Disability

Students with Down syndrome, autism graduate as teaching assistants

The first cohort completed a joint Herzog College-Shekel training program aimed at bringing people with disabilities into Israeli classrooms as paid teaching assistants.

Students with various physical and developmental disabilities graduate from Herzog Academic College as teaching assistants in June 2026.
GIRLS CELEBRATE their bat mitzvah in Alexandria, Egypt, 1967.

Fair is not always equal: Adapting bar, bat mitzvahs to developmental challenges - review

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is underdiagnosed in ultra-Orthodox and Arab-Israeli populations, according to Jerusalem Taub Center for Social Policy Studies.

Understanding your autism even when the journey begins later in life - opinion

Group of students raising hands during a lesson in the classroom. [Illustrative]

Parents association rejects Teachers' Union threat to limit inclusion of students with disabilities


Petition filed against High Court over suspension of disabled parking permits

“The decision by the Transportation Ministry sentences thousands of people with disabilities to isolation, suffering, and inaccessibility," the petition states.

 Disabled elderly man using a walker to help him walk.

Shalva runners breaking barriers at Jerusalem Marathon

The runners will dedicate their race to the memory of the late Lt. Col. (res.) Eliav Abitbol, who fell in the Iron Swords War in southern Lebanon.

 TEAM SHALVA – a group of runners with disabilities representing the organization – is set to compete in the 10km race at the Jerusalem Marathon in memory of fallen soldier Eliav Abitbul.

Brandon Farbstein: A voice for inclusion, resilience, and Jewish identity

From facing relentless cyberbullying as a teenager to advocating for anti-bullying legislation in Virginia, Brandon Farbstein’s journey has been defined by resilience, advocacy, and inclusivity.

 FARBSTEIN – SPEAKING to the writer in the JPost studio – has already accomplished much in his 25 years.

Returned hostages to receive full disability rights, extra lifestyle benefits

This recognition is permanent and includes all rights in the mental, medical, employment, education, housing, car, full tax exemption, and other areas.

 LUIS HAR (far left) and Fernando Marman (center), two hostages rescued in a special forces operation in Rafah, Gaza, in February 2024, reunite with loved ones later in the day at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.

'State is forcing us to finance rehabilitation ourselves’: Families of ex-hostages protest gov't

Their pleas were met with repeated promises from government representatives, which families claim have been "withheld for months."

 Relatives of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip attends Economic Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, on March 17, 2025.

Jewish learning forced underground, again - opinion

Repetition of history as Jewish studies are suppressed and Jews are in hiding, once again

 Protesters gather at a main entrance in front of Columbia University during convocation, in New York City, US, August 25, 2024

Aliyah and accessibility: The reality for disabled immigrants in Israel

The Magazine spoke with disabled olim (new immigrants) and service providers about their experiences and the support available to them.

 KEEPOLIM’S BABUSHKA & Dedushka program provides monthly food deliveries to nine Russian immigrants with mobility issues.

On Family Day and Rare Disease Awareness Day, we must fight for equality - opinion

Family Day and Rare Disease Awareness Day coincide on the calendar, and to me, this is an important reminder: Every family is a family, no matter how they came to be. 

 ‘WE ARE not asking for special treatment; just for you to see us exactly as we are – a happy, laughing family,’ says the writer.

Hamas's abuse of two mentally ill Israelis shows depths of terror group's cruelty - comment

Their decade-long captivity speaks volumes about the worst of human nature, of the depth of cruelty of which humans are capable.

 Freed hostages Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, February 22, 2025

Resilience amid war: How Israeli nonprofits support people with disabilities

The Jerusalem Report contacted leading Israeli organizations to see how the protracted war has impacted their populations and work.

 Photos from a Shalva exhibition.