Sabriye Tenberken
Encyclopedia
Sabriye Tenberken is a German
socialworker and co-founder of the organisation Braille Without Borders
.
, Germany
, and she became gradually visually impaired and completely blind
by the age of thirteen due to retina
l disease. She studied Central Asia
n Studies at Bonn University. In addition to Mongolian
and modern Chinese
, she studied modern and classical Tibetan
in combination with Sociology
and Philosophy
.
script for the blind was developed in 1992, which became the official script
for the blind in Tibet
.
This script combines the principles of the Braille system with the special features of the Tibetan abugida
script. This script for the blind was submitted for close examination to an eminent Tibetan scholar, who found it to be readily understandable, simple, and easy to learn. As Tibetans at the time had no script for the blind, he suggested to Sabriye that she let blind Tibetans make use of it.
, the capital of Tibet, to educate blind people. Before, the blind had not been able to attend school.
The centre started with education of five children with Sabriye initially teaching the children herself as well as her duties of coordinator and advisor. She then became responsible for the training of native Tibetans as teachers and trainers for the blind and she selected and supervised all staff-members.
The project's progress was not without difficulties - local Tibetans would at times cheat Sabriye, taking advantage of her blindness; many European foundations did not offer Sabriye help believing that a girl who herself was blind could not be successful with such a project, and promised funds from a German association for the blind did not materialize. Sabriye was assisted by Paul Kronenberg who had been working for the Red Cross in Shigatse
. In 1998 Paul joined Sabriye in establishing the Project for the Blind, Tibet.
.
In addition to the school in Lhasa BWB runs a farm and cheese factory for the vocational training of adults near Shigatse
and is planning the International School for Development and Project Planning near Trivandrum, India
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
socialworker and co-founder of the organisation Braille Without Borders
Braille Without Borders
Braille Without Borders is an international organisation for the blind in developing countries. It was founded in Lhasa, Tibet by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg in 1998.- Overview :...
.
Biography
Sabriye was born near BonnBonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and she became gradually visually impaired and completely blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
by the age of thirteen due to retina
Retina
The vertebrate retina is a light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. The optics of the eye create an image of the visual world on the retina, which serves much the same function as the film in a camera. Light striking the retina initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical...
l disease. She studied Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
n Studies at Bonn University. In addition to Mongolian
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
and modern Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, she studied modern and classical Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
in combination with Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
.
Braille for the Tibetan language
As no blind student had ever before ventured to enroll in this kind of studies, she could not fall back on the experience of previous students,so she developed her own methods of studying her course of studying. It was thus that a Tibetan BrailleBraille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
script for the blind was developed in 1992, which became the official script
Writing system
A writing system is a symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language.-General properties:Writing systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that the reader must usually understand something of the associated spoken language to...
for the blind in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
.
This script combines the principles of the Braille system with the special features of the Tibetan abugida
Abugida
An abugida , also called an alphasyllabary, is a segmental writing system in which consonant–vowel sequences are written as a unit: each unit is based on a consonant letter, and vowel notation is obligatory but secondary...
script. This script for the blind was submitted for close examination to an eminent Tibetan scholar, who found it to be readily understandable, simple, and easy to learn. As Tibetans at the time had no script for the blind, he suggested to Sabriye that she let blind Tibetans make use of it.
A school for the blind
In 1997, Sabriye travelled to Tibet alone in order to assess the situation of the blind there. Returning in 1998, she founded the Centre for the Blind in LhasaLhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, the capital of Tibet, to educate blind people. Before, the blind had not been able to attend school.
The centre started with education of five children with Sabriye initially teaching the children herself as well as her duties of coordinator and advisor. She then became responsible for the training of native Tibetans as teachers and trainers for the blind and she selected and supervised all staff-members.
The project's progress was not without difficulties - local Tibetans would at times cheat Sabriye, taking advantage of her blindness; many European foundations did not offer Sabriye help believing that a girl who herself was blind could not be successful with such a project, and promised funds from a German association for the blind did not materialize. Sabriye was assisted by Paul Kronenberg who had been working for the Red Cross in Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
. In 1998 Paul joined Sabriye in establishing the Project for the Blind, Tibet.
Braille Without Borders (BWB)
In September 2002 the project adopted the name Braille Without BordersBraille Without Borders
Braille Without Borders is an international organisation for the blind in developing countries. It was founded in Lhasa, Tibet by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg in 1998.- Overview :...
.
In addition to the school in Lhasa BWB runs a farm and cheese factory for the vocational training of adults near Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
and is planning the International School for Development and Project Planning near Trivandrum, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Honours and awards
- 2000-03-08 elected Woman of the Year by members of the International Women's Club, FrankfurtFrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(Elisabeth Norgall Award) - 2000-08 received the Zilveren Jandaia (together with Paul Kronenberg), a DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
award for people who improve conditions in developing countries - 2000-12-08 received the Charity BambiBambi (prize)The Bambi - Deutschlands Wichtigster Medienpreis, often simply called Bambi Awards and stylized as BAMBI, are presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television "with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public that year",...
award of German Media for the documentary film Mit anderen Augen (With Other Eyes) - 2002-09-01, received the Albert SchweitzerAlbert SchweitzerAlbert Schweitzer OM was a German theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire...
Award of the Johann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
Foundation in BaselBaselBasel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, together with Paul Kronenberg, handed over by the 80 year-old daughter of Albert Schweitzer - 2002-09 received NurembergNurembergNuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
Teddy for HumanityCompassionCompassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
together with Paul Kronenberg - 2003-10-07 was knightKnightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed alongside Paul Kronenberg in the Order of Oranje-Nassau in the name of the QueenMonarchA monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of The Netherlands - 2004-02-26 received a Christopher award for her book My Path Leads to Tibet
- 2004-10-26 received the Time magazine EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an HERO 2004 award - 2004-11-10 received the Time magazine AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
's HERO 2004 award - 2005-01-29 chosen Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World EconomyWorld economyThe world economy, or global economy, generally refers to the economy, which is based on economies of all of the world's countries, national economies. Also global economy can be seen as the economy of global society and national economies – as economies of local societies, making the global one....
Forum - 2005-03-02 Leila Hadley Luce Award for Courage of the World Wings Quest Trust Women of Discovery Awards
- 2005-10-05 awarded the BundesverdienstkreuzBundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
, highest German order from the German president Dr. Horst KöhlerHorst KöhlerHorst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU and the CSU, and the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Assembly on... - 2005-12 awarded the National Fundraising Award in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, together with Paul Kronenberg, for fundraisingFundraisingFundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
methods emphasizing the strengths and motivation of blind people rather than appealing to donors' pity - 2006-10 Sabriye and Braille Without BordersBraille Without BordersBraille Without Borders is an international organisation for the blind in developing countries. It was founded in Lhasa, Tibet by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg in 1998.- Overview :...
were honored as Laureates of the Mother Teresa Award - 2006-10 National Friendship AwardFriendship Award (China)The Friendship Award is the People's Republic of China's highest award for "foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country's economic and social progress". The award was first established in 1950s, when it was awarded to experts from the former Soviet Union and East...
of the People's Republic of China - 2008-10 the National Braille Press in Boston handed Sabriye the “Hands On Award” for her book My Path Leads to Tibet.
- 2008-10 Sabriye was awarded with the “Goldene Bild der Frau” Award in Germany. The award was given by Germany's largest women’s magazine Bild der Frau.
- 2008-12 out of the hands of Geraldine Chaplin, Sabriye Tenberken received the Life Award in Austria.
- 2008-12 Sabriye Tenberken was chosen as one of 15 most influential overseas experts over the past 30 years in China.
- 2009-04 Sabriye Tenberken received the "Marburger Leuchtfeuer" from the Humanistische Union(HU) and the city of Marburg
- 2010-02 Sabriye Tenberken was chosen as one of "Those who Moved China in 2009" ("感动中国 2009 年年度人物评选", Gandong Zhongguo) by CCTVChina Central TelevisionChina Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
.
Appearances in films/talk shows
- 2000 Documentary film titled (GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "With Other Eyes") about the Braille Without BordersBraille Without BordersBraille Without Borders is an international organisation for the blind in developing countries. It was founded in Lhasa, Tibet by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg in 1998.- Overview :...
project. (This won Sabriye the 2000 Charity Bambi Award.) - 2005-08-15 talk show for CCTV 9 in BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... - 2005-10-17 guest on The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
titled 8 Women Oprah Wants You to Know, segment Phenomenal Females: Sabriye Tenberken's Journey - 2006 release of the documentary film BlindsightBlindsight (2006 film)Blindsight is a 2006 documentary film directed by Lucy Walker and produced by Sybil Robson Orr for Robson Entertainment. It premiered at 2006 Toronto International Film Festival in the category Real to Reel....
about the climbing project with Erik WeihenmayerErik WeihenmayerErik Weihenmayer is the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on May 25, 2001. He also completed the Seven Summits in September 2002. His story was covered in a Time article in June 2001 titled Blind to Failure...
and teens from the School for the Blind/Lhasa in the Himalaya
External links
- Braille Without Borders
- Braille Without Borders' founders
- Bio page on the Climbing Blind website
- Wings Trust "Women of Discovery" Awards
- Bio on the PeaceWomen Across the Globe website - 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize
- Sabriye Tenberken - Blind, Yet A Visionary - 2004 TIMEasia Magazine: Asia's Heroes - 20 under 40
- Alchemist: The Visionary - TIME Europe | Heroes 2004
- Article about Braille Without Borders on China Tibet Information Center website
- Phenomenal Woman: Sabriye Tenberken an article from O, The Oprah MagazineO, The Oprah MagazineO: The Oprah Magazine, sometimes simply abbreviated to O, is a monthly magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Corporation.-Overview:...