to Israel for Youth who are Both Jewish and Blind

> Please forward this to anyone you know who might be interested.
>
>>
>>
>>
>> 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
>>>
>>> Ofek Liyladenu  www.ofek-liyladenu.org.il Jewish Institute for the Blind
>>>
>>> ******************
>>>
>>>
>>> Ofek Liyladenu – Israel National Association of Parents of Blind and 
>>> Visually Impaired Children
>>> Spring 2012
>>>
>>> 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.
>>>
>>> Main Activities of Ofek Liyladenu (Our Children’s Horizon) include:
>>>
>>> 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.
>>>
>>> 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.
>>>
>>> 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.
>>>
>>> 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.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> “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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