User talk:Friendsofeliya

Friends of ELIYA-USA was established in 1999, to raise awareness and funds for ELIYA-Israel, the Association for the advancement of the blind and visually impaired children in Israel.

ELIYA – Israel, established in 1982, provides state-of-the-art, early intervention programs and services for blind and visually-impaired preschool children and their families. ELIYA is recognized as having several leading centers of its kind in the world and serves children of all faiths and backgrounds in Israel.

Guiding Principles

ELIYA helps children embrace their visual impairment and provides specialized programs to help meet their specific needs so they can live fulfilling lives. ELIYA's goals are:

1.	To strengthen the family unit - the essential support system for the visually impaired/challenged child - through individual and group counseling with expert therapists.

2.	To prepare visually impaired children for integration into mainstream kindergartens and future schooling.

3.	To prepare visually impaired and multi-challenged children for the care facility appropriate to their needs upon leaving ELIYA. (Some children attending ELIYA are visually impaired and have other disabilities).

Background

Starting with one group of six children in 1982, today, ELIYA-Israel provides programs to over 120 children and their families in three centers:

•	The Petach Tikva branch, with 60 children, covers the whole central region. •	The Be'er Sheva branch, with 28 children, covers the south of the country. •	The Jerusalem branch, with 33 children, covers Israel's capital and surrounding areas. All three ELIYA centers operate 11 months a year, six days a week (Sunday through Friday). On average each child attends ELIYA for 3-6 years.

How It Works

ELIYA focuses on early intervention for visually impaired children because development growth is essential the first few years of a healthy child. For special needs children, early rehabilitation intervention is critical. We take a holistic approach and aim to help visually impaired/blind children and their families embrace his/her visual impairment. We customize programs for each child to help him or her meet specific goals to reach their full potential and become contributing members of society.

For the past 15 years an introductory program for blind and visually impaired children ages 3 -12 months, and their parents, that has proven to be very effective. For children 12 months and up, ELIYA also offers full week programs. For the infants, assessment of visual functioning, together with the beginnings of acquisition of mobility, communication and eating skills, are an important early steps towards integration into the full week program. For the parents, support, guidance and counseling provides understanding into the world of visual impairment, so they understand how to best help their child reach their maximum potential.