A woman of valor

There are surely many unsung heroes among disabilities activists all over the world.

 
We are blessed with one in Israel, Adv Naama Lerner of Hatnuah L'atzmaut (The Movement for Independence): tireless, brave, determined, idealistic, compassionate, intelligent and religious - obviously a rare mix of traits. 

While she's often interviewed by journalists, and has been an activist for decades, she never toots her own horn. Which probably explains her relative anonymity.

Last week Naama exhibited unusual pluck which earned her a few kudos among activists. One person who acknowledged this was former Knesset member, Stav Shaffir. I've mentioned her here before because she organized the surprise visits paid by activists to closed institutions for people with disabilities in December 2018 in which I took part ["Making history: After the raid"].

She paired-up activists with Knesset members to enable us to gain entry to these normally locked institutions. (Note: the institutions are obligated to open their doors only to Knesset members.)

Naama Lerner protests outside Israel's

Ministry of Welfare, December 5, 2022 [Source]

Here - in my translation from the source Hebrew - is what Stav wrote about Naama on her Facebook page this past week:

I want you to meet a very brave woman: Naama Lerner. Yesterday she stood alone opposite the Ministry of Welfare in protest against the private companies that make millions at the expense of people with special needs. 

These companies receive a budget from the state in order to take care of them - but instead of paying a fair wage to the caregivers, they put the money in the management's pocket, and then come asking for more. 

The therapists get discouraged and are replaced, are usually untrained, and the treatment of a person with special needs - is accordingly. 

This year, residents in such institutions died due to food poisoning and in other unknown circumstances.
Naama stood there in front of the office alone, but she is really not alone: she stands on behalf of tens of thousands with special needs. On behalf of families who lost their children (physically or mentally) to institutions that did not treat them properly. 

I learned about her activities in depth when, as a Knesset member, I began conducting surprise visits to these institutions as a member of the Knesset - and I became a fan of her way, of her depth and endless devotion.
This year she founded the Movement for Independence which aims to promote people with special needs to independence in the community, instead of closed institutions. This is a movement in the right direction, operating with almost no resources against huge companies that make billions from the state and maintaining a strong lobby in the government. 

Let's cheer and strengthen her. She deserves it and we all deserve it.