Coming on aliyah with a family member with special needs often seems like an impossible journey. “It was hard enough finding the right placement here, how are we ever going to do it in Israel?” is the most common refrain heard from these families. The good news is that many such families have come on aliyah and have succeeded. In the last decade in particular, Israel has developed a high-level multifaceted system that makes living in Israel open to all. The following is an overview of this system and how to access these services.
Special needs services in Israel follow a continuum that tracks the individual throughout his/her development. It includes medical, therapeutic, educational, recreational, vocational, and residential services. A baby with developmental disabilities will be referred to the local Child Development Center (CDC), a feature of the health ministry and its health providers, the kupot cholim. The CDC will assess the needs of the baby, will prescribe the appropriate medical and therapeutic care, and will determine the child’s eligibility for early intervention centers that are specialized to meet each patient’s particular needs. The CDC will also guide parents of older children regarding the availability of educational settings and therapies that their child is eligible to receive.
For school-age children, there is a diverse educational system from nursery through high school, which includes educational programming until the age of 21. There are school settings for children with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and autistic characteristics, and these settings are individualized according to special needs and grade levels. The educational system emphasizes inclusion, which is individualized to address each child’s needs.
Consequently, these special education settings are often found in self-contained schools and offer parallel classes in the general educational track. These programs are available in Haredi (ultra-religious), mamlachti dati (religious public school) and mamlachti (general public school) settings. It is important to visit the different settings prior to making aliyah in order to determine which environment is most suitable for your child.
Services other than educational, e.g., recreational programming, respite care, and vocational and residential placement, and other benefits, e.g., monthly stipends, are provided by the Ministry of Welfare (Misrad Harivacha) and the National Insurance Office (Bituach Leumi). To be eligible for these services and benefits, one must register in the agencies’ local district offices. The agencies will then determine the degree of disability and to which arm of these offices your family members belong. For all placements, it is necessary to come equipped with updated (not more than six months old) evaluations, including medical, psychological, psychiatric, and educational when pertinent. All placements are determined soon after you make aliyah by a Placement Committee (Vaadat Hasama) held at the local government offices. Parents have an important voice at these committee meetings and should attend.
Come to Israel equipped with patience and a positive attitude. It may take time to sort things out, but you can make this work—and it is worth it!
For more information, please contact Chana Zweiter at chanazweiter@ gmail.com
Chana Zweiter has been a pioneer in the field of mainstreaming. Chana made her mark in the United States where she founded and directed Yachad until she made aliyah in 1991. In Israel, she is the founding director of the Rosh Pina Mainstreaming Network/Kaleidoscope and also serves as a special education consultant, helping families making aliyah to find appropriate educational programs for their children with special needs.
By Chana Zweiter
