ABOUT AL-HADI INSTITUTE

Al Hadi Institution for Deaf and Blind

Imam Al Hadi Institution for Deaf and Blind is a Lebanese National NGO specialized in education, youth and disability issues. It was established in 1988 as a school for the visually impaired. In 1993, a school for hearing impairment was established.
Today, the Institution covers a building area of 7700 m2 occupying a distinguished site on the highway of Beirut International Airport and comprising:

- Al Raja'a School for the Deaf
- Al Nour School for the Blind
- Boarding Section
- Special Education Section
- Vocational Training Section
- Computer Training Center
- Braille Computer Training Center

The Institution implements the official Lebanese academic curricula in its schools. Beyond the Intermediate level, an Integration Program is implemented to allow access to regular schools and universities.

Relevant social and psychological guidance, counseling and entertainment are provided within the frame of an educational program that is annually reviewed and updated.

The Institution is equipped with highly advanced facilities and run by a team of dedicated specialists. This team is responsible for the tutoring, rehabilitation and upbringing of students. Its members are specialists in various fields of education. Training to catch up with recent technology and modern educational methods is an ongoing process.

Al Nour School

The school targets the visually impaired students and aims to improve the quality of life for them. It serves students who are blind, partially impaired or partially sighted.

- Al Nour School includes a kindergarten and offers education in Arabic and English up to the ninth grade. Students who obtain the Lebanese Brevet Certificate are integrated in regular schools, or alternatively they can join the Vocational Training Section and/ or the Computer Training Center.
- Skills development is an integral part of the educational mission of Al Nour School that includes:

1. Sensory skills development: Mainly the fingertips sensory organs, essential for Braille reading;

2. Mobility skills development: required for easy and secure motion, including the use of the White Cane;

3. Social communication skills development;

4. Techniques of using aid tools and equipment;

5. Special Educational Section for students with multi disabilities in addition to visual impairment. This programme applies case specific tutoring programs, designed and carried out by qualified specialists;

6. Boarding school section, for students residing outside Beirut. The Boarding School provides daily life requirements within a family atmosphere.

Al Nour School facilities include:
o Equipped classes and aid tools
o Braille books Library
o Audio Library
o Computer Training Center.
o Other facilities, such as environmental activities, painting, music and acting clubs.

The ESCWA endeavor

The year 2001 was a turning point in Al Hadi Institution for Deaf and Blind. The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) replicated its venture in Jordan and established the second Training Center for Braille computer at Al Hadi Institution for Deaf and Blind in Beirut/Lebanon. This was done within the framework of a project entitled "Braille Computer Training for Arab Boys and Girls", which was funded by the Arabic Gulf Fund (AGFUND) and the Government of Japan and jointly implemented by ESCWA and Al Hadi Institution for Deaf and Blind. Aiming to encourage the visually impaired to utilize information and communication technology, the objectives of the Project are:

- Establishing a national center for training of blind persons in Lebanon.
- Conducting training courses for blind students, men and women.
- Enhancing and upgrading the skills of blind students in order to prepare them for careers related to computer technology or secretarial/clerical work.
- Setting up an electronic Braille Documentation Centre that will disseminate Braille information to end-users in the Arab region through Internet communication.

The Center is equipped with Mini and Maxi Visio Braille terminals, Audio programs in both English and Arabic languages like JAWS and SAKHR in addition to Zoom Text software. At the Center, students are trained to read electronic texts on Braille Screens, surf the internet, download info, print with a Braille embosser, follow-up on their banking and purchasing transactions on-line.

Tutorial Training Programme

Training at the Braille Computer Training Center also provides tutorial-training services to visually impaired students without any pre-set terms.

Upon completion of the training, students will be able to use common computer-processing applications, including word processing, spreadsheets. They will also be able to read electronic texts on Braille screen, download information from the Internet for reading or printing with Braille, browse the newspapers, do online research and continuously upgrading their skills. By that students would pursue and develop their level of education and enhance working opportunities.

The training package consists of the following five courses:

- Microsoft Word Syllabus: A course that studies the different characteristics and functions of Microsoft Word, focuses on navigation, working in different views, editing, formatting, saving documents, printing and previewing, tables, mail merge, inserting, in addition to formatting long documents.

- Microsoft Excel Syllabus: An introduction to the various characteristics and functions of Microsoft Excel. This course provides the various frameworks and applications of MS Excel with emphasis on spreadsheets and database systems.

- Microsoft Power Point Syllabus: A course that covers the various characteristics and functions of Microsoft Power Point. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to prepare effective Power Point presentations.

- Internet Explorer Syllabus: This course includes an introduction to the Internet and the World Wide Web.

- VisioBraille Syllabus: A course that covers the functions of the Visio Braille system in local and connected modes. In local mode, VisioBraille can be used as a lightweight note-taker, database tool and scientific calculator. When connected to a computer, in connected mode, VisioBraille provides easy access to various applications that run in the Microsoft Windows environment.


For additional information, please contact Ms. Maha Khechen, Training Instructor at Al Hadi Institution, Tel/mobile: 03-989421