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Centers for Independent Living (CILs)
The Division for Disabilities and Rehabilitation at JDC-Israel in partnership with the Government, various organizations, foundations and donors has established 6 Centers for Independent Living (CILs) across Israel. The Centers for Independent Living (CIL) are community based multi-service centers operated by and for people with disabilities. The staff and volunteers offer information, assistance and knowledge based programs and services that enable the members to live the life they choose as part of the broader community. The CILs also provide social and leisure programs that offer the members an opportunity to meet others and a comfortable and warm place where they can feel at home.
Social change and promoting participation of people with disabilities within the general population are other important themes that the CILS tackle and deal with through their work with Jews, Muslims and Christians of various backgrounds and their work with diverse organizations and groups within their communities.
Program Goal
- Empower people with disabilities to choose and maintain their own lifestylesand encourage them to participate in community life.
- Promote access to rights and equal opportunities for people with disabilities
Target Population
The services are provided to people with all types of disabilities: physical, visual, hearing, learning, mentally ill and cognitively impaired.
Each CIL provides services to approximately 1,500 individuals a year
CIL Core Services
- Information and Peer Counseling
- Life skills training and support
- Assistive devices and technology
- Raising awareness and social change
Ongoing Programs Being Offered at the CILs
Peer-counseling- People with disabilities offer guidance and assistance to one-another based on their personal life experience on issues such as rights, completing government forms, finding caretakers and/or managing independent lives.
Learning and Enrichment- The center offers financial counseling, lectures and workshops on the tools needed to manage their income, pensions, benefits, savings, insurance, etc., and to access the benefits for which they are eligible.
Professional Training Courses- The center offers advice, vocational training and small business development programs in the areas of cosmetics, aesthetics, nail salons, management, accounting, computers, and others.
Social Activities-including conferences, trips, parties, creative activities, artistic workshops all geared to promoting personal development and increasing social interactions.
Support Groups and Workshops- on Issues related to independent living, advocacy and equal rights.
Evaluation
All activities and work are recorded and included in reports submitted to the Steering Committee and donors
The Centers for Independent Living are:
Jerusalem- the Center in Jerusalem was the first one to be established in Israel in 2003 with the partnership of Disabled Now, Larry and Leonore Zusman, the National Insurance Institute of Israel, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, the Jerusalem Municipality and private donors. Besides for the core services that are provided at all the Centers, they specialize on the promotion of integration of people with disabilities within their communities and disability studies while advocating for social change.
Beer Sheva- the Center was established in 2005 by the Association for Equality and Justice for the Disabled with the assistance of Beer Sheva municipality, the National Insurance Institute, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, and private donors and foundations. It is the second center of its kind in Israel and first in the southern region of the Negev. It provides serves to 1,500 people with disabilities, including 400 Bedouins.
For more information click here http://www.atzmaim.org.il/
Haifa- the Center was founded in 2009 in partnership with the Ahva Association of Haifa and the North with the assistance of Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, the Haifa municipality and private donors. The center specializes in creating programs and providing services for young adults and immigrants to Israel to ensure their integration within the Israeli culture and promotes entrepreneurship.
The Upper Galilee-the Center was established in 2010 in partnership with Access-Israel with the assistance of the United Israel Appeal of Canada to help provide services and assistance for the geographically isolated populations in Northern Israel.
Sakhnin – the Center was created in 2010 in partnership with ALMANAL, Association for Empowerment & Integration of People with Disabilities. The Center is unique in that it specifically serves and develops culturally proficient services for the Arab society in Israel.
Tel Aviv –the Center in Tel Aviv was established in 2011 in partnership with Bekol Organization for Hard of Hearing and Deaf People in Israel. This establishment is found in Israel’s metropolitan city and plays a key role in breaking down the isolation experienced by people with disabilities in "a big city".
For more information click here http://bekol.org.il/
Contact by email at call@bekol.org or by phone at +972-03 525 7001
Publications and Articles
Dr. Sydney Engelberg. (2006). Evaluative study of the center for independent living Jerusalem. National Insurance Institute of Israel, Foundation of Special Projects (unpublished)
Partners and Donors
The Centers for Independent Living have been established with the help of local authorities, National Insurance Institute of Israel, foundations and private donors: Roger Greenberg, the Pell Family Foundation, the Tidewater Federation, the United Israel Appeal of Canada, the Weinberg Foundation and Larry and Leonore Zusman. The Centers for Independent Living were generously supported by The Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Charitable Foundation, in memory of the late Maurice and Vivienne Wohl of Geneva and London.
For pictures from the inauguration of the Center for Independent Living Jerusalem and Beer Sheva click here
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