Our Karten CTEC is the only Karten CTEC dedicated to teaching Israelis with deaf-blindness vital computer skills. Thanks to the Ian Karten Charitable Trust 35-40 deaf-blind individuals a year learn skills, via one on one instruction, which make a real and immediate difference in their lives, open up the hearing–sighted world, provide access to information and enable direct, effective and independent communication. Most of our 7 teachers are themselves deaf-blind, deaf, severally visually impaired, or hard of hearing and blind. One, Rachel, won the Karten Award for Personal Achievement in 2009. Rachel was originally a student at our Karten CTEC and after further training returned as a teacher. She specializes in students with a very basic level of reading comprehension, basic communication skills and limited residual vision.
We’d like to share a few recent stories about her and her deaf-blind students. The events described here were made possible by the equipment that we were fortunate to receive from the Ian Karten Charitable Trust.
Mazal is deaf (from birth), has limited residual vision and is functionally illiterate. Her husband is deaf-blind and is somewhat intellectually disabled. As a result, prior to her studies at our Karten CTEC in Tel Aviv, Mazal was completely dependent on her children for every phone call. She could only communicate independently if she was face to face with the other person.
Studying in our Karten CTEC changed Mazal’s life dramatically. First, she learned how to use an accessible mobile phone and began to communicate independently via video calls and Whatsapp. She uses Whatsapp primarily to send icons, for example a weekly “Shabbat Shalom” (Have a good Sabbath) icon or a “Happy holiday” icon or to send pictures of her grandchildren etc. She was thrilled to be able to independently contact and stay in touch with her deaf-blind friends from our Social Rehabilitation-Recreation Club.
She also learned how by using a computer she can overcome her limited vision to enjoy cooking and baking videos, surf the internet and more …. These new skills have made a tremendous difference in her quality of life.
Ruthie has Usher syndrome (congenital deafness and progressive loss of vision). She was very independent until a serious car accident left her with half of her body paralyzed and very restricted mobility. After a year of physical rehabilitation she began to study with Rachel at our Karten CTEC. She particularly benefited from learning how to use a variety of services online, including making her own doctors and physical therapy appointments, online grocery shopping and other online purchases. This profoundly changed her life, enabling her to return to and in some ways even surpass her level of independence prior to the accident.
A third student, Fira, began her studies at home in Jerusalem with a deaf teacher, Tracy. Fira, who like Ruthie (and Rachel herself) has Usher Syndrome. She is a deaf-blind immigrant to Israel and communicates in Russian Sign Language as her primary language and Israeli Sign Language as her secondary language. After she mastered the basics at home and increased her self confidence, she began to study with Rachel at our Karten CTEC in Tel Aviv. Fira has learned to use a variety of online services. For example, she can now pay her municipal taxes, water bills etc online, including applying for and getting the discounts that she is entitled to receive, The fact that she can do these basic activities independently, and is no longer dependent on her husband, has immensely boosted her self confidence, both overall and as an immigrant. Also, she feels that the ability to directly access services, especially those related to health and social services, enables her to protect her privacy. No longer is she dependent on others to call and/or go to offices for (or with her) in order to get things done. Her new knowledge has also improved cooperation with her daughter’s school, as she can now email the teachers directly, by herself.
These three examples offer a small glimpse into the world of difference that the equipment donated by the Ian Karten Charitable Trust makes in the lives of our students. Thank you!
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- This article was written by the Centre for Deaf Blind People Karten Centre
- Featured in the Karten Spring 2019 Newsletter
- This article is listed in the following subject areas: Centre News