1. 1 Presentation to the United Nations
Presentation to the United Nations
Shalva National Center
www.shalva.org

2. 2 Presentation to the United Nations
About Shalva
Vision
Shalva envisions a world where persons with disabilities are appreciated and accepted for their unique sets of
abilities, and are given equal opportunities to become agents of change by shaping their own futures as dynamic
and meaningful contributors in the broader community.
Microcosmically, Shalva endeavors to provide persons with disabilities access to quality education, health care,
and social protection; thereby encouraging the achievement of their full human potential while strengthening
households coping with disability. In tandem with national and regional realities, Shalva’s social development
programs strive to shift attitudinal barriers toward promoting the dignity and achievements of persons with
disabilities while fostering a peaceful and inclusive society.
Mission
Shalva, the Association for Children with Disabilities and their Families in Israel, is dedicated to providing quality
care for individuals with disabilities, empowering their families, and promoting social inclusion. Shalva’s free and
non-discriminatory programs are operated by credentialed staff and trained volunteers who receive ongoing
evaluation from Shalva’s International Academic Research Committee and various relevant government bodies.
Programs range from infancy to adulthood and include family support components that enable parents to raise
their child with disabilities within the family framework. The organization’s advocacy initiatives, community
events, and disability research continue to inspire a more inclusive society.
Need
Mental and physical disabilities are prevalent in Israeli society, affecting a significant minority of the general
population. Today, 8.5% of children born in Israel have severe mental impairments and/or physical disabilities.
National surveys reflect that 2/3 of persons with disabilities express an interest in social involvement. However,
two out of three persons with disabilities are not receiving the medical, educational, and therapeutic services that
they legally deserve; thereby hindering their potential for development and potential for social inclusion.
History
Founded in 1990 based on the plight of families coping with disability and a lack of appropriate services for their
children; Shalva has developed from a community-based afternoon program into an internationally acclaimed,
award-winning organization that serves the entire spectrum of Israeli society. Through twenty-five years of
partnerships with government ministries, corporations, academic institutions, social development groups, and
communities worldwide; Shalva continues to successfully infuse disability inclusion into public policy, cultural
platforms, and social discourse.
"A nation's
greatness is
measured by
how it treats
its weakest
members."
- Mahatma Ghandi

3. 3 Presentation to the United Nations
Results Framework and Goals
Education
To provide children with disabilities equal educational opportunities which fortify their abilities and
enable them to become productive members of society.
Employment
To provide multi-tiered guidance in preparing personswith disabilitiestowards achieving successes
in the workforce; and to create an integrated work enviornment where persons with disabilities are
provided self-determined employment opportunities based on their personal choices.
Reducing Inequality
To create equal opportunities for persons with and without disabilities to optimally achieve their
basic needs and health in dignity; as well as enjoy educational, recreational, and employment
opportunities as equals.
Inclusive Society
To engage the community in inclusion promoting initiatives that breach attitudinal barriers on
multiple social and cultural platforms.
Gerry Casey with his daughter Rachel at Shalva, 2009
Gerry Casey, an Irish Defense Forces captain formerly
posted to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
(UNTSO) peacekeeping mission based in Israel, arrived to
Shalva with his daughter, Rachel, who was diagnosed with
Down syndrome and sent to Israel for a life-saving heart
surgery. At Shalva, Casey and his family found acceptance,
hope, and a host of therapeutic services for their daughter.
"At first I thought they would treat us differently,” says
Casey, “But I quickly realized that everyone is a human
being and that is all that matters." To highlight their positive
experience, the Casey family organized a special event at
Shalva to introduce members of the international diplomatic
community to the compassionate side of Israel.

4. 4 Presentation to the United Nations
Early Intervention Programs
Shalva’s care begins even before syndrome diagnoses are legally recognized. Infants receive guided
therapeutic care during critical periods of growth and parents are engaged as co-therapists in the
rehabilitative process. Shalva’s day care provides a development-oriented regimen where the seeds of
future success are planted.
Inclusive Preschools
Children ages 4-6 with and without disabilities learn and grow together in an ultimately inclusive learning
environment. The curriculum is based on values of acceptance, equality, and tolerance. In parallel classes,
children with and without disabilities are prepared for successful mainstream integration by first grade.
After School Activity Center
Priming persons with disabilities to lead fulfilling, dignified lives requires extensive social investment. To
this end youths with disabilities join peer volunteers from the community for an afternoon filled with life-
skills oriented programs and recreational opportunities like swimming, sports, arts, and drama.
Respite and Independent Living Apartments
By practicing daily living skills and home economic capabilities, persons with disabilities are empowered to
autonomously direct lives of their choosing. Additionally, respite programs provide a crucial and refreshing
period for families to focus on leisure and various needs beyond those of their child with disabilities.
Summer Camps
Shalva day and over-night camps provide an authentic, inclusive summer camp experience for children
with disabilities. The program ensures continued progress of developmental achievements during the
summer, unimagined opportunities, and a vital respite period for the participants’ families at home.
Shalva Idol
Shalva Idol is a yearly production in which persons with disabilities of all ages perform renditions of music,
drama, and various arts. Performed alongside celebrity artists and before an enthused, audience of
thousands from the broader community, this event displays a true statement of inclusion.
Basketball Team
The Shalva Hapoel Jerusalem basketball team is a unique way to practice physical stamina and social
skills while simultaneously enmeshes persons with disabilities into the community. Playing alongside
youth-league teams and professional squads, the team is creating a newfound cultural forum for persons
with disabilities in Israel.
Means of Implementation
Shalva has created a wealth of programming to enable and ennoble persons with disabilities to achieve their
ultimate success within a fostered inclusive society. Presenting unprecedented opportunities for persons with
disabilities in the Middle East, the following sampling serves as a cross-section of the Shalva National Center’s
program and facility scope.

5. 5 Presentation to the United Nations
Shalva works hand in hand with government bodies to create programs that represent, support, and empower the
cross-cultural corpus of persons with disabilities in Israel. Shalva’s unique methodology and programs serve as tools
and models for institutions and communities world-wide that are interested in developing their own disability services.
Shalva’s program-specific as well as organization-wide systems of data-collection, analysis, and dissemination are
in constant development.
The Shalva National Center enables Shalva to broaden its scope of services and provide all-encompassing, on-site
care for thousands of persons with disabilities. Family support and inclusive components are inherent and integral
to each program. Purposefully placed in the heart of Jerusalem by the Jerusalem Municipality, the center’s state-
of-the-art facilities raise the capacity and level of development of disability services in the Middle East region. The
Shalva National Center is positioned to be a beacon of inclusion and an international leader in program development
for persons with disabilities.
Means of Implementation
Shalva Band
TheShalvaBandperformsbyinvitationatculturalvenuesanddignitaryeventsaroundtheworld,enamoring
audiences with their repertoire and charm. Each of the band’s members’ musical talents were discovered
and developed through years of music therapy at Shalva. Today, they study, work, and volunteer in the
broader community.
Virtual Reality Job Interview Simulation
Shalva utilizes interactive virtual reality technologies to prepare persons with disabilities for complex,
workforce related social experiences. Avatars engage users in interactive job interview simulations using
innovative software that Shalva is uniquely adapting according to language and cultural sensitivities in the
Middle East.
Education and Vocational Training Center
The center’s renowned faculty offers a dynamic curriculum of continuing education and therapy
certification courses, vocational training programs for persons with disabilities and their employers, as
well as conferences and seminars for disability professionals and the broader community. The vocational
training program encourages employment based on personal abilities, interests, and willingness to work.
Employment Studio Workshop
Adults with disabilities are guided through various series of employment workshops. Workshops in the arts
will produce artistic pieces as well as practical products that will be sold in Shalva’s gift shop; positively
exposing the broader community and visitors from around the world to persons with disabilities.
Employment Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
The Shalva National Center offers an empowering, integrated work setting and ample self-determined
work opportunities for persons with disabilities in a variety of fields. The Shalva National center serves as
a model for potential employers of persons with disabilities; illustrating the benefits of their abilities and
performance as staff.

6. 6 Presentation to the United Nations
Impact
Impacting the Future
of Children
Shalva gives children with
disabilities the tools to succeed.
Their potential for development
is maximized; their abilities are
celebrated; their inclusion as
valued members of society is
enabled. When they see that
the world believes they can
achieve; they believe they can
too. Shalva provides therapeutic,
educational, and recreational
programs, free of charge, to
550 children from infancy
to adulthood. We embrace
our children with love and
encouragement. We ensure that
they receive the best care and
every opportunity to enrich their
lives with quality.
Strengthening
Families
Shalva gives families the support
to cope with disability and lead
healthy, thriving lifestyles.
Personal and group support
sessions rejuvenate their
spirits with hope and newfound
acceptance. Educational
seminars fortify them with
information to navigate the
challenges of raising their child.
Respite programs give them vital
and dependable periods of quiet
to fill with leisure. We make it
possible for them to raise their
child with disabilities at home
without compromising their
growth as individuals nor their
strength as a family unit.
Creating a Better,
More Inclusive Society
Shalva gives society a reason to
appreciate inclusion. Our program
graduates are employed in the
mainstream workforce. Our
band performs at venues and
events in Israel and abroad. Our
children shine on stage alongside
celebrity artists. Our basketball
team plays against teams from
the community. Our marathon
runners conduct grassroots
fundraising campaigns that
promote love, hope, and human
dignity all the world. Our
advocacy and community events
are bringing disability issues to
the forefront of social discourse.
We are inspiring a more inclusive
society.

7. 7 Presentation to the United Nations
Contact:
Kalman Samuels
T +972-2-651-9555
F +972-2-653-5787
E kalman@shalva.org
6 Even Dnan Street POB 34449
Jerusalem 9134302
www.shalva.org