The Institute for the Advancement of Deaf Persons in Israel was founded in 1993

The Institute for the Advancement of Deaf Persons in Israel observes Kashrut and Shabbat.

The Institute has received grants from the Joint Distribution Committee - Israel (1997-2009), the Emouna Fund (2004, 2007), the Matan Fund (2007), and Manhattan Guild Inc. (1997-2009).

Midot evaluation Midot, an organization that provides comprehensive evaluations of Israeli nonprofit organizations, awarded the institute a score of 4.5 out of a possible 5. At this time, only one organization has received a higher score. Click here to see the full Midot report (in Hebrew only).

The Institute has received letters of approbation from

Professor Miriam Shlesinger, Chair Department of Translation and Interpreting Department, Bar Ilan University in support of an initiative suggested by the Institute (2007);
Arnon Mantver Director-General Joint Distribution Committee -Israel for the Institute's "Deaf and Hard of Hearing Holocaust Survivors Speak Out" project (2006);
Dr. Sara Zandberg, National Supervisor for the Education of the Hearing Impaired Israeli Ministry of Education for the Institute's program (2006) and to train storytellers for telling stories to deaf children (2005). Click here to see letters of approbation

Activities

Official national provider of support services (Sela Support Center) The Institute for the Advancement of Deaf Persons in Israel won a three year government tender from the Ministry of Welfare. Under the terms of the tender, the institute has been designated the official national facilitator of support services for all deaf and hard of hearing Israelis. These services, to which deaf and hard of hearing individuals are entitled by law, include sign language interpreting (45 hours a year per person), computer assisted note-taking and the provision of vital equipment. The institute serves over 8,000 deaf and hard of hearing individuals a year, averaging nearly a thousand interpreting assignments a month. About a third of these interpreting assignments met needs in the field of access to health care.

Mentoring Deaf Children at Risk. Deaf college students and graduates mentor by serving as role models for deaf children identified as "at-risk." Interactions are on a one-on-one basis or in group settings. The program aims to identify and prevent abuse at home and in the community and to enable the mentors to gain work experience. The objective is also to help at-risk and disadvantaged children avoid sinking into poverty and dependence. For many children this is their first opportunity to have regular, positive contact with a successful deaf person. Three-hundred-fifty young people participate in this program each year.

Storytelling In Sign. This program trains deaf individuals to work as sign language storytellers, performing for deaf, hearing, and mixed audiences of all ages. This program enables the deaf storytellers to earn income and thus to keep or lift themselves and their families out of a lower socio-economic range. Deaf and hard of hearing children often lack exposure to the wealth of stories and oral heritage, which can be gained from storytelling. Also, in some cases the stories themselves become a type of therapy. This program is run in cooperation with the Joint Distribution Committee - Israel and the Ministry of Welfare. Sixty participants a year are enrolled in this program..

Jewish Deaf Heritage Program. Aims to preserve and pass on the unique and separate Jewish heritage of the deaf population in Israel. In the past year the focus has been primarily on documenting and preserving the experiences and legacies of deaf and hard of hearing individuals during the Holocaust and on helping these survivors develop a personalized understanding of their experiences. In the future deaf educators serving as mentors will provide deaf and hard of hearing children hands-on lessons designed to enable them to explore their Jewish heritage and identity, often for the first time. The curriculum includes prayers in sign language, access to religious celebrations and study of how Jewish Law addresses deafness and those with disabilities. The program serves 80 participants each year.

Support for deaf and hard of hearing students in institutions of higher education. Services provided include sign language interpreters and computer-assisted note taking in classes, educational counseling, helping students receive their legal entitlements (and working to improve the laws), as well as providing financial assistance. These efforts help provide equal access to higher education for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. The Institute assists 200 deaf persons to graduate from Israeli colleges and universities each year.

Crisis Intervention Program. The program includes practical training, workshops in ways to act in different types of emergency situations and a support program to help deaf persons deal with their fears and anxieties. It serves over 300 deaf and hard of hearing children and adults per year.

The Road to Economic Independence. This program addresses the need of deaf and hard of hearing individuals to find and retain appropriate employment. The program works both to strengthen and support the individuals and to prepare and encourage work places to hire and absorb them. Over the past year the Institute has been in contact with over 100 Israeli companies. Over 30 deaf or hard of hearing individuals are now successfully employed at leading companies, including Applied Materials, IBM and a major Israeli television channel, while 150 additional individuals are currently in the program. Initial cooperation received from the Natan Fund and from Tevet: Fighting poverty through Employment - Joint Distribution Committee Israel.

Operation Cast Lead. Operation Cast Lead (December 08 through January 09) presented many special challenges to residents of Southern Israel who cannot hear the air raid sirens or the radio news updates. Throughout this difficult period the Institute worked to ensure that the deaf community was fully supported. That included providing Crisis Intervention Workshops in communities under rocket fire, organizing post-conflict support groups, sending out interpreters around the clock to assist deaf people in need and providing an ad hoc information clearinghouse and touchstone for deaf people via e-mail, fax, video phone and one-on-one meetings. The Institute also worked with the Ministry of Welfare and the IDF Home Front Command to distribute Red Alert beepers to deaf people in areas affected by rocket fire and helping members of the deaf community receive information about their family members who were serving in the IDF.

Access to health care (under development). The institute is developing a program to facilitate access to health care by the deaf. The program is slated to provide a series of workshops to teach deaf and hard of hearing individuals how to cope with the health system, both for everyday matters and for emergencies. In addition, the program proposes to work with, educate and provide support for medical staff members by teaching simple and effective communication techniques for working with deaf and hard-of-hearing patients.

Yael Kakoon holds an MA in social work from Tel Aviv University. She has created and run sign language interpreter training programs at Tel Aviv University, Beit Berl College, and Bar Ilan. Yael was the Jewish Agency's main social worker for new deaf immigrants and was the first to develop services specifically for this new population. She then trained other social workers to specialize in this field.

The specific positions she held are as follows:
2008 to present: Coordinator of Interpreter Training Program in Bar Ilan University
2004 to present: Executive Director, The Institute for the Advancement of Deaf Persons in Israel
2003 to 2008: Coordinator of Interpreter Training Program in Bet Berl College
2000-2005: Staff Guidance Counselor, Ranana Rehabilitation Center
1996 - 2004: Professional Director, The Institute for the Advancement of Deaf Persons in Israel
1993-1995: Community Services Coordinator, The Association of the Deaf
1991-1993: Coordinator of Deaf New Immigrant Services, The Jewish Agency
1987-1988: Rehabilitation Worker, The Holon Rehabilitation Center

Board Policies and Practices

Policy/practice	Comment
Meeting frequency and attendance	The board meets monthly and a majority is present at all meetings.
CEO evaluation and compensation	"The CEO is in constant contact with the chairwoman of the board and reports to the board at the monthly board meetings on the institutes activities. The board determines the CEO's salary."
Board and employee conflicts of interest	The board does not have a formal conflict of interest policy
Financial oversight and control	The Control Committee is responsible for the financial and economic affairs and records of the institute. The committee has two members. The committee writes the annual report which comments on the financial statements. The committee members meet semi-annually with the bookkeeper, the director and the board. They review materials related to the programs and the budget. Each member of the board or control committee may at any time inspect the financial records of the Institute.
Program oversight and evaluation	Each program is governed by its own steering committee which provides all direction and oversight for the specific program. Bi-annual reports are written to Joint Distribution Committee -- Israel and other cooperating partners which help to oversee the content of each specific project and its funding. The Ministry of Welfare supervises all the activities of the Sela Support Center which includes every interpreting hour provided to each deaf or hard of hearing person and all equipment provided by the government. The Ministry of Welfare provides and oversees all social worker positions granted to the Institute.
Board self-evaluation	The institute participates in the Pradler Program which provides extensive training and ongoing mentoring in fundraising and capacity building techniques for Israeli non-government organizations. Board subcommittees have been created for fundraising, legal and professional issues and other related matters. Training was supported by the Pratt Foundation which developed and funds the Pradler Program:
Assurance of compliance with Israeli law	The institute has been granted the nihul takin certificate (certificate of proper management) by the Israeli government. Click here to find out more about the nihul takin certification.
Assurance of compliance with Jewish law	There is no formal policy for assurance of compliance with Jewish law.
Assurance of ethical behavior	The institute adheres to the code of professional conduct of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

The Institute for the Advancement of Deaf Persons in Israel has one full-time, and eight part-time staff members. The highest salary (including benefits) was 128,474 new Israeli shekels (approximately $31,000); the second highest salary was 110,900 new Israeli shekels (approximately $27,000).

VOLUNTEERS

The Institute for the Advancement of Deaf Persons in Israel has approximately 28 volunteers, most of whom are deaf persons themselves who work in a variety of areas including helping with office work, repairs, putting up shelves and the like, and helping out with various events.