P.O.Box 817
Hod Hasharon 45108
Israel
- Others
Amichai Organization develops and provides a range of community services for children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities in central Israel, out of the belief that every person has the right to be a full and equal rights member of the community.
The organization works to improve the quality of life of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families through a systemic viewpoint which seeks to provide solutions in a variety of fields impacting their lives including the therapeutic, the social, the communal and the public policy fields.
• Amichai is attentive to families – the organization was established by families, and they greatly influence what is being done and on the services being provided.
• Amichai sets a high standard of services – the organization works continuously to enhance the services it provides in the physical aspect, in the quality of the staff and in its treatment quality.
• Amichai works for the promotion of integration of individuals with developmental disabilities within the community – the organization holds workshops and lectures for children, adolescents and adults with the aim of raising awareness to the subject. Moreover, the organization runs many group classes that integrate, in practice, the organization’s service recipients with public school children and adolescents.
The Amichai association develops and provides a wide range of services within the community for children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities, both Jews and Arabs. The Multi-Cultural program creates an opportunity for Jewish and Arab youth, low and average level of disability, to meet.
Together they experience activities that aim to improve their social skills and life talents in rehabilitation and educational aspects. Thus, four groups were composed; therapy through music, therapy through Art, therapy through Theatre and sport activity group. These groups are guided by professional staff members that combine therapeutic processes into their work. The groups are set to advance non verbal communication, emotional and social abilities as part of a wider program. The group members meet twice a week for two and a half hours, in which they use the sport and art global "language" to communicate. The group works on emotional dilemmas and experiences mutual to all children and youth.
In the physical aspect, they work to improve balance, coordination and movement and in the social aspect, they learn how to cooperate within a group context, how to work out joint dilemmas, how to postpone needs (wait for their turn, let their friend cross first, etc). This activity works as a bridge between the different people,
The principal of combining people with special needs into the community is necessary to the progression of equal rights process and the rehabilitation process of people with developmental disabilities. In order to imply this goal Amichai is working intensively with the community and parallel to that, invests much in developing life skills and social abilities among its members.
This investment is meant to enable people with special needs to function to their optimum in the social diversity and within the social changes that take place in a sophisticated, multi-cultural, society. Better the members of Amichai will learn to know the community, with its special characteristics and mentalities, better they will be rehabilitated and integrated within their surroundings, their natural place.