[rehab] Looking for ESL resources for newly blind refugee from Syria who doesn’t' know any English or braille

[Gatton, Tonia (OFB-LV)]

Hi all!  As my subject indicates, we have an extremely bright  client who is a refugee from Syria.  He was blinded in a bomb explosion and he and his family recently relocated to our area.  He only speaks Arabic and doesn’t know Arabic braille.  He is attempting to learn English but is in an ESL class with a large number of students, and has received very little assistance.  He’s struggling tremendously due to how visual the class is.  Our agency won’t pay for translator’s and he’s currently working with volunteer translators to learn basic O&M skills.

The O&M instructor and I are trying to locate resources that might be helpful to him in trying to learn English.  I was also thinking it could be beneficial to find other blind individuals who speak both Arabic and English, that might be willing to talk to him on the phone.  We would greatly appreciate any suggestions or possible contacts.

Thanks so much,

Tonia



Tonia Gatton
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kentucky career Center
KY Office for the Blind
Charles W. McDowell Center
8412 Westport Road
Louisville, KY 40242
(502) 429-4460 ext. 268
(502) 429-7101
tonia.gatton at ky.gov<mailto:tonia.gatton at ky.gov>