The Shalva National Center in Jerusalem, Israel has been developing award-winning rehabilitative and inclusion programs for children with disabilities for thirty years. Recently, the organization has also incorporated an array of adult services; including employment and vocational training programs, volunteer military service with the Israel Defence Forces, social support, and independent living in the community. In the years prior to launching their adult services, Shalva laid the groundwork to create the optimal opportunities for their clients. In 2016, Shalva partnered with the Ian Karten Foundation, the Dan Marino Foundation, and the University of Southern California’s Institute of Creative Technology to create a unique therapy solution based on virtual reality software called SHALVA VITA. The SHALVA VITA program utilizes interactive avatars to simulate job interviews for adults with disabilities in order to prepare them for a successful transition into the mainstream job market.
Following an initial pilot initiative, the VITA program is currently in the process of being implemented across Shalva’s employment and vocational training programs. This March, the SHALVA VITA program will be presented at the annual International Down Syndrome Day Conference co-hosted by Shalva and the Hadassah Medical Center, with approximately 500 disability professionals and members of the broader community expected to be in attendance.
The Karten Network’s March 2019 newsletter featured a Shalva VITA client named Ella who participated in the VITA pilot program. Nearly one year later, Ella relays the life-changing experience in her own words:
Ella an Employee at Shalva
Authored by: Ella Greco, January 2020
My name is Ella. I’m 24 years old and this year has been a very exciting year for me because I moved to an independent living apartment with other roommates. It’s my first time living outside my family home, but so far it’s going well. I have a professional camera and I took a photography course so I like to take pictures of things in my life. I also like to go out with my boyfriend and talk with him on WhatsApp. During the day, my favorite thing to do is working at the jewelry studio at Shalva. I like to keep busy and have full days with lots of activities, especially since I get bored quickly from doing the same thing for a long time. When I’m making jewelry, it’s not like that so much. I can do it for a long time and plan out different designs and patterns and then create them in the jewelry. I think it’s because I like being creative and because its very relaxing in the jewelry studio. We turn on music and we work quietly and its really fun and relaxing.
The jewelry studio is at Shalva but we work with YVEL. Orna teaches us how to string pearls and we make necklaces and bracelets that are sold in Shalva’s gift shop I also like working in the creative workshop making ceramics.
[YVEL is a luxury jewelry brand which specializes in artistic pearl jewelry creations. YVEL has partnered with Shalva’s creative workshop to train adults with disabilities in creating pearl jewelry. YVEL founder and jewelry designer, Orna Levy provides personal instruction to Shalva’s employees in the art of stringing pearls. The unique, high-end pieces are sold at the Shalva SHOP and at craft fairs across Israel.]
Last year I started working with Liron using VITA. [Liron is Shalva’s Director of Research and Development who coordinated the SHALVA VITA pilot program.] There are characters on the screen and they ask you questions for job interviews. Even though VITA is about job interviews, I think it has helped me in conversations with Shimrit and the friends at the Shalva workshop. [Shimrit is the director of the creative workshop at Shalva and serves as the employees’ primary superior. In the process of creating marketable crafts, she guides the employees in practicing workplace etiquette and communication skills.]
The hardest question for me in the VITA interview was to tell about my strengths and weaknesses. I never thought about describing myself like that before. And they also asked me that question at SHEKEL when I was interviewed for the independent living apartment. [SHEKEL is another Jerusalem-based organization that operates independent living apartments for adults with disabilities]. When they asked me about my strengths and weaknesses and what would make me a good roommate, I remembered the question from VITA and I think VITA helps prepare for other kinds of interviews too, not just job interviews. It’s also more than that; when you practice the questions in VITA, it teaches you things for life: how to listen to others, how to talk in a way that other people will listen to you, how to talk about things that are challenging for you.
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- This article was written by the Shalva Karten Centre
- Featured in the Karten Spring 2020 Newsletter
- This article is listed in the following subject areas: Case Study, Centre News