[mountainstate] Trip to Israel for Youth who are Both Jewish and Blind

[A. C. McGhee]

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."