Helen Keller Centre
Where are they?
What do they do?
Who benefits? |
Jerusalem
Provide a holistic education for visually impaired children.
Up to 70 children between 3 and 13 years old receive an education, while older students are supported when they enter mainstream education. |
More Infomation:
Founded: 1890s
Director: Mrs Suad Younan
Beginnings:
An English missionary named Mary Lovell opened Palestine’s first home for blind girls in the late 1890s. This was renamed after Helen Keller visited the School in the 1950s.
Activities
- Education
Classes are small to allow teachers more time with each child. Regular curriculum subjects are taught with the addition of Arabic Braille. Mobility training is also provided.
As well as all the usual curriculum subjects, the children learn other skills that will help them to lead independent lives such as:
- mobility training in daily living skills
- gymnastics and athletics to competitive levels.
When students reach the age of 12, they are encouraged to join mainstream school. They continue to receive support from the Centre’s staff, who work closely with the student’s new school.
- Computer literacy
The Centre has special computers that can talk and print in Braille, as well as talking calculators and typewriters. Having good computer skills means that students are more likely to find employment when they leave.
- Residential section
Up to 20 children board at the Centre. Some of these children live a long way from the Centre or are unable to travel there each day due to travel restrictions, such as checkpoints on the Israeli Security Wall. The children return home during school holidays.
- Additional programmes
The Centre has a training programme for university students studying Social Work and Special Education. It also runs summer camps each year, giving visually impaired children the opportunity to get to know sighted children from the local area. BibleLands’ volunteers help to lead this summer camp.
- Working with families
The Centre provides a unique counselling service for students’ families, helping them to accept and cope with their child’s disability.
Downloadable documents:
Click here for a printable factsheet on the Helen Keller Centre
Click here for a recent article about the Helen Keller Centre (from our 2007-2008 Annual Review)
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