Red lines and Aleh's fundraising

Screenshot from the Aleh promotional video

So take your pick. Are we progressive and enlightened toward our citizens with disabilities?

Or are we more akin to medieval?

Below I link to two video clips from opposite ends of the spectrum.

First, an Aleh production championing the institutionalization of children with disabilities through the voice of an "abled" sibling.

Here goes: 

"This is my little sister, Shira. Mommy and Daddy were so happy when they brought her home from the hospital, but as Shira grew up, Mommy began to smile with sad eyes. While Shira's friends learned to do everything by themselves, Shira needed help and so did my parents. We looked for a place nearby, a warm and homey place that would help Shira grow, where she would be loved the way we love her but taken care of in ways that we couldn't. Aleh was a perfect fit for Shira. Every time we visit her, it's clear she is learning, growing every day. We can see that she's happy there and that makes us happy too."

Honestly, using a child's sweet, endearing voice to plug the vile practice of institutionalization crosses every ethical red line. The sibling of an abandoned child is likely to be plagued by myriad complex emotions. But not one of those is examined here.

Instead, Aleh posits that a child, like the one heard here, would be relieved and happy about her sister's removal from the family home. She wouldn't agonize over whether her parents might perhaps abandon her too. She wouldn't dread that her parents might seek a "nearby, perfect fit, homey place" for her too - were she to disappoint them with less than stellar achievements the way her sister did...

And a perfectly logical fear that would be!

This clip also evades the truth when it maintains that the parents profiled had no choice but to institutionalize their child. Aleh insinuates that no alternative options existed offering her the specialized care she needed.

In reality, Israel has multiple special education schools that can advance children like "Shira". A full range of para-medical therapies, highly qualified special education teachers, bus transportation to and from those schools and a full day of classes beginning early in the morning until the evening.

Some statistics extracted (and translated by me) from a recent (June 17, 2018) Knesset report:

In the school year 2017/2018, 106,000 special needs students were registered in Israel. 45,255 studied in classes within special education schools ranging from kindergarten to post high school. Children with disabilities are entitled to an education until the age of 21. A further 60,746 children studied in special education classes situated within regular schools. A total of 10,868 classes existed for those students. Of those, 2,238 were kindergartens, 4,771 were special education classes within regular schools and 3,941 were special ed classes within special ed schools.

My daughter Chaya in her once-weekly hydrotherapy
session yesterday. It's really not that hard to quantify
therapies if you want to!

If you are still convinced that living in large, isolated closed institutions like Aleh's affords residents superior rehabilitative opportunities, remember my recent visit to Aleh Jerusalem with Knesset member Nachman Shai (see "Making history: After the raid" and "Notes from an Aleh visit"). 

I repeatedly asked our guide, a senior administrator, for the number of individualized para medical therapies offered. Each time, the guide gave me ambiguities like "It's difficult to say" and "It depends" and "We believe in group therapies". I could not elicit any numerical responses and not for lack of trying.

A strong stench of deception is wafting from that Aleh video clip.

But there is hope. Some Israelis champion true inclusion and equal rights for people with disabilities in Israel. Several of them will be competing in the upcoming World Para Swimming World Series 2019. It will be the largest to date, taking place in seven countries across four continents from February to June. 

The competition is going into its third season bringing together the world’s best swimmers in some of the biggest and most traditional events on the planet. 

Here are two of our champions who will do us proud:

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