Personal Stories

Meet some clients at the Deaf-Blind Center

Shimon: Taking Charge of His Life: “Although I was over 50 years old, I was completely dependent on my sister when it came to making any important decisions. When I wanted to go on a trip, she was the one who decided whether I could go and what time I should get back. Even my personal bank account was in her name. Here I was: middle aged, intelligent but not able to run my own life – and I hated it! The Deaf-Blind Center helped me change my life. They helped me understand how many aspects of my life could be much more accessible to me. And as I participated in the psychodrama group here, I gained the self-confidence to stand up to my sister and tell her that I was an adult and I could take care of myself! Now, I’m happy to say, I make my own decisions and take care of my own finances.”

Meeting Roni (told by her mentor, Donna): As soon as I arrived at the high school for the deaf, a teacher introduced me to Roni, who is 17 years old. Her first question to me was, “Do you have a problem with your vision?” I answered that I did.

Roni was happy to see that I was young – I’m 28. She had been sure I would be much older than she was and unable to relate to her. We started getting acquainted and Roni told me about school and about her family. She asked a lot of questions about Usher Syndrome, and I could tell she was very anxious and needed a lot of information. She had been told just two months before that she had Usher syndrome, and she couldn’t believe this was happening to her. She was tested because her cousin, who was pregnant, was found to be a carrier and recommended to Roni’s mother that she be tested, too.

I answered all of Roni’s questions. She told me that she hadn’t been sleeping well since she discovered she had the syndrome. She was also sad that her boyfriend was slowly distancing himself from her since she had told him – mistakenly – that she would be completely blind by the time she was 20.

Roni was very relieved to find out that I also have Usher Syndrome and that she didn’t have to cope with her feelings alone. I told her that in spite of everything, I’ve continued my life – volunteering for the army, receiving my B.A., getting married and having children. And she began to understand that she, too, will be able to do whatever she wants. Roni is a good student and I know she is motivated to succeed.

She asked that we meet again and we arranged that at the next meeting, I would visit her home and meet her mother, who was devastated by the diagnosis. I told her that my mother had had a similar reaction.

I think it will help Roni a lot to continue meeting with me over the coming months.

Communicating Independently: Staff member Yaakov Bibas, who has Usher Syndrome himself, teaches Shoshana, who is severely hard of hearing and visually impaired, how to communicate via computer. “Finally, I can talk to my friends freely from home!” Shoshana exclaims. “I no longer need to look for volunteers to help make phone calls for me at odd hours. What a relief!”

Yuri: Moving Away but Staying Close: “I’ve been participating in Ulpan classes at the Deaf-Blind Center for several months now, and they’re really helping me learn Hebrew. Since we came to Israel from the Ukraine several years ago, I’ve been living with my mother in Kiryat Gat. But now, I’ve received the OK from National Insurance to move into an apartment in Ofakim. Of course, I’m very excited about living independently, but Ofakim is much further from the Center in Tel Aviv. So I’ve decided to stop going to evening Ulpan classes – and transfer to the morning class instead so I won’t have to travel at night, since I have night blindness. Do you want to know how seriously we take this class? One of my classmates, Sasha, had to have brain surgery. But just a few days after he was released from the hospital, he was back in Ulpan!”

A Thank-You Message: After studying at the Learning Center for eight months, Yair, 65, sent the following telephone text message to his teacher: “Hello! Today I used the computer, which I really enjoyed and it was a lot of fun. Yaakov is an excellent teacher, very nice and patient. Next week I look forward to learning more about how to use the computer. In the future I will buy a computer. I appreciate your help and encouragement – thank you very much! Shalom and see you soon. I’m very happy! Yair.”

Off To a Productive Start: Two participants from the Center’s recently-launched Employment Initiative have already been hired in new positions. One has begun working in a clerical position with a credit card company and the other will soon begin a training course that will teach him how to analyze printed circuits.