Halk Bank Elazığ Merkez Branch, Account No: 46871

• Foundation's Mission

The Elazığ Branch was founded on June 1st, 1990 by a group of parents whose children are handicapped and with the Presidency of Ürfi Atalay. Studies and work on establishment and information accumulation continued until 1994. Thus, with these efforts, Elazığ gained its first Rehabilitation and Education Center in 1994, in a building that belongs to the Ministery of Education.

The foundations for the first Education Center that belongs to our Foundation were laid in 1999, on a 11905 m2 land, which was dedicated to the use of our Foundation for 49 years by the Special Administration Department. On this land, our Administration Building, the Individual Education Building, the Group Education Building, and our Physical Therapy Building, which constitute the first unit of education buildings for our Rehabilitation and Education Center, were completed within a short time period, with help from the public, and offered for service to Elazığ. The enclosures on this land cover about 2000 m2 of built area. The construction of the Workshop Building and the Dormitory Care Units of our Branch are still continuing. (Pictures 1,2,3)

ELZEREM (Elazığ Rehabilitation and Education Center for the Mentally Disabled)

Mental Retardation The state of mental ability below the average level, occurring together with behavioral adaptation problems, during the development period.

Down Syndrome This is a disability type which occurs due to chromosome excess. The specific symptoms are: small head size, oval and flat facial shape, large and slanting eyes, large tounge size, wide neck shape, short hands and feet, thin hair, lateness in teething, speech problems, retardation in psycho-motor and physiological movements, etc.

Attention Deficiency Difficulty in concentration of attention, loosing attention easily with environmental effects, forgetfullness, disorder, often loosing belongings, etc. are among the problem situations.

Hyperactivity When compared with others in his/her age group, noticeably excessive motion is observed in the child. Hands and feet show continuous motion. When the child should be sitting, he/she gets up, runs to inappropriate places or attempts at climbing, usually has difficulty in joining games or continuing play activities, and, in many cases, talks too much.

Autism This involves the situation of the individual’s inversion and closing up against the outside world, showing no effect to environmental factors, and evaluating the environmental objects and events within their objective meanings or not being able to make any evaluations at all. Autistic individuals are behind in their social interaction, speech, language, and communication abilities. In general, they may show atypical reaction and demonstrate stereotypical movements when subjected to emotive effects (such as shaking of the hand, clapping of hands, hitting on a table, yelling, and excessive interest in certain objects).

CP (Cerebral Palsy) This is a neuro-motor defect which shows itself as hypotonous, hypertonous spasticity, rigidity, tremor, coordination defects and disabilities, due to prenatal, during or after birth injury to the brain.

• Letter for enrollment, addressed to the Rehabilitation Center (by the parent),
• Evaluation Report from the Health Council and IQ (Intelligence) Report,
• Birth Certificate,
• Habitation/address Certificate,
• Photograph.

• Language Development and Speech Education
• Mental Development and Conceptual Education
• Academic Skills and Conceptual Learning
• Basic Living Skills and Selfcare/hygiene Learning
• Socialization and Social Adaptation Education
• Education aimed at Behavioral Problems
• Early Age Education
• Work and Professional Learning
• Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation

Our staff is composed of experienced educators who have received higher education in their specific fields of expertise in the following areas:

• Special Education Teachers,
• Psychological Counselors,
• Child Development and Education Experts,
• Physical Therapists,
• Psychologists,
• Social Service Experts,
• Pre-School Teachers,
• Classroom Teachers
• Work and Professional Learning Educators,
• Physical Education Teachers,
• Child Care Experts.

This involves all the work and activities that follow the education and rehabilitation plans specially designed for the disabled individual, utilizing all the education materials and tools and done one on one together with an education expert; these provide the necessary support for all of the disabled individual’s developmental areas.

This includes the work that is done by a professional education staff member, with a maximum number of eight children whose age and developmental sharacteristics are close to one another, conducted according to the necessities defined for each child in the group.

This involves the work and activities completed according to the needs specified for each individual and conducted by a professional education expert, with a maximum number of twelve children whose ages and developmental levels are close to one another.

Working with a maximum number of twelve children whose ages and developmental characteristics are close to one another, Full Day Group Education is conducted by a professional special education staff; the activities are planned according to the needs specified for each individual in the group.

This is the specific rehabilitation work carried on by a professional staff member (physical therapist), aimed at rehabilitating the neuro-motor functional handicaps of the individual which may have appeared during birth, or afterwards due to an illness or accident, that have caused damage in the brain. Planned according to the defects observed in the individual, the objective is to rehabilitate and bring the child to the level where independent living will be possible.

The activities in this area are aimed at having the disabled individuals gain work and professional skills and experience, to have them reach a productive level in their lives.

In our Rehabilitation Center, planned social activities are continuously realized and conducted.

In our Center, at certain intervals, we conduct meetings with the families and give them full information on the progress of their children’s training and education. These seminars and the individual meetings with the families support their education as well.

One of our objectives regarded with great significance at our Center is to contribute to the physical health and well being of our children. For this purpose, we give great importance to sports activities and provide opportunities for our students as much as our resourches allow, to participate in regional and national special sports events and competitions.

The play area and park, which is located within our Education complex, is one place that has received the most attention and interest by our students.

The students are picked up from their homes every day and they are returned home after their day in our Center, with utmost care and professional approach, by our professional personnel members who are conscious of their duty and responsibility for the safety of our children.