Location: Beirut, Lebanon
Director: Mrs Elizabeth Hayes
Founded: 1868

How it all started
BLESSED (the Benevolent Lebanese Evangelical School for Special Education and Development) was founded by missionaries, and was the first school for blind people in the whole of the Middle East. The School belongs to the Lebanese Evangelical Society, whose aim is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus through the ministries of education, publication, and care for people with special needs.

The School seeks to serve and educate visually-impaired people and children with special needs, enabling them to live a happy and productive life. Students are taught to be self-reliant, and to integrate into society. The School also aims to educate and inform the community about issues relating to disabled people. Most of those who attend the School board there during the term-time, returning to their families for the holidays.

Current activities
The Bartimaeus Programme for visually impaired people: This programme is named after the blind beggar whom Jesus healed. It teaches the essential skills of reading and writing Braille, in both Arabic and English, along with a combination of two or more vocational programmes of participants’ choice. These programmes include:

• Music — As well as teaching students how to play a variety of instruments, the school is equipped with a centre for piano tuning where students can learn the practical skills of tuning and restoring pianos, which can help them to find jobs in the future.

• Computer Skills — Students are taught how to use everyday computer programmes, as well as special Speech Recognition software, which has been of great benefit to the participants.

• Mobility and Life Skills — Residents are exposed to practical skills that they will need in everyday living. They are also taught how to get out and about safely, giving them a new lease of freedom and independence.

• Vocational Training — Cane-work, woodwork, and knitting provide disabled people with life professions that allow them to make a good income and thus support themselves. Expert teachers introduce the residents to these vocations and help them develop their skills. The School also has a modern bakery and visually-impaired students are trained to use the modern equipment to make bread. The products that are sold provide students with pocket money.

St Luke's Programme for children with special needs: In 2000, the School expanded it’s ministry to include a section for mentally challenged children, mainly those with medium or mild mental disabilities. Each child follows an individual course that suits their own needs and abilities. Each course includes an element of the following:

• Social Skills – The children are taught to be self-reliant within their own individual environment and in society in general. They are taught how to fulfil their own daily needs, about personal hygiene, proper conduct, and acceptable outlook in order to take part in the community where they will live or later work, whether in a general setting or a protective one. Gaining these social skills enriches the children's mental abilities and bodily functions, helping them to acquire a feeling of self-reliance and self-confidence.

• Spiritual Nurturing – The provision of spiritual nurture is of great importance as it helps the children relate to others in confidence, openness, and love. Teachers use multimedia methods in addition to pictures, drama, story-telling, and use of musical instruments. Children attend chapel twice a week, and are introduced to Bible stories, hymn singing, and prayer.

• Education – The children are taught a basic curriculum, including maths, reading, writing and computing. Geography, History and Science are also taught, which help to introduce the children to their world and enrich their imagination. Art activities and school trips are also used to achieve this objective.

• Music – This is very popular with the children. It is a great entertainment and a wonderful educational medium that facilitates and speeds learning. Children are taught songs, hymns, rhythm exercises, and how to play percussion instruments.

• Vocational Skills – The children are introduced to a variety of practical activities, such as painting, gardening and bead-work, depending on the individual child's gifts and liking. All children are taught life skills, hygiene, care for the environment, setting the table and washing-up after a meal, and so on.

All of the children’s programmes are applied in full partnership with parents. A parent is required to attend at least two full days with the child's teacher in order to observe, learn, and reinforce the child's learning and development at home.

Braille New Testament: The School completed a project translating and printing the entire New Testament in Arabic Braille in June 2003. The whole New Testament is now available in Arabic Braille, free of charge to anyone who would like it.