From institutions to Iyad al-Halak – the importance of inclusion

As hundreds of people in Haifa, Jaffa and Jerusalem protest the police shooting of Iyad al-Halak, an unarmed man who had autism, the media discussion of the tragedy has missed an important point. Much has been said about racial profiling of Arabs and whether Israeli security forces are too eager to pull the trigger in tense situations. But there's a critical aspect missing from the wider conversation: The security officers who shot Halak were extremely unlikely to be familiar with autistic behavior. I truly believe that if there was greater inclusion of people with special needs in wider society, as well as education among both the general public and security forces about intellectual disability, the likelihood of this tragedy occurring would be much smaller. If the security officers in this incident had spent time around people with intellectual disabilities, there's a chance they may have recognized that Iyad Halak's unusual behavior stemmed from autism, rather than a criminal motive. But the fact that the security officers were likely unable to recognize autistic behavior is to be expected. Both in Israel and abroad, inclusion of people with special needs in mainstream society has simply not been a priority. For many years in the United States and in Israel, institutionalization was viewed as the only solution for people with special needs. Misdiagnoses were rampant, as little effort was made to distinguish between those with physical, developmental, and intellectual disabilities. There was no evaluation process to determine if someone with a developmental or intellectual disability could be helped with therapy and potentially remain in mainstream schools or workplaces. Outpatient options which could keep people at home with their families and in their communities were not widely explored. Rather, “differently abled” people were placed in institutions to keep them “out of sight, out of mind.” Keeping people with special needs out of mainstream society had serious consequences. It enabled a system in which professionals made decisions on behalf of the differently abled, categorizing them as unable to make choices for themselves, and routinely denying them their personal agency. And, far from the public eye, abuse was far more likely to occur. Places like Willowbrook State School were the sites of unspeakable trauma for thousands of children and adults with special needs. After decades of scandals and revelations of long-term abuse, the institution was shuttered in 1987. The horrors committed at Willowbrook led to federal legislation to protect people with special needs, but the era of mass institutionalization remains a stain on the American soul. The last three decades have seen a major shift in perceptions of people living with special needs, particularly in Israel. Institutionalization has significantly decreased, with a much higher percentage of families pursuing community-based solutions for their loved ones with disabilities. Last year, researchers from Ono Academic College released a study that found within the ultra-Orthodox community, 84% believed that integrating children with disabilities into regular classes would positively impact both children with and without disabilities. Some 77% agreed that housing frameworks for individuals with disabilities should be developed in the heart of every neighborhood and community. Still, there is much work to be done, as evidenced by Iyad Halak's death. While people with special needs are no longer siloed in institutions, we are far from full acceptance of differently abled people. Inclusion and integration of people with special needs into mainstream society is paramount, for the sake of all of us. Their lives, and society's soul, depend on it. The writer is a rabbi and the director and founder of Alei Siach, a Jerusalem-based nonprofit organization providing all-inclusive solutions for people living with special needs, and their families.

From institutions to Iyad al-Halak – the importance of inclusion

While people with special needs are no longer siloed in institutions, we are far from full acceptance of differently abled people.

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From institutions to Iyad al-Halak – the importance of inclusion

While people with special needs are no longer siloed in institutions, we are far from full acceptance of differently abled people.

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