There have been contrasting developments on two fronts.
On the personal front:
Haya appears to be deteriorating, judging by her performance during the assisted walking I do with her each night. For the past week, she starts either seizing or trembling after about 15 minutes of walking. It happens regardless of how calm she is at the start of the walk.
It's very disheartening, to put it mildly.
At least her floating hasn't been affected. On Monday, she had an impressive hydro session, floating calmly from the moment she entered the water:
On the public front:
The last two weeks have seen both shocking and encouraging eventualities affecting the community of disability activists. The two tend to come together. That's because the sad reality is this: without news of outrageous abuse and neglect, there is no progress in the living conditions of people with disabilities.
I shared some of those revelations two weeks ago: Is this what it takes to move the Knesset to action?
On Saturday night February 19, 2022, Israel's KAN TV station aired this report:.
The defensive reactions of the institutions and of the responsible government ministries are no less infuriating than the conduct of the violent, sadistic caregivers.
It's in Hebrew, so for those who can't follow, my summary notes from the Hebrew source:
Excerpts from the KAN clip "Camp of Oppression":
- A father of a former resident in an institution: "My son has mild cognitive impairment and OCD. He is skilled in computers, multi- lingual, We were looking for a setting; we wanted him to have outings, parties - his own social group."
- The son: "Excuse me for interrupting, and they also hit autistics a lot. They hit. And it isn't appropriate for me there. And I had marks on my body from all the hitting." He also relates that doors are always locked behind them. "What's that about?" he asks.
- A brother of a resident relates his experiences: "Every sort of violence you can describe that can possibly be. It's crazy. It's prison violence. You see cuts, you see stitches, you see crazy things...I don't like the word institution. That's a euphemism for a camp of oppression."
- Narrator: "All of the residents interviewed had lived in a succession of institutions and in various parts of the country over years and recounted a similar picture in all of them."
- A former staff member, called Maya - but who conceals her true identity - relates: "I didn't only see one or two caregivers but rather a staff - wide atmosphere of animalism. "Go! Come here" Really like animals. They would mimic them in front of them. Tempt them with things and then not give them. I remember employees who would push really hard just to get them to move forward. They spoke to them in shouts. In my view, this pained me as a caregiver much more than the violence you hear happened once in a few months because this happens and it is clear that it happens. We had a volunteer who fed a resident her vomit from her plate because he had been instructed that she must eat...We had one resident who had outbursts, she was challenging, Several careers did find a common language with her and knew how to calm her down. She then got stuck with a violent shift worker who simply beat her to shreds.'
- Narrator: "It's important to note that she doesn't say all the workers she met are bad or violent but not only about an isolated incident or specific staff members were involved. it is testimony about several institutions she worked in over years. conduct she encountered in several different institutions and over years."
- The father of the adult resident later related: "When I told the institution in which my son lived that I want to bring him back home, the director threatened to bring me to court and have my guardianship status rescinded."
- Naama Lerner of the grass roots organization, The Movement for Independence, explained that "Since the advent of privatization, operators of institutions receive between 13,000-20,000 shekels/month per resident and are thus highly motivated to retain them. They hire one carer for ten residents so they spend less than 1,000 shekels/month per resident."
On Thursday evening, February 17, 2022, people with disabilities, their families and activists demonstrated:
Come join us to protest against the abandonment of our children, people with disabilities and cognitive disabilities, people with autism. #See them
We are shouting on behalf of those who cannot
On Saturday night, February 19, 2022, Naama Lerner of the newly formed grass-roots organization "The Movement for Independence" gave a Zoom presentation about de-institutionalization and life within the community for people with disabilities.
It was very informative and forthright. Naama explained why life behind locked doors in large institutions is an invitation to abusive behavior towards residents.
Several points she made:
- When residents live in an apartment surrounded by neighbors, it is likely that signs of abuse and neglect will be noticed and reported. When those residents leave their home every day for various other settings - workplace, therapy sessions, shopping expeditions, chugim - they will be observed by myriad people who are not connected to their institution. They will not hesitate to report anything that appears concerning.
- On the other hand, when all activities and services take place in one large, locked secluded setting, there are no outsiders who might notice disturbing signs. Institutions always defend the seclusion and locking up of residents as being "for their protection".
- Naama debunked that claim thoroughly.
Today, I signed on to the Lobby for the Advancement of Equal Opportunities for People with Disabilities on the topic of The Improvement of Conditions in Hostels and the Expansion of Independent Living for People with Disabilities. It is scheduled for February 28, 2022.
You can register for it at this link.
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