[Njabs-talk] Trip to Israel for Youth who are BothJewish and Blind

[EVELYN E. VALDEZ]

>
>  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."