“As a child I couldn’t imagine coming to terms with my disability,” says Hanaa, 32, who was born congenitally blind, the youngest of six children in an Israeli Arab family with limited means. “But once I did, I realized I could derive motivation from it and go far.”
Odelia knew her five-year-old daughter “Tamar” was different. After learning she’d been a victim of abuse at the first day care she ever attended, Odelia was reluctant to enroll her in kindergarten full time. Then she heard about the New Beginnings program at a local kindergarten in Netanya.
An evaluation by JDC’s Parents and Children Together (PACT) physical therapist revealed that Shirel had critical developmental delays in every area. She showed signs of emotional and social trouble; her muscle development was lagging, visible in her dragging feet as she walked. She desperately needed more help than Ilana could provide.
Longtime champion for people with disabilities Jay Ruderman just hosted a national Jewish special needs conference. Find out more about this successful event and the Ruderman Family Foundation’s “Israel Unlimited” partnership with JDC and the Israeli government.
Igor K., 40, is an invalid who came to Israel less than one year ago from Luhansk, Ukraine. Since childhood he has struggled with diabetes, and today he can barely walk; with his knee distorted by a 30 degree angle, he is fully reliant on a crutch to support the right side of his body. When asked about his day-to-day challenges in his new homeland, he says his biggest impediment is isolation.
When Haled discovered his son Muhammad was born with severe mental and physical impairments, he felt angry, guilty, and afraid he wouldn’t be able to connect and communicate with his child. Learn how JDC helped this struggling dad in Israel see the joy in his son’s smile.