Children with Special Needs
What you need to know
Helpful Articles
Moving to Israel, making Aliyah is an exciting, life changing experience. An experience that for all Olim, requires planning, researching and networking towards healthy and successful integration into their new community.
For most, immigrating to Israel means learning to navigate an entirely new system touching on most aspects of day to day life in a new culture, in a new language where processes and expectations are different than those familiar from ‘the old country’.
The challenge becomes even greater when making Aliyah with a family member with a learning challenge or special need of any kind.
Managing your own needs as a new immigrant and, where relevant, the needs of other family members while navigating new processes, agencies and systems relevant to your child with needs can simply be overwhelming at best.
What may seem like a straightforward task can quickly become daunting when you are unfamiliar with where to turn, what questions to ask, or which office or organization is responsible for helping.
This is why the resources and information researched before Aliyah are so important.
The organizations, professionals, community resources, and support systems identified before making the move are not simply helpful information, they can become essential tools for successfully navigating life in Israel. Knowing where to turn, and being willing to reach out for assistance, can make the difference between trying to manage a challenge alone and finding the support needed to move forward.
This process takes TIME, try to begin the process early.
Regardless of the age of your child, it is important to begin with realistic expectations. Familiarizing yourself with a different system, within a different culture takes TIME.
We encourage you to begin your research and networking early, so that you arrive on your day of Aliyah secure in the decisions you have made. Israel has multiple government ministries, agencies, health funds, municipalities, and service providers involved in supporting people with disabilities and special needs.
Understanding which agency is responsible for which area of support and what the definition of that support may be is a helpful first step to take.
