Kisharon Langdon, a proud member of the Karten Network, offers supported training and employment to Jewish adults with learning disabilities and autism through our social enterprises.
Technology, generosity gifted by The Ian Karten Charitable Trust, has streamlined processes considerably and the people we support are delighted with the changes that have been made to their working day. The technology has also given opportunity for new skills to be developed, opening new career pathways for the people we support.
The three social enterprises which have been in receipt of the new technology are:
- Our Bike Shop
- New Chapters (our second-hand online bookstore)
- The Enterprise Team (as part of our Learning and Development offer)
Each team have given an overwhelming amount of positive feedback; with people we support enabled to execute tasks they have never been able to before.
The below will give an insight into the impact one item has had specifically for our Enterprise Team who are supported by our Learning and Development offer.
The Enterprise Team have moderate to severe learning disabilities and wish to work and develop their key skills within a supported environment. Within this provision, literacy, numeracy, IT and social skills are embedded into all training, volunteering, and work opportunities. The Team specialises in producing bespoke food gifts to celebrate Jewish festivals, and their service is in high demand amongst the Jewish community. All gifts are meticulously weighed, counted, packaged and delivered to customers.
Over the past year business has been transformed for the Enterprise Team with the generous donation of a 55-inch interactive board, amongst other technology which has also enhanced learning opportunities. The interactive board has been invaluable during the Team’s sessions and used in multiple ways. People we support who find it difficult to see can view pictures and text on a larger screen and can type using the manual wireless keyboard which is connected. This means people can input information from their seats. The technology pens provided allow people to practice their motor skills by signing themselves into the sessions and writing on the board, helping with their motor skills and letter formations. Feedback was that it is exciting to write on a board, and it encourages people to learn whilst having fun. Sharing an iPhone/ iPad screen with the group onto the interactive board means that everyone is involved together in the learning process.
The Team also uses the board as a calculator. They do this by individually adding up stock totals using an iPad calculator app (also donated by Karten), and a group member will show the calculation in large on the interactive board. It is then clear for the whole group to get involved in the calculation together and see how the total was reached.
When writing down the tasks for each day, people will choose different colours on the board’s menu to tick off when they have completed a task which makes it clear to see, and for those who find it hard to read, they will use colour codes or symbols.
All work is automatically saved onto the IT system as people write up ‘what went well’/ what I learnt’ for the session which is then inputted into the feedback forms for staff’s evaluation of the session.
The impact this interactive board has had, is articulated below by the people we support:
“I like using the calculator and everyone sees the numbers on the board.”
“It is a very good piece of technology. We can see everything clearly and if we forget what we did before we can just go back a page, and it is still there.”
“We can write messages to each other, and it will save it.”
“We don’t run out of board markers now. We can type on the board and we can write on it too. It is very clever.”
“We can look up different ingredients or recipes and we can all see it at the same time.”
“It was good when we did a baking session here and the recipe was in Easy Read in really big on the screen and everyone could see and then we can just go on to the next bit when we have finished that part of the instructions. It’s more hygienic than using lots of paper recipes as it is on the board for us to see.”
Thank you again to the Karten Network for your partnership and enormous contribution to the lives of people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
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- This article was written by the Kisharon Karten Centre
- Featured in the Karten Autumn 2025 Newsletter
- This article is listed in the following subject areas: Centre News