About Reut

Reut is the Israeli NGO that leads adults with psychiatric¹, physical, or intellectual disabilities back to the heart of the community. Our inclusive rehabilitation programs help hundreds to realize the basic human right to fulfillment and belonging. We also act as revolutionaries in the social and government realms to improve overall inclusion in Israeli society for people who live with disabilities.

Need and Imperative

Israeli society is structured for people whose physical, cognitive, emotional, and life skills abilities fit the mainstream community. Though perceptions of people with disabilities are improving, there is still significant exclusion in the general community and workplace. Stereotypes and lack of awareness stand in the way of community acceptance. Perhaps even worse, most medical, government, and therapeutic services see limitations and challenges as static. They emphasize ai???careai??? rather than rehabilitation.

The proven rehabilitative approach to disabilities, including psychiatric, physical, or intellectual, demonstrates that every individual can develop new skills and abilities in the areas of social interaction, life skills, and employment.

Our History of Inclusion and Rehabilitation

Reut was founded 25 years ago by mental health professionals who refused to accept the exclusion of people with mental illness and disabilities in Israel, the denial of their right to recovery and health. In 1980, Israelis with mental illness were still confined to hospitals. The only residential setting for ai???patientsai??? was the hospital ward.

Reut led in the movement to open hospital wards and allow people with mental illness to live within the community. Some individuals re-entered the world after 25 years of hospitalization. We established the first community residence for people with mental illness, and we continue to revolutionize the approach to people with psychiatric, physical, and intellectual disabilities in Israel.

Rehabilitation vs. Care ai What We Do

Reut advances the lives and inclusion of people who live with disabilities. We help people with psychiatric, physical, or intellectual differences to build their strengths and assert their rights within the community. All people can move forward in life, to live a full life within the community, despite health, cognitive, or physical limitations. With our efforts, the right to rehabilitation rather than ai???medicalai??? care is a legal imperative in Israel. We support our clientsai??i?? momentum, their ability to reach independence to the best of their abilities through: tools for life skills and employment, support for daily living, training, guidance, and job placement.

Our programs are supported by the Ministries of Welfare and Health, and go beyond the subsistence levels of government aid for our clients. Our areas of activity include:

• Community Residences and Independent Living: with individualized support plans for improved independence.
• Training and Employment: job training, rehabilitative work environments, and job coaching for the general workplace.
• Lobbying and Government Reform: we continuously promote and accomplish improvement in law and government policy for people with psychiatric, physical, or intellectual disabilities.

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Goals and Objectives

We aim to help adults with mental illness ai???come homeai??? to our communities through effective rehabilitation; to improve the rights of Israelis with psychiatric, physical, and intellectual differences. Our funding objectives in 2017 are:

• Community Life: Government rent subsidies for our clients equal only 60% of mainstream rental costs. Your grant will subsidize housing and workplace rental for equal and quality inclusion.
• Equipment: A grant for improved work equipment will enable a wider range of choice and quality of employment, attract higher level work from contractors, and improve sustainability.
• Women with Eating Disorders: Services for women with eating disorders in Israel are, as of yet, inadequate. Few options exist outside the hospital. This pilot program will adapt our community rehabilitation services for 15 women with eating disorder.
• Community Vocations: In 2017, we will expand our employment program and include direct community vocations such as: wait staff, gardening, and gas station staff. Training, coaching, placement, and job support will increase inclusion, social visibility, and mainstream interaction.
• Capacity Building: We aim to establish a marketing team who will improve our visibility in Israeli communities. Visibility will increase demand for our clients products, and will educate the 100,000 Israelis with psychiatric disabilities who are unaware of their rehabilitative rights.

Snapshot of our Accomplishments

• We opened the first community residence for people with psychiatric disabilities in Israel.
• We led the move of thousands of Israelis with mental illness from hospital to community.
• We are the number one provider of Israelai??i??s National Insurance rehabilitative services.
• We achieved Knesset legislation for rehabilitative rights: the only law of its kind worldwide.
• We partner with organizations and communities to promote inclusion and rehabilitation.

Please join us as we improve rehabilitation and inclusion for people with psychiatric, physical, and intellectual disabilities in Israel. We respectfully request a tax-deductible grant awards one of our projects. Thank you for your support, we will be happy to provide additional information.