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Migdal Or - Serving People with Vision impairment

Migdal Or - a national services center for people with blindness or visual impairment. Migdal Or is a multi-service center that has been operating for over 60 years to promote people with visual impairment or blindness, in the functional, vocational, social and emotional fields. Migdal Or was established in 1957 and since 2011 has been operating as a part of the Northern Goals Association. The service is provided nationwide through branches in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Beer Sheva and Jerusalem, as a one-stop-center. The services are provided in Migdal Or centers, as well as inthe person's place of work, in their everyday environment and at home. Migdal Or provides a unique sequence of services throughout a person's life, while working individually with him and his community. The services are provided to  people with blind certificates in Israel as well as to people without a blind certificate. Migdal Or's vision is that every individual with blindness or visual impairment can successfully realize his or her potential. Our mission is to lead the way in developing and providing professional, updated and innovative functional and professional rehabilitation, social and emotional services to persons with blindness and visual impairment as well as persons involved in their life. To initiate the development, instruction and use of assistive technology, to promote the issue of physical and digital accessibility as well as accessible service and to disseminate this knowledge. About 5,000 service recipients benefit every year from Migdal Or services with the help of a team of over 130 employees and 180 Migdal Or volunteers working nationwide. Migdal Or operates most of its services through tenders of the Ministry of Welfare, the National Insurance Institute, the Ministry of Economics and the Ministry of Defense.

Migdal Or - geographic spread

Migdal Or - Main Branch

Haifa, ישראל

Migdal Or - Branch

Tel Aviv-Yafo, ישראל

Migdal Or - Branch

Jerusalem, ישראל

Migdal Or - Branch

Beersheba, ישראל

Activites
Advancing Independent Functioning
Choosing a Career, Occupational Training and Finding a Job
Supportive Circles Training Center
Technology Support Helpline
Low Vision Center
Migdal Or Factory
Military service
Emotional therapy
Social activity
Migdal Or`s Training apartments
Services for organizations

Scope of Activity

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Rehabilitation teachers around the country
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Migdal Or branches in different regions of Israel
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Service-recipients per year

In their own words

“I called the Technology Helpline for the first time because I was having difficulty with my computer. The person who dealt with me really knew what he was talking about, but more than that, he was generous with his time, patient and extremely considerate. I’ve never been treated so warmly and humanely on the phone! The Helpline is an amazing service for Israel’s blind community. It really grants us the confidence to use technology. I don’t think there’s anything like it which gives such support without any financial motive. I congratulate you on setting it up and hope it long continues to operate”

Andrei Leiber, Haifa

“The deterioration in my sight due to retinitis pigmentosa began when I finished school. I decided to work in computers, which I enjoyed, although I didn’t have any formal training. I spent hours teaching myself and took on some freelance projects here and there. Around a year ago, my vision really worsened and I realized that my livelihood was in danger. I began a course at Migdal Or to learn screen-reading software on the computer and all the latest technologies for people who are visually impaired. I also took some lessons to improve my language skills, word-processing and Office. I’ve now about to begin studies in Computer Science at the Hebrew University”

Igor Krasner, Rishon Le’Zion

“My name is Yafit Zvi, I’m 21 years old from Jerusalem, and I have a visual impairment. I joined a course at Migdal Or in Tel Aviv a couple of months ago to help me find work. I’m now learning to use a computer, as well as English and Hebrew lessons, so that I can get a job as a secretary, maybe a medical secretary. I feel very welcome at the Migdal Or center, both by the staff there who accept me because of, and also despite, my difficulties; and by my fellow students, who without being able to see my physical outer body, are able to see the person I am inside and in this way help me to be proud of being who I am”

“Despite my vision loss, I successfully completed my studies as a social worker and began the complicated process of integrating into the job market. I signed up for a course of supported employment at Migdal Or, and was trained by the placement counselor and the social worker in now to prepare for phone and frontal interviews, how to identify my strengths and weaknesses, and how to improve them. The course helped me a lot, especially in becoming more flexible in terms of the demands and expectations I have of myself, so that at the end of the day I can achieve my dream”

Ali Dahla, aged 23, Tel Aviv

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