Structured Discovery Learning Goes to Turkey

by Robert Newman

October 12th - November 7th

"Merhaba," Turkish for "hello," greeted the six member team of Blind Corps upon our arrival at the Istanbul national airport. We were the guests of Beyazey, an Istanbul based consumer group of the blind and the Istanbul Municipality, our sponsors in a joint demonstration project called "Futures in Blindness," bringing structured discovery learning to the blind of Turkey. The impetus for our invitation came from the reality that within the seventy million population of Turkey, there are approximately seven-hundred and fifty thousand with a severe vision loss and of these blind citizens who are of work age, eighty-five percent are unemployed. It is also the case that within Turkey, rehabilitation services to the blind are in many respects not well organized nor up to date and it is this that the blind of Turkey wish to make a positive change upon. We the Blind Corps team, with our one-hundred years plus of combined experience in the rehabilitation of the blind, were honored to be asked and pumped to show what we know is the best method for bringing about independence to the blind.

Blind Corps (BC) is an all-volunteer group of professionals in the field of work with the blind. We formed this non-profit in November of 2005 with the purpose of addressing the rehabilitation needs of Blind people in Third World Countries. The team for the Turkey project was made up of six members who Individually had a range of ten to thirty-four years of professional experience in the blindness field; all active members of the NFB. The members were: Michael Floyd, president, blind, currently a Drug and Alcohol Counselor, a former Travel Instructor.  Fatos Floyd, vice president, blind, a Turk and former resident of Istanbul, currently the Director of The Nebraska Center for the Blind (NCBVI). Connie Daly, secretary/treasure, sighted, a District Supervisor for NCBVI. Nancy Flearl, board member, sighted, a District Supervisor for NCBVI. Robert Leslie Newman, board member, blind, a Vocational Rehabilitation counselor for NCBVI. Buna Dahal, member, blind, a Trainer and Motivational Speaker in the field of blindness.  (Originally we had planned to have an eight member team, another generalist teacher and a computer specialist.)

We left the US on October 12th, leaving our homes at approximately 11:30 AM, arriving in Istanbul at 12:00 noon on the 13th. We stayed in the Istanbul area for twenty-five days and arrived home on November 7th. Jetting eight thousand miles plus, crossing eight time zones to the east to spend time living and working with peoples of a different culture was to say the least, "very exciting." For all the BC team, this would be the first experience in presenting a training program outside our own boarders and to a group of individuals of which we knew going in that we would not speak the same language as the majority of them. The rest of the story concerning staff and Turkey is that Fatos was born and raised in Istanbul. Mike, Fatos's husband is a native of Oklahoma and speaks broken Turkish and has been to Turkey several times. Nancy and Connie had spent nearly three weeks in Turkey back in 2005 as Fatos's guest. I had visited Istanbul for one day back in 1985 as part of a cruse originating out of Athens, Grease. And this was Buna's first trip to Turkey.

The training ran from October 16th to October 30th. The training site was a campus donated by the Istanbul Municipality called Florya Ozurluler Kampi or Ciroz for short. It is a fifteen acre camp designed to serve the disabled and is located within the Istanbul city limits, along the shoreline of the Sea of Marmara. All participants resided within the camp's fifty cabins and classes were held within other of the camp's buildings, such as an internet café with eight computers, a large cafeteria where our meals were prepared and served. The campus's sidewalks and internal streets were used for cane travel, including a nearby neighborhood and the extensive sidewalk system which extended south of the camp to and along the sea shore.

On Tuesday October 16th we started with twenty-four students and through out the next two weeks new students trickled in, until at the finishing of the training on Tuesday October 30th we had worked with a total of thirty-six individuals. At the beginning of any training situation, it is custom to find out the expectations of your students, and so in our beginning seminar we had each person tell what it is they hoped to gain from the training. And to our surprise, many spoke of needing to learn specific skills, like computer, Braille, cooking, sewing, independent travel, a new method of teaching, confidence and more . their desires were no different than what we had heard from our students in the US. And at our closing ceremony we gave out twenty-six certificates to students who had been with the training for nearly its full two week period.

The students who came for "Futures In Blindness" were a mix of the blind and the professionals in the field of blindness (some of these service providers were sighted and some were blind). Ages ranged from the teens up through the fifties. Some were college students, most were unemployed and approximately one third were the service providers. Most were from the Istanbul area, yet a few had come as far away as an eighteen hour bus ride. A few were quite accomplished in their blindness skills, but most had had little to no training in blindness. But there was one thing they all proved to have in common; it was their openness and eagerness to learn.

It is important to note, that In the setting up and presentation of our two week training center, that though we had essentially created a mini, short term Training Center of a type found in Nebraska or in several other US states and/or within the three NFB centers, that in our need to pack in a wide range of skill and topic areas, out of necessity some classes were held and built upon over several days and some were presented only once. Yet, the parallels between the Istanbul center and those in the US were easy to see. It was in the philosophical presentation of instruction of high expectations, in the basic core of classes, in the teaching of students to problem-solve as a blind person and allowing them to learn that blindness need not be a barrier to living a normal life. Herein also lay the fundamental reason for the demonstration project, what our Turkish sponsors wished to see in "Futures in Blindness," it was structured discovery learning in action.

This is not to say that there weren't any major unique differences between our training center in Turkey verses our center in Nebraska, fore there were two worthy of mention. First, there was the language factor. Only one of us on the BC team could speak fluent Turkish and one a form of survival Turkish, and so four of us needed a translator (of which we did not always have when we needed one). And in respects to the language capability of the students, there were five who had some English; one was pretty good, the others just basic survival English or Turkish (we had three members of the European Volunteer Service as students, from Germany, Holland and France and though they spoke good English, they were only beginners in learning Turkish.) And in my Personal case as an instructor, I found not having the full power of language on my side to be an interesting and sometimes taxing challenge. It really made me think and plan on how to simplify my delivery of a question or a new concept, fore not only did I have to find the more base terminology, but it had to be an English word that the student knew, and yet a term that would still honor the thread of the concept being taught. This included that I too had to pick up a word or phrase of their language in order to further our communication. And always, we would make use of demonstration and much pantomime.

The second major difference came from the fact that with Turkey being a Muslim country and with how people of any faith may range from the very devout to the liberal, eight of our female students were "covered" and respectfully refused to work with the male instructors of the BC team. "Covered," that is to say, they were of a strict Muslim faith and were covered from head to foot, their faces and hands being the only parts of their person in view to the public. They wore scarves on their head to cover the hair, long skirts down to their feet and sleeves that came down to their wrists and over the first layer they wore ankle length coats. And the rule was, they could not be touched by a male other than some one of their own family.

An average day's training schedule looked like this: (Turkey is on the twenty-four hour clock) 8:00 until 9:00- Breakfast; cheeses, olives, raw vegetables, maybe a boiled egg or fresh fruit or a slice of salami and always fresh bread ("ekmek" is Turkish for "bread"). At all meals the drink options were chi and fresh juices ("chi" is Turkish for "tea"). 9:30 until 10:00- Group meeting to talk about the day's schedule.  The schedule was 10:00 until 12:00- Training; some days a two hour class or two one hour classes. The afternoon schedule was 12:00 until 13:00- Lunch; dishes like rice, soup, a stew sometimes with small bits of meat or not, raw or cooked vegetables, yogurt, bread and sometimes dessert. Generally the schedule was 13:30 until 16:00- Training; some days a two and a half hour class or two one hour and fifteen minute classes. 16:00 until 16:30- Tea Time; a cultural time to take a break from work and have chi or juice and a light snack either fruit or something sweet. 16:30 until 18:30- Seminar; a group meeting to discuss personal accomplishments and to explore a philosophical issue of blindness. From 19:00 until 20:00- Dinner; dishes like rice, cooked vegetables, yogurt, a stew or casserole with or without meat and dessert. (The food was good at the camp and excellent elsewhere.) 20:00 until 220:00- Most evenings it was sitting around in the cafeteria visiting, learning one another's language or working more on cane travel or making music (the Turkish people love to sing and many played the "Barbooka" a Turkish type of drum that is held under the arm and played with the hands or some played a stringed instrument called the Ba g lama.) 22:00 until 22:30- Last snack of the day; chai or juice and fruit or sweets.

The classes or skill areas offered were:

("Bastogne is Turkish for "cane") Cane travel class was a major skill area which was held every day and we found was enjoyed by all. We had brought a large box of canes and had more than enough to give a long white cane and a sleep shade to each student. The skills we taught were: basic two-point-technique, pencil grip, traveling in a residential area, the placement of the cane within a vehicle, handling a flight of stairs, address location, carrying a food tray, keeping your place in line, finding a dropped item, locating door handles, the use of a compass and cardinal directions and more. Where the initial cane skills were taught on the grounds of the camp, for more advanced travel we left the campus and explored the extensive network of sea side walk-ways to a sports exercise area, to a tea shop, a restaurant, and to a near by neighborhood grocery store. We also boarded a city bus and worked out all the techniques and awareness's for bus travel. Additionally, we covered the care of a cane, ranging from replacing a tip, to the canes' general cleaning and maintenance. Finally, we covered cane etiquette; making sure it isn't in others space, etc. ("Sa" is Turkish for "right" and "Soul" is "left")

Students were very excited to get a new and adequate cane; some had come with a cane and some had not and what they had were short and mostly of a folding variety. We were very excited to watch the acceptance and dedication this group of students put into the learning of this skill. We would see them out between classes, sleep shades on, practicing alone or in small groups. Sometimes it would be 10:30 at night and they'd still be at it.

Braille was another key class for most students and was held on several days. In this class too, we presented each student with new equipment, Braille slate and stylus. For those who were not already a Braille reader, we introduced the alphabet, both its reading and writing. And yes, Turkish Braille has some differences then our English; it differs by nine letters. First, the Turkish alphabet lacks the letters q, w and x. Second, it has six additional characters not found in ours; the C with a tail, G with accent, I without a dot, O with 2 dots, U with 2 dots and S with a tail.

One critical deficiency in Braille literacy we identified within Turkey is that there is no organized system of teaching the Braille code for advanced math. As a result, the blind are not able to enter careers requiring the reading and writing of advanced math. In fact, some college graduates, those aspiring to become certified to teach, are not able to pass the math section of the national teacher's certification examination and so cannot reach their goal.

Computer was another important class for most students and was repeated over several days. Some individuals came with good computer skills and some had none.

This class in deed was a challenge for the Blind Corps staff, due to a couple of reasons. First, we had intended to bring a computer expert with us, however that fell through. Second, the version of Windows that we found on all the machines was Turkish (we had been told this would not be the case) and the kicker was, the keyboard was also setup for the Turkish alphabet. (Visualize the at sign being the letter q plus the right alt key.) Though all staff were good "daily users" of the computer, only one of us was a Turkish speaker and so we were personally handicapped in our teaching, unless we had a translator sitting at our side. So our solution was the utilization of the more advanced Turkish student to aid in teaching computer to the lesser experienced.

The Skills covered depended upon the individual. Some skill sets were- basic keyboarding, basic Windows, word processing, e-mail, internet search, and more.

Cooking was another popular class which was held several times. Here along with traditional cooking, we also offered a section on outdoor grilling (a task normally carried out by men; however we had women working on it too).

In cooking, we found that most women had quite a lot of experience, though most were very appreciative of learning new alternatives. The skills taught were- basic peeling, cutting, dicing, pouring, grating, frying, baking, cleanup and more. The projects we had them cook were- Turkish potato salad, a cake and zucchini pancake.  Afterwards, we all sampled each of the dishes and even shared it with the cooks at the camp.

In grilling, the initial task was to assemble the grill itself. After that, it was placing and starting the charcoal and achieving the right bed of hot coals. Next it was the placement and monitoring of the items being grilled. One day we grilled Turkish meatballs and on a second day, chicken.

Interesting, in general, cooking in Turkey is not done by a written recipe. This includes how a measurement is made, meaning it is the dash, pinch and handful method.

Sewing was another class that was a hit with everyone; held only twice. The first skill we covered was the threading of a needle; we showed them three methods and the self-threading needles were the favorite. The next task we had them do, was sew on a button. The final project we had them do was to assemble and sew together a cloth holder/dispenser for plastic grocery bags.

Home maintenance also ended up a favorite class by both men and women; held only once. The skills we covered were: the plugging in of electrical cords into outlets, the changing of light bulbs, hammering in of a nail, and the measuring and cutting of lumber.

Techniques of daily living was another class that proved to be a hit; held only once. We divided this one up into two sections.

First, we discussed and demonstrated a variety of medical related techniques and equipment. For example: methods for filling a syringe, checking blood sugar levels, talking thermometer, talking blood pressure cuff, methods for labeling medicines, techniques for administrating medications to children as a blind parent, and more.

Second, we covered other home and/or school related techniques and equipment. Such as: methods of creating raised line drawings, methods for teaching handwriting, electronic note-takers (PAC Mate and BrailleNote), audible liquid level indicator, marking dials with raised markings, labeling clothing, labeling can goods or other items in the kitchen, and more.

Grooming and cosmetics was yet another popular class; held only once. We divided it into grooming for men and makeup and self care items for women. In both areas, we discussed and tried out a range of alternative techniques and equipment.

In Grooming we covered: hair care, brushing teeth, shaving, personal hygiene, nail care, polishing shoes, picking out clothing, labeling clothing, checking for wrinkles and/or spots, and more.

Dating came up as a topic. In turkey it is custom to see blind men marrying sighted women, yet it is not common to see blind women marrying sighted men and it is also rare to see two blind people marrying.

In makeup and self care for women we covered: hair care including styling, nail care including polishing, application of makeup, labeling makeup and/or clothing, personal hygiene, and more.

Other important events, facts or outcomes:

It is exciting and satisfying to report, that during the two weeks of training, many students were visited by spouses, siblings, parents and their own children. In fact, in some cases, the guest would stay the day, visiting classes and events and even stay the night. And on many occasions, these guests would tell us what improvements they had witnessed and how they would now be expecting more of their loved one.

It is also important to note, that the training was visited by the media. Within the first two days, a local newspaper came and took pictures and interviewed participants. A copy of this article can be found on the Blind Corps web site- http://www.blindcorps.org And what was even more exciting, a national, governmental newspaper and film team came and shot footage and interviewed students and staff. They made a documentary of their material and it was shown on Turkish national television during the week of November 19th. (We plan to stream it on the Blind Corps web site in the near future.)

Above I mentioned that we had two major sponsors, but the rest of the story is that the majority of training materials and equipment used during classes were purchased by BC through many generous donations by supporters here in the US and in Turkey (a listing of these individuals can be found on the BC web site). And at the end of the training it was all left in Turkey. That is to say, it was all given out to students or to Beyazey and/or Parilta (a non-profit providing services to blind children).

I think it would be important to tell more of the story surrounding the unemployment of the blind in Turkey. Above I state that it is rated at 85 percent. Even then, many of the blind who work do so through a national law wherein a company has to hire a percentage of disabled workers or get penalized up to three times the annual salary of a worker. And what some companies will do is and the blind will accept, is to get the blind person to take the money and stay home.

Another factor relating to employment is that after a blind person puts in fifteen years of employment, they can retire with full Social Security like benefits.  And this is quite common and I met several who asked how we in the US handled retirement and/or if our blind received any governmental support.

The next short section is a collection of interesting facts or observations that I wrote into my personal journal and I feel are worthy of sharing.

• In Turkey before you enter someone's home, you take off your shoes.
• The curbs are about 18 inches high; to prevent people from parking their cars up on the sidewalks. Also, the pedestrian does not have the right of way; in the US cars must watch out for you, in Turkey you must watch out for the cars.
• You know you are in Istanbul when, most cell phone ring tones around you are Middle Eastern tunes.
• If you hear a group of people having fun and are laughing, you cannot tell where in the world you are.
• The city limits of Istanbul spans areas on both the European and Asian continents'. And they say that the population of Istanbul is something like 13 million people, that is to say people who are registered, but there is more than likely 15 million plus if you include the non-registered inhabitance.
• In Turkey, there are generally no screens on the windows of homes or businesses.
• There are few dogs in Turkey; they are viewed as unclean animals. You do see a lot of cats. And if you call a cat, you do not say, "Here Kitty, Kitty," you say "Pss, Pss, Pss."

After Training

After the conclusion of training, Wednesday October 31st, we spent the day cleaning up and organizing for the trip back on November seventh, Wednesday of the following week.

Thursday and Friday, November 1st and 2nd was time we had to relax and do some site seeing and shopping. On the first day we went shopping to the great Covered Bizarre "Pazar" is Turkish for "Bazaar"). On the second day we took a trip up to where the Bosporus meets the lower end of the Black Sea.

The next three days, we made visits to several local Istanbul providers of services to the blind, where we held open discussions with staffs and consumers:

On Saturday the 3rd, we spent the day with the staff and consumers of Parilta, the non-profit who provide services to blind children. The morning was a discussion with a large group consisting of parents of blind children, the blind children themselves and their sighted siblings and staff. Afterwards they provided us with lunch.

In the afternoon, we received a tour of their facility and were asked to work with a classroom of children. On the spot we came up with an instructional game where in each child was challenged to find a dropped piece of candy by means of using their cane; listening to the object being dropped, kneeling and by laying the cane flat on the floor, sweeping in an organized pattern until the candy was found.

One commitment we made to this group was to provide them with an assortment of kid sized canes.

Another highlight of this visit was that we were happy to be reunited with a couple of our former students. One of them, blind and a college graduate, a volunteer working three to four days a week and for her to get to work, it takes three hours one way.

On Sunday the 4th, we visited A district non-profit in the morning where we split up and individually held topical discussions with members of the host staff. I covered the state of services within the US and how changes can be made to come about. Mike handled cane travel issues.  Fatos covered the blind in math and science. Nancy covered social skills. Connie covered employment issues. (Buna had gone back to the states by this time to honor a prior business commitment.)

In the afternoon it was visiting one of our major sponsors, Beyazey. There we started off with lunch, a tour of their offices and transitioned into leading a large group discussion of consumers and staff on the topic of empowering the blind. Here too we met up with a couple of our former students.

On Monday the 5th we started out the day by visiting a school for the learning disabled where again, one of our former student's works. The students in this school range from ages eighteen to thirty-five. They are taught some academics, but more of the arts like music, painting, weaving, crafting and jewelry making. 

Then we made a visit to the head-quarters of all government services for the disabled of Istanbul. There are eighteen offices through out the Istanbul area and this head quarters one alone takes in on average one-hundred applications a day. There too, we were served tea and sweets.

Our mid afternoon appointment was at a library, wherein some of the services they have are the recording of talking books and computer instruction.  And here too we were served lunch and then conducted a large group discussion with staff and consumers; the topic was differences we see between the blind of the US and those in Turkey.

Finally, our evening appointment was a farewell dinner with staff and board members of Beyazey. The company was great, the food was wonderful, but the setting was also to be remarked upon. The restaurant is called the Malta palace, built during the Ottoman Turkish era. Though a lavish mansion, it was built to serve as a prison for one of the Ottoman Turks. It is on several acres of land, has its own forest, is 2 stories tall with very high domed ceilings that have beautiful murals painted on them, indoor marble fountains,  and the entire structure is very ornate.

"Teshekkurler" is the Turkish word for "Thank you." After dinner, we were very graciously thanked for our efforts.  It is rewarding to know they want us back again next year.  They will be speaking with the governor's office in Nebraska to explore the possibility of developing a formal relationship with the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

As a highlight, Beyazey presented Blind Corps with a plaque. It is a blackboard sitting up on a tripod, with a small eraser and piece of chalk; all pieces are made of marble. On its surface is both logos of Beyazey and Blind Corps, and says "Lesson: Rehabilitation" Subject: "Futures In Blindness." In addition, each member of the BC team was presented with a Turkish tea set.

Tuesday the 6th was our final packing day. And Wednesday we left our cabins at 6:30 AM and I walked into my home in Omaha at 9:45 PM; add on the eight hour difference in time zones and you'll get the actual time traveled.

Next steps: In terms of follow-up, the Blind Corps staff will provide some direct communication via SKIPE and e-mail. And gather further donations in order to send to Turkey additional canes and tips (an in-country manufacture for canes is being sought).

In conclusion, it was a very rewarding experience and I'd do it again. The Turkish people are very friendly, generous and appreciative and like us are eager to improve the lives of the blind. "seviyorum " is Turkish for "I love you"

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