Ono Lecturer Discusses Disability Issues, Both Before and After the Start of the War
Dr. Ira Stern, is a lecturer in the Bachelor’s Degree program in Education and Society with a Specialization in Accessibility and Disability Studies at Ono Academic College. He is also a staff member at the Levinstein Rehabilitation Medical Center. Dr. Stern discusses the issue of the identities of people with disabilities, both before and after the current war.
“The identity of the State of Israel has been in evolving in a complex process for a long period of time which culminated in the events of the seventh of October when Israeli society had to face one of the biggest crises in its history.
In parallel and also as a result, the issue of the identity of people with disabilities has also been gaining momentum.
These days, rehabilitation professionals meet people with a wide variety of disabilities. Some of these issues, which can be temporary or permanent, were created as a result of the war, and some of these issues preceded the war but worsened as a result.
The importance of the work of the treatment professionals lies in providing an immediate response to the physical and mental distress of people with disabilities and above all, in parallel with the political processes taking place in the State of Israel, in the formation of a new identity related to the variety of disabilities and the people who deal with them.
Ono Academic College is the only place in Israel that offers a degree in Education and Society with a Specialization in Accessibility and Disability Studies. It reflects a new approach in Israel that has led to significant changes in the attitude towards children and people with disabilities. This program ensures that students practical, hands-on experience in the field.
As a social worker at the Levinstein Rehabilitation Medical Center, as a faculty member and lecturer at Ono Academic College, I am constantly exposed to the benefits of immigrants in places where identity and acceptance and multiculturalism are put into practice. I hope that these values will soon permeate Israeli society as a whole, as well as its attitude towards people with disabilities.”
