Read the Room: A Letter to Israel’s Educational Leaders on Disability Inclusion |
Recently, a dispute erupted in Israel between the Teachers’ Union, parents’ organizations, and the Education Ministry over the future of disability inclusion in schools. The Teachers’ Union has argued that severe staffing shortages and a lack of support personnel are making it increasingly difficult to successfully integrate students with disabilities into mainstream classrooms. In response, the Parents Leadership Association urged the Education Ministry to reject any effort to limit inclusion, arguing that students with disabilities should not be excluded because of broader failures in funding and staffing. At the center of this debate are thousands of children whose educational futures may be shaped by the decisions made today.
As someone who had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), I was deeply troubled to read about the efforts to limit disability inclusion in Israeli classrooms amid a staffing shortage. Not only is it a shame, but a moral and spiritual failure.
I started my K-12 journey in a Jewish day school that had a specialized learning program. My parents wanted me to get a seminary-style education growing up, but unfortunately, in just 3 years, the program did not have enough funding to keep going, and ultimately had to shutter its doors. I eventually had to go to secular specialized........