SHALVA (The Israel Association for Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities) (Hebrew: ????????) is a registered non-profit organization that supports individuals with special needs in Israel. The organization works with a wide range of individuals with disabilities: mental retardation, developmental delay, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, the Autism spectrum, special needs with recognized handicaps (children with minor to severe retardation, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome), and more; and to empower the families of individuals with special needs.
The organization was founded in 1990 and operates a variety of programs for individuals with special needs. The organization's programs are free of charge and rely heavily on the work of volunteers. The organization's founder and president is Kalman Samuels. The organization provides services to approximately 850 infants, children, and young adults.
Video SHALVA
Background
As parents of a child with special needs, Kalman and Malki Samuels understood the need for the founding of an organization that would ease the burdens of families of children with special needs. Their son, Yossi Samuels, was born a healthy child in 1977 however, after receiving a faulty DPT vaccination, he was rendered blind, deaf, and hyperactive. He was isolated in his own world without a method of communication. Based on their personal experience with the day-to-day challenges of raising a family and the constant need to care for a child with special needs, they decided to establish Shalva in 1990.
The first center was established in a private apartment in the Har Nof neighborhood in Jerusalem and catered to a few dozen local children. As a greater need emerged, the organization bought an additional facility on an adjacent street and began expanding its programs; the building was later called "Beit Nachshon" in memory of Nachshon Wachsman who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in 1994. Over the years, programs with innovative therapies were developed for infants, and the organization began to support research in various subjects in its field. Today, Shalva's programs are housed in the Shalva National Center in the Bayit Vegan near the Shaare Zedek Medical Center. With state-of-the-art therapy facilities, family support programs, and beautiful art by Menashe Kadishman and David Gerstein the center is a leader in the field of disability services in Israel.
Maps SHALVA
Programs developed to care for individuals with disabilities
Me and My Mommy
"Me and My Mommy is an early intervention program for infants with special needs from birth, which provides therapies to advance their physical and social development. The program also conducts a parallel support program for parents and provides them with the tools for coping with their new situation.
In recent years, several studies have been conducted in the context of the "Me and My Mommy" program under the guidance of Professor Malka Margalit (of the School of Education at Tel-Aviv university), for the purpose of better understanding the needs of infants with special needs and their families, improving related therapies, and the desire to incorporate these findings in Israel's social services systems.
Rehabilitative Day Care and Inclusive Preschool
The program was established in 2003 as an extension of the "Me and My Mommy" program, in order to create therapy consistency, based on the recognized importance of early intervention as a significant contributor for the toddler's future development.
After School Activity Center
Respite Program
The Respite program operates every day of the week, and allows Shalva's children a regular, weekly sleep-over at Shalvas residential quarters, and a monthly weekend retreat.
Summer Camps
- "Day camp"- Every summer, over the course of eight weeks, SHALVA operates a day camp, seven days a week from morning until evening. During the summer vacation, when educational frameworks are not in session, there is a significant lack of structured activities appropriate for children receiving special education.
- "Sleep-away Camp"- Every summer, the organization operates an eight-day sleep-away camp, at an off-site resort.
Employment Training Program
Shalva's Employment Training Program escorts highly functional adults with disabilities from the special education and therapy programs of their youth into the workforce as contributing and independent adults.
Cafe Shalva
Open to the public, Café Shalva is a boutique café that is also a work setting where a staff of individuals with and without disabilities works together as managers, waiters, and hosts.
The Shalva National Center
In 2008 the construction of the Shalva National Center began, neighboring the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. The center opened its doors on September 2016. The center has disability accessible facilities like an auditorium, sports center, swimming pools, fitness rooms, playgrounds and more.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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