In December 2022, we had the opportunity to gain professional experience in three organizations in Israel: Kfar Tikva (“Village of Hope”) near Nazareth and Israel Elwyn in Jerusalem, which provide services to adults with intellectual disabilities and their families, as well as Enosh, the Israeli Mental Health Association in Tel Aviv, which provides services to people with mental health disabilities and their family members.
During the meetings, we communicated with the organizations’ managers, staff members, and service users. We visited residential care homes, community-based group homes, “transitional hostels,” day centres, workshops, a day centre for people of retirement age, and workplaces where people with disabilities are employed in the open labour market. During these visits, we learned about various employment, leisure, and recreational activities for people with disabilities, as well as practical training for employment in real workplaces, measures to encourage employers to hire people with disabilities, sensory gardens, self-advocacy programmes, and other areas of support.
We sincerely thank Rebecca Levy, Director of Development at Kfar Tikva; Margalit Piller and David Marcu, managers at Israel Elwyn; Sharon Ehrnwald, Director of International Relations; Ella Giladi, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Supervisor and Training Coordinator at Enosh; and all their colleagues for their warm welcome and for sharing their experience with us. We wish them every success in their work.
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