[Nfbn-announce] Trip to Israel for Youth who are BothJewish and Blind

[Amy Buresh]

>
>  Israel on the Horizon   Summer Experience in 
> Israel for Blind and Visually Impaired Yuth



>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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