​International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 3, 2016

On December 3, the world marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). This significant day is dedicated to raising International and local awareness of the utility of integrating disable people in all spheres of life.

Break Barriers, Open Doors: The Case of Israel:

There are over one billion people with disabilities in the world. That is one in every seven people. Every day, there are innumerable obstacles that can get in the way of persons with disabilities. These include such things as stairs, lack of information in accessible formats and community services provided in a form in which they are not able to understand.

In Israel there are over 1.6 million people with disabilities.

Israel devotes great efforts and resources to create a barrier-free environment that is adjusted to fulfill the needs of all people equally.

Israel is a member of the Convention of Rights for People with Disabilities and promotes their inclusion in society through legislation, technology and education so no one gets left behind.

How are we making Israel a place where people with disabilities are integrated into society with dignity, respect, equal rights and maximum independence?

Legislation: Rights of Persons with Disabilities 

The State of Israel provides services to children and adults with physical, sensory, mental health and intellectual disabilities.

Legislation has been passed to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities into all aspects of Israeli life and to help them recognize their full potential.

Key Legislation and Regulations in Recent Years:

• 1998 - Equal rights for persons with disabilities law –The Equality Law is designed to assure the right of people with disabilities to participate in life in general, and in work in particular.
• 2009 – Digital accessibility regulations: In our technological era, web accessibility is a must for everyday life. Access to information creates opportunities. This specific regulation obligates websites and applications to provide information in accessible formats. The law doesn't only apply to public entities but to every service offered to the general public. By building accessible websites we are enabling people with motor, cognitive or sensory disabilities to surf online and benefit from all the services that internet sites provide.

Public Transportation:

Transportation is a vital component for independent living. Modern countries must do their best in making accessible transportation services modified to address the disabled needs.

Israeli buses, trains and the stations are accessible for all passengers, and continuously improving their services:

• In Israeli trains, blind people and people with wheelchairs are entitled to reserved seats in an accessible coach.
• Most Israeli city buses are low-floor accessible with wheelchair accessible, no stairs and other elements of accessibility in addition.
• Moovit – the popular Israeli transit app, which has over 45 million users worldwide, also thinks about the blind, those who are not able to read the train schedule or see the approaching bus. In the latest version of the app every screen is accessible to blind riders with VoiceOver and TalkBack.

Employment and career advancement:

The State of Israel has decreed that people with disabilities be recognized as preferred population, whose participation in the labor market must be significantly increased.
Discrimination against people with disabilities in applying for work and in work conditions is forbidden by law. The work place is also required to suit the needs of an employee with disabilities. Furthermore, in any business with over 25 employees there must be fair and proportional representation of people with disabilities.

Israel's National Insurance Institute provides training for people with disabilities to prepare them for a variety of jobs.

Additionally, the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry operates a dedicated website, in both languages Hebrew and Arabic that contains various job offers for people with disabilities.

"Special in Uniform": Inclusion in the Israeli Defense Forces:

For most young Israelis mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces is a normal part of life, but for some with disabilities this path has often been blocked.  "Special in Uniform" is a unique project allowing young adults with disabilities to join the army and to contribute, just like everyone else. They spend their service with all other soldiers. Their service is adding value to everyone around. The soldiers get to know them, spend time with them, accept their difference and to appreciate it. Slowly but surely they become an integral part of the army unit.

Today, there are about 250 soldiers with disabilities serving in the IDF.

Inclusive IDF service has the ability to instill a sense of achievement and pride in all people with disabilities in Israel, and it is an important part of these young adults' preparation for an independent life.

Harnessing Technology and Entrepreneurship for Inclusion:

Though Israel is well known for its creativity and innovative capabilities, it is less well known that an entire Israeli tech sector is dedicated to the mission of enabling the disabled.

Technological entrepreneurship can play an important role in improving lives of persons with disabilities, which is why the Israeli government actively seeds efforts to spark innovation, encouraging entrepreneurs to create a more accessible world through grants, incentives and public engagement.

Following are some life changing technologies for people with disabilities created by Israeli companies:

• ReWalk: Stand up to disability - The ReWalk exoskeleton system enables people with spinal cord injuries to walk upright again. Its mission is to give persons with lower limb disabilities an experience that is as close to natural walking as possible. The exoskeleton also enables them to sit, stand and even climb stairs. This Israeli startup is changing the lives of paralysis people worldwide. Today, ReWalk is a large global medical technology firm, providing services to large organizations such as the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Open Sesame: touch-free phone - Can you live a day without your smartphone? Until now some people with disabilities couldn't experience the benefits of this indispensable tool for navigating modern life. The Sesame phone is the first completely touch-free smartphone, controlled by head movements. It's designed for people who have limited or no use of their hands, so they'll also be able to make calls, send text message and engage in social media. This really smart phone gives every person the freedom to enjoy the benefits of mobile technology.
• Talkitt: Your voice matters - Talkitt is a voice recognition app designed for people that suffer from motor, speech, and language disorders. With the help of this technology they can now easily communicate using their own voice, by translating the unintelligible pronunciation in any language into understandable speech with its innovative voice recognition software. This technology is designed to work on any mobile or wearable device.
• AbiliSense: Feel what others hear – AbiliSense aims to improve the quality of life of people with hearing disabilities. The technology transforms sound into the sense of feeling, using sensors to detect sounds in the environment and transfers them into alerts – text, images and vibrations – that will get the attention of a deaf person.
• Paratrek: Hiking Solutions - Paratrek is a tourist venture that aims to make hiking and extreme sports accessible to people with paraplegia by outfitting wheelchairs with accessories that enable them to travel over rough surfaces. The wheelchairs are equipped with oversize wheels, mountain bike-style tires and a wide rod in back for easier pushing.
• A3I: Accelerating Inclusion in Israel – In Israel you'll find world’s first and only startup accelerator where companies are focused on finding solutions to the needs of the disabled. The accelerator's mission is to help tech entrepreneurs who designed projects that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities develop and prosper.
  

As the world marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities - we are proud of our achievements thus far in making Israeli society more inclusive and accessible and remain committed to innovating and working with others to help make the world ever more accessible and fulfilling for all persons with disabilities.