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Division for Disabilities and Rehabilitation and Israel Unlimited
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| JDC-Israel
Division for Disabilities and Rehabilitation & Israel Unlimited
Development of Services for People with Disabilities in Israel |
| Background
Since its establishment in 1914, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC) has been working for the advancement of people with disabilities in Israel. Through the years, the focus of the Division for Disabilities, has adapted to the changing conditions and needs of Israeli society; shifting from direct assistance and development of institutional services to the establishment of educational and training frameworks, the development of voluntary organizations and community services, to the construction of information and research databases.
In spite of the resources invested by the government's welfare system and a range of voluntary bodies, many essential needs remain unmet. The Division for Disabilities and Rehabilitation was established to meet the needs of the Israelis with disabilities (age 21-65), which today comprises 18% of this age group and numbers some 700,000 people. This population includes people with physical disabilities, those with sensory disabilities (blind and vision-impaired, deaf and hearing-impaired) and those with cognitive or mental disabilities. JDC-Israel partners with national and municipal entities, the voluntary sector and academia to develop and implement solutions that meet the specific needs. Israel Unlimited is such a partnership.
Israel Unlimited
 Israel Unlimited is a strategic partnership between the Government of Israel, JDC-Israel and the Ruderman Family Foundation, for the planning and developing of services for the advancement and integration of people with disabilities in the community, was established in 2009, with core funding of 24 million NIS over four years.
 Israel Unlimited will develop services that promote independent living and participation in the community such as Supportive Communities for the Disabled and Centers for Independent Living; will address the needs of people with disabilities at high risk; and will develop health prevention and health promotion programstailored to various types of disabilities.
The partners are: the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the National Insurance Institute, JDC-Israel and the Ruderman Family Foundation.
To contact the Division for Disabilities and Rehabilitation and Israel Unlimited:
By phone +972 02-655-7200 Fax +972 02-567-0702
Email address Disabilities@jdc.org.il |
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| News
Connecting with the Wider Area (July-August 2012)
As part of the 'Friending' Changing Attitudes Toward People with  Disabilities project, Israel Unlimited embarked on a partnership with the Psik Theater Company in a series of performances dealing with the experience of a wheelchair-bound person who wishes to travel by bus or train. Each performance is about eight minutes long, presenting a situation and forming the basis for a discussion with the audience, conveying the important message of accessibility to public transportation.
Alongside the theater activities, activists and students with and without disabilities from the Center for Independent Living in Jerusalem went out to the field. The volunteers will travel by public transportation in order to increase the visibility of people with disabilities and will conduct dialogue with the public to raise awareness of the subject of accessibility.
Psik Theater's street performance is yet another Friending circle, including a group of four professional disabled and non-disabled actors. Dates of upcoming performances:
Tuesday, July 17 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm
Thursday, July 26 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm
Sunday, August 19 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm
Friday, August 24 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Preventing Violence Against People with Disabilities (June 2012)
People with disabilities are at two to five times higher risk of harm from violence than the general population. Violence against people with disabilities continues over time and is often perpetrated by a known figure such as a family member or caregiver upon whom the disabled person is physically and/or emotionally dependent. The problem is even more severe given the fact that in Israel there is no concentrated database regarding the scope of reports per year. Existing partial reports indicate a grave under-reporting of such cases. Some injuries can be prevented by training people with disabilities how to prevent themselves, drawing clear boundaries, providing tools in resolving crises and managing relationships with personal caregivers and family members, identifying harmful and abusive behavior when it happens and more.
On this basis, Israel Unlimited developed an array of training and information dissemination programs on the prevention of violence against people with disabilities, intended for people with all sorts of disabilities, conducted in cooperation with the Municipality of Netanya. The project includes components of personal empowerment and developing self-defense abilities, assertiveness, situation analysis and conflict resolution to prevent decline to violence. Two groups began conducting activities in Netanya in early June: One multi-disability group and another for people with cognitive disabilities and mild retardation. Tenders for other locations throughout the country are to be issued soon.
Centers for Independent Living: Getting the Message Across
There are six Centers for Independent Living (CILs) operating  today in Israel from the Upper Galilee in the north to Beersheva in the south. The CILs are multi-services centers operated by people with disabilities on behalf of people with disabilities per the motto "nothing about us without us".
The professional leadership of the six CILs held a two day seminar in May on "Communication, Leadership and Influence". During the seminar, participants honed their skills in "getting the message across" as a tool for leadership and social change. Emphasis was placed on creating a unified and effective message for all the CILs on one hand, while allowing each Center to express its uniqueness.
Each participant returned to his/her Center with new tools for leading and influencing others to understand, think, feel and even change attitudes.
The meetings of the CIL professional leadership promotes the development of the "know-how" in all areas of CIL activity: peer counseling, independent living training, guidance in assistive devices, and social change.
Energy Savings Course
February 2012
This week, a course on saving energy in the home opened at Center for Independent Living in Beersheva. The course is intended for people with disabilities, conducted in partnership with the Pa'amonim and MILBAT organizations and the Renewable Energy Cooperative.
Participating in the course are people with sensory, physical and mental health disabilities in Beersheva and dispersed Bedouin communities in the area. The course is given by a Pa'amonim organization volunteer who himself suffers from mental illness.
Through the course, participants will learn how to manage their income vs. expenses, how to save electricity by increasing energy efficiency, which technologies can be of assistance to people with disabilities, about alternative assistive devices that save energy and about various topics concerning sustainability (reducing waste, recycling) and changing the Laron Committee Law to encourage increased income.
Participants in the first session were delighted at the opportunity to learn these subjects and demonstrated great interest, also recognizing the uniqueness of the course, given by a person with disabilities and serving as a platform for personal empowerment, abating isolation, changing attitudes and integrating people with disabilities in the ecological field.
Integrating Young Adults with Disabilities in Centers for Young Adults
A new project for the advancement of young adults with disabilities in transitions periods ages 21 to 35. The young adults will receive assistance in decision making and integrating in higher education, employment, social life, couple relations and accompanying these young adults in taking important steps toward achieving these goals. The project has two tracks: (1) individual mentoring of the young adults and their families, and (2) integrating young adults in Centers for Young Adults together with the Immigrant Integration Division.
Next month, we will begin integrating young adults with disabilities in the "Hamama", the Center for Young Adults in Petach Tikva. The staff is undergoing special training so that it will be able to make the center's services accessible. Among the activities, a leadership group of disabled and non-disabled young adults will be established to take action in the city in the area of social involvement. The goal of the integration is to encourage young adults with disabilities to utilize this universal infrastructure in advancing their goals.
A Call for Proposals is currently being published in order to identify three more Centers for Young Adults in which to integrate young adults with disabilities.
Launching of Mesira Fund – An Assistance Fund and Organization for People with Disabilities in Israel's Arab Society
January 2012 
Senior figures and philanthropists in Arab society are establishing a special fund on behalf of disabled persons in Arab society, the Mesira (Journey) Fund. The fund's founding event was conducted in Nazareth this past January, with the participation of businesspeople, philanthropists, public figures and organizations for the disabled in the Arab sector, including Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran, Al-Sharia Court Judge Muhammad Abu Abyad, the owner and manager of the Al Arz Tahini was factory Julia Zohar, Technion Board member Professor Sheikh Fadel Mansour and of course representatives of Israel Unlimited, JDC Israel and the Mesira Fund. The Fund is a groundbreaking initiative, which enjoys the active enlistment of influential businesspeople from Israel's Arab sector in advancing the status of people with disabilities in Arab society, as part of a shared process with the intention of systemic change. The Fund's innovation is its integration of the Arab business sector in promoting the subject of people with disabilities in Arab society and its enlistment in building organizational infrastructure for this purpose.
In photo: Al-Sharia Court Judge Dr. Muhammad Shibel, Justice Joubran, Prof. Sheikh Fadel Mansour.
The "Keshet" Program's Academic Course for Parents with Disabilities
Parents with disabilities confront various social and personal barriers, such as, social stigma, over-protectiveness, low socioeconomic status, communication difficulties and social isolation. Parents with a specific disability, face particular challenges e.g. parents with mental illness – unpredictable nature of the illness and hospitalization, parents with physical disabilities – inaccessibility to their children's day-to-day lives, etc.
The course provides parents with disabilities knowledge and tools for day-to-day life, and for constructive communication. Its primary goal is to teach parents ways of coping better with complex life situations they encounter.
The Keshet Program includes courses for family members of people coping with various disabilities. The program's uniqueness is in its conveying theoretical and applied knowledge through practice.
The Keshet Program is conducted at the Kiryat Ono Academic College, a recognized institution of higher education. The college conducts applied academic programs that emphasize providing diverse populations access to studies in the area of community involvement and social entrepreneurialism, as well as promoting special social projects.
The program was tailored for parents with disabilities and covers the following topics: over-protectiveness and distrust by family members, preserving parental authority, the tigma of disability, the day-to-day difficulties in reaching independence, the fear of losing custody of the children , enhancing communication with children of different ages and more.
The curriculum includes a total of 15 sessions. Keshet's first parent program opened on January 5, 2012 at the Kiryat Ono Academic College with the participation of 15 parents with various disabilities.
Accessible Computers Course Opened in Ashdod
On January 2, 2012, a computer course accessible to new  immigrants with disabilities opened at an accessible city club in Ashdod. Participating in the course are immigrants from the former Soviet Union coping with physical disabilities or Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF).
The course includes knowledge of basic computer use, surfing websites, becoming familiar with social networks and sites providing information on rights. The course is conducted by the non-profit organization Machshava Tova (MT), which is dedicated to narrowing the digital gap, and a technology consultant from the MILBAT organization visits the homes of interested participants to help tailor the home computer station.
Participants are identified and the course is accompanied in cooperation with the Rehabilitation Division of the Ashdod Municipality’s Social Services Department. Present at the course’s opening event: Ashdod’s Deputy Mayor Mr. Vladimir Gershov - responsible for Immigrant Absorption in the city, representatives of the Municipality’s Social Services Department, Mr. Jay Ruderman - President of the Ruderman Family Foundation which is JDC’s partner in Israel Unlimited, and the Director of JDC-Israel’s Israel Unlimited Ms. Avital Sandler-Loeff.
Accessibility in Business
People with disabilities comprise about 20% of Israel’s adult  population, yet many businesses serving the public day-to-day in various spheres of life, including small businesses, are not currently accessible to these people. This means that hundreds of thousands of citizens are unable to consume services in an equal, dignified and independent manner together with the general clientele.
On Wednesday, December 14, 2011, activists, people with disabilities, the members of Accessible Communities and Centers for Independent Living and employees of the Commission for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities, embarked on field work throughout the country. The activists, confronting accessibility difficulties in their day-to-day lives, wandered around on main streets, among the stores and businesses, and distributed illustrated pamphlets in Hebrew and Arabic, produced in cooperation with the Chambers of Commerce Association, featuring seven simple guidelines for making small businesses accessible. The activists spoke with business owners and explained the importance of making their businesses accessible to people with disabilities and demonstrating the disabled person’s difficulty consuming services.
The new accessibility regulations set out by the Equal Rights for People with Disabilities Law require accessibility to small businesses such as stores, offices and restaurants operating in existing buildings (built before August 2009). According to these regulations, any business serving the public must be accessible to people with disabilities. Participating in this activity were about 30 towns and cities throughout the country, including our Centers for Independent Living in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beersheva, the Upper Galilee, as well as Sakhnin in the framework of the Masira (Journey) Fund.
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Preventing Violence Against People with Disabilities (June 2012)
People with disabilities are at two to five times higher risk of harm from violence than the general population. Violence against people with disabilities continues over time and is often perpetrated by a known figure such as a family member or caregiver upon whom the disabled person is physically and/or emotionally dependent. The problem is even more severe given the fact that in Israel there is no concentrated database regarding the scope of reports per year. Existing partial reports indicate a grave under-reporting of such cases. Some injuries can be prevented by training people with disabilities how to prevent themselves, drawing clear boundaries, providing tools in resolving crises and managing relationships with personal caregivers and family members, identifying harmful and abusive behavior when it happens and more.
On this basis, Israel Unlimited developed an array of training and information dissemination programs on the prevention of violence against people with disabilities, intended for people with all sorts of disabilities, conducted in cooperation with the Municipality of Netanya. The project includes components of personal empowerment and developing self-defense abilities, assertiveness, situation analysis and conflict resolution to prevent decline to violence. Two groups began conducting activities in Netanya in early June: One multi-disability group and another for people with cognitive disabilities and mild retardation. Tenders for other locations throughout the country are to be issued soon.
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| The "Keshet" Program's Academic Course for Parents with Disabilities
Parents with disabilities confront various social and personal barriers, such as, social stigma, over-protectiveness, low socioeconomic status, communication difficulties and social isolation. Parents with a specific disability, face particular challenges e.g. parents with mental illness – unpredictable nature of the illness and hospitalization, parents with physical disabilities – inaccessibility to their children's day-to-day lives, etc.
The course provides parents with disabilities knowledge and tools for day-to-day life, and for constructive communication. Its primary goal is to teach parents ways of coping better with complex life situations they encounter.
The Keshet Program includes courses for family members of people coping with various disabilities. The program's uniqueness is in its conveying theoretical and applied knowledge through practice.
The Keshet Program is conducted at the Kiryat Ono Academic College, a recognized institution of higher education. The college conducts applied academic programs that emphasize providing diverse populations access to studies in the area of community involvement and social entrepreneurialism, as well as promoting special social projects.
The program was tailored for parents with disabilities and covers the following topics: over-protectiveness and distrust by family members, preserving parental authority, the tigma of disability, the day-to-day difficulties in reaching independence, the fear of losing custody of the children , enhancing communication with children of different ages and more.
The curriculum includes a total of 15 sessions. Keshet's first parent program opened on January 5, 2012 at the Kiryat Ono Academic College with the participation of 15 parents with various disabilities.
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| Accessible Computers Course Opened in Ashdod
On January 2, 2012, a computer course accessible to new immigrants with disabilities opened at an accessible city club in Ashdod. Participating in the course are immigrants from the former Soviet Union coping with physical disabilities or Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF).
The course includes knowledge of basic computer use, surfing websites, becoming familiar with social networks and sites providing information on rights. The course is conducted by the non-profit organization Machshava Tova (MT), which is dedicated to narrowing the digital gap, and a technology consultant from the MILBAT organization visits the homes of interested participants to help tailor the home computer station.
Participants are identified and the course is accompanied in cooperation with the Rehabilitation Division of the Ashdod Municipality’s Social Services Department. Present at the course’s opening event: Ashdod’s Deputy Mayor Mr. Vladimir Gershov - responsible for Immigrant Absorption in the city, representatives of the Municipality’s Social Services Department, Mr. Jay Ruderman - President of the Ruderman Family Foundation which is JDC’s partner in Israel Unlimited, and the Director of JDC-Israel’s Israel Unlimited Ms. Avital Sandler-Loeff.
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| Accessibility in Business
People with disabilities comprise about 20% of Israel’s adult population, yet many businesses serving the public day-to-day in various spheres of life, including small businesses, are not currently accessible to these people. This means that hundreds of thousands of citizens are unable to consume services in an equal, dignified and independent manner together with the general clientele.
On Wednesday, December 14, 2011, activists, people with disabilities, the members of Accessible Communities and Centers for Independent Living and employees of the Commission for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities, embarked on field work throughout the country. The activists, confronting accessibility difficulties in their day-to-day lives, wandered around on main streets, among the stores and businesses, and distributed illustrated pamphlets in Hebrew and Arabic, produced in cooperation with the Chambers of Commerce Association, featuring seven simple guidelines for making small businesses accessible. The activists spoke with business owners and explained the importance of making their businesses accessible to people with disabilities and demonstrating the disabled person’s difficulty consuming services.
The new accessibility regulations set out by the Equal Rights for People with Disabilities Law require accessibility to small businesses such as stores, offices and restaurants operating in existing buildings (built before August 2009). According to these regulations, any business serving the public must be accessible to people with disabilities. Participating in this activity were about 30 towns and cities throughout the country, including our Centers for Independent Living in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beersheva, the Upper Galilee, as well as Sakhnin in the framework of the Masira (Journey) Fund.
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Publications for People with Disabilities
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