Kivunim: New Directions For Special Needs Youth In Israel

Founded in 2003, Kivunim: New Directions for Special Needs Youth in Israel’s mission is to prepare young adults with disabilities for the challenges of independent living and community integration. K...ivunim envisions a world in which people with disabilities are recognized as active, independent, and contributing members of society. Our programs are aimed to empower young adults with disabilities by emphasizing strengths and abilities, increasing independence and self-management, and encouraging social inclusion, thus rendering them active agents rather than passive recipients of state services. Kivunim’s main programs, Wings and Carmel, support young adults (18-30 yrs.) with physical disabilities, sensory disabilities (sight/hearing impairments), and high functioning young adults with autism. These 2-year programs provide a framework for the participants to gain life skills and experiences such as self-managing their everyday lives, their financials, health, leisure time, and social involvement. Participants also join Israel’s National Service and/or receive vocational training. There are currently 100 participants in the program who arrive from all over Israel and from all sectors of society to train in the program apartments located in North Israel. We also operate additional programs to cover a wider age range, such as an enrichment program for deaf/hearing impaired middle-school youth, and a Supportive Housing program to support people with disabilities who are already living independently in the community and need some minimal counseling and assistance. Overall Kivunim serves about 200 people with disabilities a year.