Recently, as part of International Day of Persons
with Disabilities, Jewish National Fund-USA supported workshops and events across
Israel for individuals with disabilities and their supporters.
Facilitated by the organization’s affiliate, LOTEM-Making
Israel Accessible, a leading organization supporting individuals with
disabilities in Israel, it was celebrated that awareness relating to disability
access was becoming the norm, rather than the exception.
“The activities included experiences for individuals with various disabilities, as well as discussions about how society can improve life in Israel for people with disabilities,” said Gaylee Schif, LOTEM’s Resource Development Manager.
At JNF’s Aminadav Forest and the Jordan River Park,
visitors of all ages and abilities did craft projects, learned about plants,
and experienced the beauty of nature and the joy of being outdoors.
Approximately 1,200 people visited these two forests
during this learning, play, and awareness-building day.
In the spirit of driving greater awareness about
people with disabilities, the organization’s In-Service Training Center held a
seminar for employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem and a
workshop for students at Tel-Hai College in Kiryat Shmona. This arm of the
nonprofit trains professionals on how to integrate employees with disabilities into
their workplaces. Every year, they host workshops that teach more than
6,000 professionals how to make workplaces more inclusive for people with
disabilities.
“The participants described the experience as
exciting, special, and educational. They also vowed to change how they
operate,” Schif noted.
In many ways, the events of International Day of
Persons with Disabilities were not out of the ordinary for LOTEM. Throughout December,
for instance, the organization held training sessions in museums throughout the
country, instructing staffers on how to make experiences adaptable for diverse
audiences. And all year-long their accessible sites welcome more than 60,000
visitors to enjoy experiencing nature together.
Indeed, LOTEM’s mission has expanded since it was
founded in the early 1990s. The organization began operating an accessible farm
where individuals with disabilities could experience a teaching garden, a
bakery, and even an accessible olive press and water wheel.
The organization continues to welcome visitors to
this farm, however LOTEM’s mission has grown far broader over the past three
decades, thanks to Jewish National Fund-USA.
Roni Wolk, from Atlanta, the national chair of Jewish
National Fund-USA’s LOTEM committee, discussed the organization’s holistic,
expansive mission of “making Israel accessible.”
She explained that through Jewish National
Fund-USA’s philanthropic support, national parks, heritage sites, and cultural
institutions have become more friendly and inclusive for people with a wide
range of disabilities. Wolk shared several examples of ongoing projects, such
as widening and paving pathways that were not comfortable for individuals who
use canes or wheelchairs. LOTEM also hang interior signage at various exhibits
that feature simplified language; and provide headphones with verbal
explanations to enable a guided auditory experience.
The organization also expanded its projects during
the COVID-19 pandemic. When students with disabilities could not physically
attend school during the lockdown, Jewish National Fund-USA helped to provide
laptops and tablets with software specially designed for each student’s unique
needs.
This project, now called “Computer for Every Child,”
was so successful - and necessary – that the initiative plans to
continue.
“LOTEM started handing devices out for children
whose parents couldn’t afford them during the pandemic, but some kids have so
many physical and emotional challenges that they still need to learn virtually.
This is the way of the future,” said Wolk.
LOTEM also connected with patients at the youth
psychiatric ward at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital during the lockdown. The
hospital asked if LOTEM staffers could safely and securely take these young
people on field trips, which the organization does for over 40,000 students
yearly. They agreed and started hosting short trips for these young people that
broke up the isolation of lockdown.
These trips turned out to be so popular and
well-received that LOTEM has decided to continue offering them for the foreseeable
future - and a partner has fully funded these outings for all of 2023.
Over 1,000 individuals with and without disabilities
came to appreciate LOTEM’s mission during International Day of Persons with
Disabilities. But for the organization itself, the day was business as usual. And
thanks to Jewish National Fund-USA, people with disabilities in Israel will
continue to be supported as the organization drives greater inclusion for all.