Audio service
An innovative initiative will guide the service providers in Israel in their meeting with the blind and the impaired vision population
According to the Ministry of Welfare data for 2013, 25,000 blind and impaired vision persons holding a blind certificate live in Israel.
My name is Lili Goldwein, age 69; with impaired vision, my mobility is assisted by my guide dog named Zita. I have been involved in projects to benefit the blind populations and have been a lecturer in various forums for years.
As a citizen of Israel, using its assorted services, such as health and welfare, consumption, and public transportation, I often encounter an absence of knowledge and embarrassment by team members and service providers on the issue of how they should act and refer to a blind or impaired vision person addressing them.
For this reason, I established the “Audio Service” initiative.
I was surprised to discover that as soon as the service provider described to me in his voice what was about to transpire and made the evolving situation accessible for me, my entire experience and existence changed. Even when the blind arrives with an escort, the service provider (nurse, physician, technician, and alike) must primarily address and refer to the patient directly, in person, and with respect.
Audio Service is an initiative to train the various service providers on how to refer to the blind/impaired vision person arriving at them.
Voice accessibility is an exceptional value in this situation. Through a dynamic workshop, the team will learn how, by way of simple basic tools, to change the encounter experience with the blind/impaired vision person and the service provider jointly into a more pleasant, easy, and effective one.
During the meeting, the participants will get acquainted with the world of blindness, be exposed to the blind person’s needs, and be equipped with the practical tools to train them on how to act in their meeting with the blind person.
How is the workshop conducted?
The meeting is divided into three parts:
- Preface – on the blindness-personal story and the meeting purposes.
- Simulation – a blind person enters the clinic
- Questions and summary
The workshop duration is one and a half hours and is adapted to the participating public. The workshop is with payment.
