Their Families Noticed, We Provided Education
The story of lucky children in Turkey…

Our goal was to reach the families with hearing-impaired children aged between 0-6. We wanted to show those families that: if the hearing problem of your child can be diagnosed between the ages of 0 and 3, the foundations of mental (cognitive), linguistics and social development can be laid down with the education to be started during these ages; thus they can have the opportunity to carry on their lives on the same level with the children with no impairment in the following years.
Why should not a hearing-impaired child play with his/her friends outside in the street? Why does he/she have to be kept home to be protected from those strange looks in the society? Why not diagnosing his/her handicap as soon he/she is born, and educating first the family then the child? As a society, in fact with the impaired-behaviors belonging to us, we used to classify those children, and hinder their intelligence development. Until the year 2008 comes…

The activities we have been carrying out within the scope of TİV (Turkish Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation Foundation) for over two years now bring results. In our journey with 108 hearing-impaired children and families, we would like to share with you how beneficial the pre-school education starting at the age of 3, intensive individual education, and family education programs for 2 full days a week for the development of our hearing-impaired children are. Please see TIVOICE, December 2010 issue.

Devices for the hearing-impaired child should be covered by the health insurance.
According to the survey carried out by ÖZİDA (Prime Ministry Administration for Disabled People) and DİE (Turkish Statistical Institute) in 2002 there are nearly 63,173 hearing-impaired children between the ages of 0 and 19. It is estimated that nearly 80% of these children have moderate, severe, severe-to-profound, and profound hearing loss. Again, nearly 15,000 in other words one third of them are aged between 0 and 6. According to the survey reports each year 1300 to 2600 new born hearing impaired babies should be added to this number. This group has priority in using hearing devices. Therefore, this case should be handled within the scope of positive discrimination. Within this context, both the government and private organizations supporting the hearing-impaired should take action. The entire amount of hearing aids for the children aged between 0 and 6 should be met by the government sources. Devices to be used for the profound hearing loss can be determined by a committee of audiology specialists. When prices of the devices we have mentioned here are taken into consideration, the total cost will be around 30 million TL. Today, one fourth of this cost is already met. Moreover, by means of wholesale purchase the amount can be lowered. Besides considering the total cost of health expenditures in Turkey, it is clear that we are not talking about an important amount. Also, this approach is the requirement of being a social state. Government and private organizations helping the people with hearing loss should focus on children in the 0-6 age group. Using device in these ages is more beneficial than using in older ages. Using a hearing device may be a life quality issue in older ages but it must be remembered that it is vital for children – especially for children in the 0-6 age group. Please see TIVOICE, December 2010 issue.

Toys found their new owners in the campaign “Big Dreams, Little Opportunities”
The toys collected in the campaign “Big Dreams, Little Opportunities” met their new owners.

There is a movie named Toy Story. In that movie, the toys no more loved, and played with are unhappy. Actually, in many houses brand new toys, which are no more cared, once bought in joy and then put aside or found no more interesting as they were below the age of interest, rest in roofs, cellars, or in lockers.

However, some children have no toys.
We started announcements to give used or underused toys away to the children having no toys by the campaign “Big Dreams, Little Opportunities” in July 2010.

Our goal was to make children in the 0-6 age group happy. In this context, little children from all over Turkey shared their toys with us. We are pleased to say that boxes full of toys reached to the Foundation.

We gave away some of the toys to 108 children and their siblings at the education center within the Foundation. The happiness in their eyes was the greatest reward for the efforts spent. The rest of the toys collected within the scope of our action pleased other hearing-impaired brothers and sisters studying in the institutions in all over Turkey:

Lokman Hekim Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Amasya
Mavi Boncuk Eğitim ve Geliştirme Derneği, Yakutiye / Erzurum
Karahisar Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Afyon
Merkez Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Antalya
Halime Çavuş Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Kastamonu
Akşemseddin Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Malatya
Halıcıoğlu Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Beyoğlu / İstanbul
Dosteller Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Göztepe / İstanbul
Şişli Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Mecidiyeköy / İstanbul
Hürriyet İşitme Engelliler İlköğretim Okulu, Hatay
Abdurrahman Gazi Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Van
Burciye Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Sivas
Seyhan Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Adana
Mimar Oktay Uğurel Elementary School For The Hearing Impaired, Ordu
Fatih Elementary School, Iğdır

We just wanted to share this happiness with you, and we thank to the supporters of our campaign, the little ones who give away their toys, sender families, and everybody who spent efforts on delivering toys to us and new owners on behalf of the hearing-impaired little ones.
The dreams come true; the toys and their new owners are very happy now.

The Meeting Where Hearts Speak: Paper Marbling Event with High School Students
Five small children from Turkish Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation Foundation, and considerate students from Prof. Dr. Mümtaz Turhan Sosyal Bilimler High School and Kabataş Boys’ High School got together at the paper marbling event organized in the scope of the action named “Ellerim Duyabiliyor” (My Hands Can Hear).

We talked to Aylin İpek, the psychologist of the Foundation about this action that has been going on for the last few weeks under her supervision: “In the last few weeks, I observed that when the little ones with hearing loss and the high school students made eye contacts all the worry in their eyes replaced by cheers, as they rolled up their sleeves, merged into dyes, and started making “Ebru” (paper marbling). All my worrisome questions such as ‘is paper marbling suitable for kids in the age group four – six’ and ‘can they make it’ were all faded away as the first colorful and original designs were taken out and left to dry.” Yes, those kids could make paper marbling perfectly well. Their older brothers and sisters established a very good communication with them. “Communication was beyond those half words; hid in touching, looking, smiling, brush stokes, and colors. That was quite significant for their psychosocial development.”
On the other hand, Psychologist Aylin İpek mentions this event’s “Art Therapy” effect on children. She thinks, Art Therapy begins exactly where words fail, and believes that the creation process in art have a sort of healing effect. With this effect, children express their hidden emotions, desires which they cannot say with words, and their dreams, joy, happiness, emotional conflicts, bad tempers, and many other states. Moreover, they carry out this rehabilitation process as they perform an art, in joy, and without being emotionally hurt.”

Therefore, we should like to thank the students and manager from Prof. Dr. Mümtaz Turhan Sosyal Bilimler High School and Kabataş Boys’ High School for their social responsibility, and for the event quite important for hearing-impaired children.

Multinet Heard Our Silence, Multinet and TİV joined forces for hearing-impaired children…
Multinet the company which has been designing projects investing on sustainable life and future, considering its employees suggestions, and with their support, has started a social responsibility campaign jointly with TİV (Turkish Hearing and Speaking Rehabilitation Foundation).

In this campaign; Multinet supports 85 hearing-impaired children studying at “0-6 Years Old Hearing Impaired Children and Family Education Center” of Turkish Hearing and Speaking Rehabilitation Foundation, for 1 year, for providing preschool education to them.

This project designed in accordance with the suggestions of the employees emphasizes Multinet’s responsibility awareness said Uğur Tarı, Marketing Manager, Multinet, and explained that, this project objectives securing the future of and giving hope to 85 hearing-impaired children, as he mentioned how happy he is to see the employees’ support on this project. Having mentioned that according to the survey there are 63.173 hearing-impaired children in the 0-19 age group, Tarı said only 7.000 of those children are able to go to school, and this is an important issue, as well as missing natural hearing-speaking period due to “late diagnosis”, and “late device”. Tarı mentioned that Multinet has started a pilot study together with TİV: “All hearing-impaired children and their families who live in the two greater sub-provinces of Istanbul, and do not get education and healthcare services are going to be provided such services. We also objective leading handicapped individuals towards education by the information seminars held in these sub-provinces.

TİV Junior Branch is getting ready for new projects in the next year
At TİV Junior Branch, we have completed the first school year with children. The year was instructional both for us and our hearing-impaired children. We mutually enjoyed the year we spent. Our achievements will not be limited to what we have been achieved so far, and we will keep on carrying out new activities.

The children educated by us are accustomed to us, and naturally this will be our advantage. We held a meeting with the secretary of the Foundation and project coordinator Melike Argis Şehirli to discuss what we can do in the next year. This meeting gave us the opportunity of assessing the past year and planning for the next year’s activities. Outlines of our plans were ready at the end of a pleasant meeting. Our primary goal for the moment is the Handicapped Festival that will be held on October, 23 in Ataşehir. We discussed issues such as what we can do for this festival and what type of assistance we can offer etc. The other issue we wanted to discuss was the activities we can carry out together with children in the next season. We will keep working with children per one day a week schedule in the next year, like we did this year.

At TİV Junior Branch, we are very excited on the action, in which we are going to publish the story books we write. The purpose of those books is informing children with no hear loss and their families on this issue when they are young. By these books, we also expect changing the attitudes of children with no hearing loss towards hearing-impaired children, encouraging them to socialize. We believe this is a major project; the Foundation carries out the necessary operations for hearing-impaired children but other people’s prejudices on them must be overcome in younger ages, and they must also be educated. We hope these books will reach the goal we have in our minds.

Having finished with the printing process we are going to apply to the organizations, which might support us on launching our books in the market. We hope that a productive year is awaiting us, as we keep working.

First years of a hearing-impaired infant
In Turkey, nearly 3 out of thousand new born babies in one year are hearing-impaired. Although these babies’ impairments differ from each other, generally, they have severe and severe-to- profound hearing loss.

The problematic area in children with congenital hearing loss is mainly the cells in the inner ear. The problem in this area cannot be cured by medications and operations. This means that unless special aiding devices or methods are used, these children cannot reach the level of natural development like their hearing peers. The natural development mentioned here includes hearing related language development, and mental and social developments. These skills are fast developed in the stage from birth to the age of 3. Between the ages 3 and 6 the development continues but with a gradually decreasing rate. Therefore, early diagnose (at the time of birth when possible) is very important for hearing-impaired babies. The action that has to be taken after the diagnosis is; making the baby learn the language within a race against time for getting the chance of catching up with his/her peers.

But how can a hearing impaired baby learn a language? At this point, technology provides the most precious aid. Especially the fast developing technology of hearing devices provides great aid to deaf or hearing-impaired babies. In this context, starting using a hearing device as soon as possible will be advantageous for the baby diagnosed for hearing loss. Frequency of the mistakes made on selecting hearing devices is quite drastic. Parents are the last people to be blamed for such mistakes, as financial incapability and misguidance are the factors playing important roles on making wrong decisions. The right thing to do is using the hearing device advised by an audiology specialist.

Babies start hearing environmental sounds as soon as they start using hearing devices. Consequently, they can establish a sound based contact with the environment, which is the most important learning material for them in their first year in life. This is a very good solution for babies with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. However, in severe and profound hearing losses, even the latest technology devices fail. In such cases the options are using another type device named Cochlear implant to be implanted by a surgical operation, or learning the sign language.

Sign language
In sign language communication is established with the use of hands and gestures. It is not international, and countries have their own sign languages. According to some publications Turkish Sign Language is one of the oldest sign languages in history. According to Ibni Batuta’s itinerary, sign language was used in Anatolia in early 14th century. We know that sign language was used in Ottoman courts in 16the and 17th centuries. Education was given in sign language, well as verbal language at Yıldız School for Deaf established by Abdülhamit II in 1902. Unfortunately, the sign language with such a background was almost forgotten in 20th century and not included in curriculum. This negligence affected the development of our sign language, and variations similar to different accents in verbal languages were experienced. Lack of authority monitoring the sign language deepened the problem. Sign language is included in education programs in all developed countries, whereas it is not taught at educational institutions in Turkey, due to unresolved infrastructure issues.

Cochlear implant
Cochlear implant probably sounds strange to most of us but families with hearing-impaired children know it very well. Cochlear implant is suitable for conditions, in which the hearing potential is so damaged that even the most developed hearing aid devices cannot help. It differs from the classical hearing aid devices as it can only be placed by a surgical operation. The implant is designed to carry out the task of inner ear, the most delicate part of the auditory system.

It should be emphasized that Cochlear implant is a revolution in the history of hearing impairment. It is a hope for the people with profound hearing loss – deaf. The first party of devices was manufactured in California in 1970s. Only patients who lost their hearing abilities recently were allowed to have this operation in the U.S.A. in 1982, but in 1990 the developing technology enabled the manufacture of advanced devices, which can be used in children, as well. By April 2009, there were 188 thousand people with this implant around the world, and 30 thousand adults and 30 thousand children in the U.S.A.

The minimum age limit for using Cochlear implant in a baby with congenital hearing loss is 1. Using this implant as soon as the baby enters the age of 12 months is important by means of hearing-understanding, and consequently language development.

One of the most important issues in using Cochlear implant is providing the families with the correct information about what they can expect from this device. Unfortunately, it is wrong to expect that hearing is improved soon after the device is implanted. The training that will be given after the surgery is directly effective on language and speaking skills.

Due to problems in the anatomy of the ear, Cochlear implant is not suitable for nearly 10 percent of the candidates selected according to hearing tests. Besides, the outcome by means of language-speech skill development is not the same for all children who had this operation.

Deciding on
We must keep in mind that the actions either taken or not taken during the very first years of a hearing-impaired baby will have direct and permanent effects in his/her later life. Therefore, families should get over the shock, and be advised as quickly as possible. Naturally, specialized private centers take part in supporting, informing and decision making stages of this process in developed countries. Unfortunately, such resources are either very limited or not available in many cities in Turkey.

When a hearing-impaired baby is considered there are a lot of parameters to be discussed. One of them is the baby’s present age that prevents him/her to make a decision on his/her own to use a Cochlear implant, which is an irreversible surgery. The idea that suggests hearing impairment is not a disease and the hearing-impaired is a community with a different language (sign language) has supporters especially in the U.S.A. Hence, in the beginning, organizations representing the hearing-impaired were strongly against Cochlear implant. However, due to the technological developments, the gradual increase in successful outcome weakened those objections.

Actually, countries have to develop their own treatment and education models according to their conditions. In Turkey, concerned universities should play more effective roles together with Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health on this process. Regarding the health and education of hearing-impaired babies, there are serious issues by means of getting organized, in Turkey.

Ömer Cenker Ilıcalı, M.D.
Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Specialist

TİV Junior Branch is established
We keep bringing hope to the hearing-impaired by establishing Turkish Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation Foundation TİV JUNIOR BRANCH. The Foundation’s board of directors adopted the concept of “the young is the future”, established an active branch consisted of young students from 10 different universities. These young members organize events together with the hearing-impaired children of the Foundation after a 1-month training given by the specialists from the Foundation, will keep carrying on their activities in the next year, as well.

Turkish Language Association Prepares the Infrastructure of Sign Language
According to the compilations from articles about Ottoman history and notes of Evliya Çelebi, there used to be a group of hearing-impaired at Ottoman palace for serving in courts between the years 1500 to 1700. Some texts from archives even report that some administrators learned this language and used when they addressed the public through an interpreter.

Turkish Sign Language, the world’s most developed visual language in the 16th century is in danger of extinction today. Sign language, vital for the hearing-impaired is unfortunately cannot be systematically taught at schools for deaf in Turkey. Sign language learned from friends, and from associations with unstandardized methods at older ages cannot be sufficient.

The use of sign language was banned by Ministry of National Education Law of 1953. It was believed that verbal education is necessary for educating the hearing-impaired, and sign language would prevent children from speaking. However, this opinion is not suggested by the majority of specialists in this field. Hence, sign language is a part of education in all developed countries. Using all types of education materials is the well accepted opinion in developed countries. Therefore, it has to be known that sign language education is an option, as well. Until today, there was no written material, archive, or dictionary other than the visual guide published by Ministry of National Education in 1995.

Turkish sign language, which had not been used at schools since 1953, took a big and positive step at Turkish Sign Language System Preparation Workshop held between 15-16 October 2010 at Ankara Bilkent Hotel in getting its lost reputation back, and to be taught at schools.

Precious specialists in this field participated in the Workshop opened by Professor Dr. Şükrü Haluk Akalın, Chairman of Turkish Language Association. Thus, a new initiative to generalize Turkish Sign Language and include it in the education language was launched.

The workshop, at which requirements and the actions taken so far were transmitted through presentations, begun with groups of Turkish Sign Language Dictionary, Turkish Sign Language Grammar, and Preparing Turkish Sign Language Equipment and Supplies. At the end of two-day workshop, the decision of using sign language in education was taken. Assisting the education in question by preparing the necessary education equipment was advised.

Prof. Dr. Christian Rathmann, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Zeshan, and Ercüment Tanrıverdi, Chairman of Turkish National Federation of the Deaf, and Ömer Cenker Ilıcalı Chairman of Turkish Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation Foundation (TİV) were participated in Turkish Sign Language System Preparation Workshop, a new beginning and the frontier of a new study.

The new magazine of TİV is launched
The new magazine TIVOICE with educative and guiding content is published quarterly. The Foundation, which has providing various services to the handicapped since 1973, with its considerate and energetic new management brings a positive movement to the handicapped in in the 37th year of establishment.

The friendship we established at the Foundation is framed around the question of “what can we do to solve the problems of all hearing-impaired children and adults?” Firstly, we visited educational institutions and universities, from which precious hearing-impaired teachers are graduated, and asked academicians their opinions. We visited ENT specialist doctors and audiologist the key elements of diagnosis, and gathered information on physiological and psychological stages that a child or adult passes through when they learn they are hearing-impaired and institutions and people that will provide support and rehabilitation to the patients in those stages, and the methods of education and teaching. Finally, when we compared all those information to the literature, we discovered quite disappointing facts that make us feel depressed. We understood the importance of education between the ages of 0 to 6 years, the point not to be missed. We would like to keep on our journey, which we started to be the “voice” of hearing-impaired children and to make them heard, with your support and trust. We would like you to walk with us on this journey, we would like to experience the inner peace and happiness of positive developments of your children, and see you in the next issue.

Pages from history of the deaf
1000 B.C.
The Torah protects the deaf from being cursed by others, but does not allow them to participate fully in the rituals of the Temple. Special laws concerning marriage and property were established for deaf-mutes, but deaf-mutes were not allowed to be witnesses in the courts.

384 – 322 B.C.
The philosopher Aristotle claims that "Deaf people could not be educated. In keeping with this thinking, the deaf son of King Croesus of Lydia is not recognized as his father's heir

345-550
Being deaf is seen as sin in the early days of Christianity. St. Augustine tells early Christians that deaf children are a sign of God's anger at the sins of their parents. Meanwhile, hearing and speaking Benedictine monks take vows of silence to better honor God. To communicate necessary information, they develop their own form of sign language

1500's
The experimentation that flourishes throughout Renaissance Europe sets the stage for the first attempts at educating the deaf. The physician Geronimo Cardano of Padua, Italy, believes that he can teach his deaf son using a code of symbols. On the other hand, Pedro Ponce de Leon, a Benedictine monk successfully teaches babies with congenital hearing loss to speak. Pablo Bonet suggests sign language and publishes the first book on the subject in 1620.

Buying Too Many Toys has Negative Effects on Children
We may define all play materials that bring order to children’s’ movements, help their mental, physical, and psychosocial development, and develop their imagination, and creativity during developmental stages as “toy”. Toys develop children’s natural skills thus, have a major educational function. Importance of toys cannot be underestimated as they play critical roles in each stage of children’s development such as enabling them to understand various colors, dimensions, and shapes, and learn about numeric and literary concepts, and providing the stimulus required for their brain development. Toys must be selected according to their age and metal development, and are necessary for all children.

Deciding on the quantity and nature of toys is as important as providing them. Toy selection is serious, as children learn life skills through playing, and playing with toys. Buying toys suitable to children’s age is important for the development of their personality and intellect. Old household goods, plates, a broken radio or a clock can be very good toys. A toy created by the child is more beneficial than ready-made toys. A child can create very nice toys by using his constructive and creative faculties. But, do you know about the harmful effects of buying too many toys to your children?

Hearing-impaired education must be restructured
Basic issues in education of the hearing-impaired
Doubtlessly, education is the most important process in identifying and developing children’s talents, attitude and behaviors. Recently, publications and campaigns suggesting the positive effects of preschool education on a child’s life are seen in Turkey just like in all other countries in the world. Education is very important for healthy children, but vital for hearing-impaired children. All studies show that a hearing-impaired person who spends his first 6 years of life without any education will have losses, which cannot be rectified by any later education. So, what difference makes preschool education “important” for healthy children but “vital” for hearing-impaired children? The difference is; although the child that hears is not provided any preschool education, he is constantly educated by the environmental stimuli. Since the hearing-impaired child does not have an effective hearing, the most important sense required for learning, he/she experiences serious problems in learning. This deficiency is not limited to only oral and mathematical skills. Without a language, development of personality and intellect is heavily impaired. Development of abstract thinking is seriously retarded. Serious problems in cognitive and social developments are observed. Briefly, the baby that has just started his/her life with a sense deficiency will soon turn into a Man who has social problems and experiences moral and conscientious disturbances. All other problems he will encounter in various stages of his future life such as unemployment will be secondary.

Phases of the problem
A child, who was born hearing-impaired, can do many jobs including becoming an academic member in a developed country that has suitable education infrastructure. The average situation in Turkey is depressing. At this point, the disarrangement between Ministry of Health, Administration for Disabled People, and local authorities should be emphasized as the main the problem. Explaining the experiences of families with hearing-impaired child and giving some examples might shed some light over the problem. Putting yourselves in those parents’ shoes and imagining their experiences for few minutes would help you to better understand the drama as you read about this process that starts with diagnosis.

Diagnosis
In many developed countries, hearing impairment can be diagnosed at the time of birth. A test called otoacoustic emission provides quick information. This test is available at 45 state hospitals and some private hospitals. However, due to wrong counseling, and negligence or unawareness of the families, many hearing-impaired babies are diagnosed late. If the hearing-impaired baby is lucky enough he/she will be diagnosed at birth, if not so lucky, will go to an audiology center before he/she is 1 year old. However, the average diagnose age is around 3.5, and thus, the most important period by means of hearing device and education is “missed”. The sorrow of families in this process should not be neglected either.

Struggle for education
So, let us consider the family has resolved the diagnosis issue. In this case the child must be fitted for a hearing aid, and start a special education program, as soon as possible. Although this procedure looks like a simple cause-and-effect relationship, it is in fact the beginning of a practically difficult struggle. Families are usually get heavily traumatized on learning their child is hearing-impaired. Many studies showed that this trauma prevents families from making logical decisions. Therefore, families should be psychologically supported within this process. The most important part of a baby’s education program is family education. Therefore, the family must participate in the education program. Let us consider a family has decided that their child should start an immediate education program under a good guidance. But how will they get the education? The small number of educational institutes specialized for hearing-impaired children in Turkey will be another harsh truth they will find. On the other hand there are no faculties or departments from which, “hearing-impaired preschool teachers” graduate. Unfortunately, Ministry of National Education does not have a curriculum for this term either. In Turkey, where education of the hearing-impaired is completely based on elementary school education, the number pupils at some of those schools with preschools are no more than the number of fingers on one hand. Majority of families are not aware of the fact that starting the education program at this age is vital.

Solution
According to a study, 3% of hearing-impaired children can have the chance of going to school. This figure is smaller when preschool is considered. Therefore, today’s system turns congenital hearing-impaired children into problem individuals by means of personal and mental development. It even prevents them from reaching their career goals. Rehabilitating such a system does not seem possible. Reorganizing hearing-impaired diagnosis and education process is what has to be done.

First of all, specialists that meet world standards must be graduated, and professional training to develop present specialists’ knowledge and skills must be provided. Whoever (ENT specialist, audiologist, audiometrist) deals with hearing-impaired children and their families should be involved in this education process. Above all, specialized institutes should be opened and families must be guided starting right after their child is diagnosed for hearing loss. Tests with the child must be completed, and it must never be left to the family to design an education program for their child. Sociocultural issues generate options that cause irreversible damages in children in many cases. Opening privatized centers in collaboration with Ministry of National Education, and Ministry of State for Disabled People. Any kind of information and support by means of diagnosis and psychological support must be provided to the families of hearing-impaired children at these centers. Couple of countries advanced in the education of disabled people can be taken as a model when establishing this system. Current situation of the children, who will have the same quality of life with hearing people if suitable education is provided to them, should raise awareness about these problems.

Rehearsals for the year end show have started
This year, young students of Kabataş Education Foundation Preschool are participating in the event, the first of which was held by the students from Kabataş Boy’s High School and TİV Education Center jointly last year. In this context, our children, who were mainstreamed with the students from Kabataş Education Foundation Preschool in the 2-month period, rehearse diligently with their teachers for the play they will perform at night on 28 May 2010.

Handicrafts made together with the students from Kabataş Boy’s School within this action will also be exhibited at the foyer same night.

TURKISH CHAMPION among education staff
Feride Öztürk, Sign Language Teacher, Education Center became champion at Handicap Bowling Tournament in Ankara. She is going to represent Turkey in Greece. Congratulations!

Family Education Two Days a Week
Family education seminars for parents are held 2 days a week within the action implemented together with 3rd year students from Department of Preschool Education, Marmara University.

Our Improvements for a better education that came along with the new year: Smart Boards.
Smart Boards’ main function is to make an interactive environment between students and teachers, and make the lesson more practical and memorable.
The dust from the chalks and the question of “Who will erase the board” will be history. As we need the visual education, the smart boards present visually all kinds of documents shown in the videos and computers.

We have started to use the FM SYSTEM in our learning center.
In our learning center, we have started to use the FM SYSTEM with 4 transmitters and 8 receivers in 4 individual classrooms to achieve a world standard quality in the education system. This system reduces the noise that comes from the environment and makes the student focus on the lesson, and increase the hearing aid’s efficiency to 10-15 DB. As this system reduces the noise coming from environment, the hearing impaired student hear and understand the teacher more. The system transmits the voices clearly within 30 meters in the same building . FM SYSTEM is donated to our learning center by TESYEV. We submit our sincere thanks to TESYEV for their donation.

Kabataş High School is again with TIV this year.
Our social responsibility project that has been held for the second time in 2009-2010 academic year started with seminars in February. This year along with the participation of “Kabataş Education and Health Foundation” kindergarten students to the project, the performance of our students will be held on 28th May 2010 at 7 p.m. in Hamdi Sever Culture and Art Center of Kabatas Highschool.

Fenerbahçe Kindergarten was with us
The Principal of Fenerbahçe College Kindergarden Mrs. Canan Taş, the Chairman of Parent-Teacher Association Mrs. Pınar Gürpınar, and the members of Parent-Teacher Association made a visit to our school. We thank you for their meaningful visit and for their valuable support.