Which cities in Israel treat their disabled the best/worst?
The report also showed a decrease in the number of responders who said it was acceptable to joke about or make harmful comments about people with disabilities.
By SARAH LEVIUpdated: DECEMBER 3, 2017 00:57Israeli citizens with disabilities renew their protest to receive improved benefits.(photo credit: DISABLED BECOMING PANTHERS (COURTESY))
Shoham, Tel Aviv and Rehovot are Israel’s top-rated cities in treatment of their disabled populations, according to the Municipal Accessibility Index, a cooperative project of the Ted Arison Family Foundation and Ruderman Family Foundation, which tracks opinions about people with disabilities.Nazareth, Tiberias and Petah Tikva ranked at the bottom of the survey, which included 3,238 participants across 20 local authorities in Israel and was released ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which falls on Monday.The study had participants rate their degree of agreement or disagreement with various indexes of approach, feelings and behavior toward people with disabilities.They also rated the attitude toward people with disabilities in the local authority of their residence.According to the survey, the top three cities with the highest number of reports of discrimination toward people with disabilities were Hadera, Ashdod and Ashkelon, respectively.The lowest numbers came from Nazareth, Shoham and Herzliya, respectively.Overall, the study showed, that 85% of Israelis believe national and local authorities are responsible for taking care of people with disabilities. Only 52% of respondents said they were willing to personally help them, down significantly from 2016 when 84% were willing to personally help those with disabilities.Nevertheless, the report showed a decrease in the number of those who said it was acceptable to joke about or make harmful comments about people with disabilities, with just 33% agreeing, as opposed to 41% last year.Only 17% justified discrimination against people with disabilities in the workplace or academic institutions.
