Published in Access Israel on 11/24/2011. Read original article here
On Wednesday, (2/5), a project began – “Accessibility for everyone” for selected and leading youth in Bat Yam. The project is a flagship program of the Israel Accessibility Association in collaboration with the Ruderman Foundation and led by Shira and Jay Ruderman who work hard to increase awareness and promote these valuable issues in Israeli society and have been collaborating with the association for two years in various educational projects.
3/05/2012- The youth at the experience station obstacle course on 23
The seminar is the opening of a one-month project at the end of which there will be a wide community happening, to which the youth of the community will be invited to experience and experience different and accessible stations. And at the end a summary of the project and a presentation of the accessible projects that the leading youth will carry out in the next two months, for their selection.
The seminar included about a hundred “leading youth” in the locality.
At the beginning of the day, the mayor, Mr. Shlomi Lahiani, came to greet the leading youth for this day. Afterwards, the youth were divided into four groups and at the same time went through an active set-up of accessibility, which included an active acquaintance with the various disabilities and their meaning, what accessibility is and how it can be done differently.
Subsequently, the youth were divided into five groups and moved between five experience stations. Each station represented a different disability and the youth experienced ‘what it means to be a person with a disability’ through experiential activities at the stations, followed by a lively conversation with various instructors with disabilities (hearing impairment, sign language, vision, mobility and cognitive disabilities) who explained their lives to the youth. The personal – the struggles, the difficulties and the successes.
Between the various stops, the teenagers experienced an obstacle course on wheelchairs, a blind tasting of ice cream, an introduction to the world of “hearing impaired” and sign language and a cognitive experience of “getting out of the box”.
At the end of the day, all the youth gathered and chose various projects, which they will carry out during the coming month – mapping lowering sidewalks in the locality and activities for change in front of the local council, accessibility advertising project, putting on an art show that combines people with disabilities and more.
The youth demonstrated listening, patience, caring and a lot of desire for change and doing. The teens ended this day with many and varied ideas – how they can do otherwise.
Special thanks to Shani Elbaz – Youth Coordinator and Bat Yam Urban Movement, Eitan Bar-Lev – Director of the Bat Yam Youth Department, Rinat Gabay – Director of Leadership and all those who help create this day.
Special thanks to the Ruderman Foundation – Shira and Jay Ruderman who made this day possible.
