“For everyone else, I’m just a child with special needs. But for me, I’m just me.”
Kereni loves life, people and the world around her. She is extremely friendly and enjoys meeting new people and cultures, making everlasting friends around the world. Kereni has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which severely impairs her ability to control her muscles. That has never stopped her from fiercely pursuing what she wants and getting her message across with patience, determination and perseverance.
As a young baby, Kereni developed a communication method based solely on eye movement and the limited facial expressions she had. She was able to build an extensive vocabulary and create a language all of her own. By the age of three, Kereni was able to communicate complex concepts and abstract notions with eye movements. Now Kereni operates an “eye-gaze” keyboard by blinking and is able to easily talk with anybody around her. Kereni drives a power wheelchair to get around, and feeds herself with a robotic self-feeder, both controlled by head movements. Unfortunately, it was not possible to travel with the power wheelchair to India. She also owns Eli, a service dog, who doesn’t leave her side.
Kereni loves visiting museums, going to the theatre and concerts, with all that New York City has to offer. She has also travelled internationally to Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, China and India (3 times and counting…). She cares deeply for the people around her and in the world as a whole, particularly for those that cannot easily advocate for themselves – people with disabilities and young children. Kereni is now writing a book on how parents should treat their children, taking examples from all the mistakes her parents made…
Kereni has a younger brother, Hillel, who is a central figure in her life. He is an amazingly loving, kind, patient and considerate brother. Hillel is a great role model of how to make inclusion natural and effortless.