On Tuesday morning, the Welfare and Social Services Ministry published for the
first time a report on the proper integration into society of people with
special needs.
The report, which was produced by a special committee
appointed to examine the issue, focuses on laying out a series of measures to be
taken in order to combat the NIMBY (“Not in My Back Yard”) phenomenon, which in
this context refers to a growing trend of rejecting people with special needs in
communities and neighborhoods across Israel.
The NIMBY phenomenon is
particularly characterized by residents of different communities in the country
refusing to accept houses for people with disabilities into a neighborhood on
the basis of fears, prejudices or, sometimes, economic
interests.
“Combating this requires a change in attitudes, public
relations and educational activities,” the document said. “The Welfare and
Social Services Ministry will take a series of measures to solve the problem and
will work for a good integration of people with special needs in
society.”
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