Israel to Provide Flexible Transportation for Disabled Children

Children with physical disabilities in Israel will now receive flexible transportation to attend after-school programs run by the Ministry of Welfare, ending decades of discrimination. This change follows a state response submitted Tuesday to a petition filed in July concerning the issue. Budgetary agreements have been reached to allow these children to be picked up at a time chosen by their parents, mirroring the existing arrangement for children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.

This new policy enables parents to decide if their children will return home after the regular school day or stay for the after-school club activities. Previously, the Ministry of Education's transportation funding ended at the official school dismissal time, often before the Ministry of Welfare's programs concluded, leaving many children unable to participate.

"This is a significant achievement in a struggle that lasted years," stated Adv. Dikla Sity Meir, legal counsel and deputy CEO of policy at "Ilán," an organization for people with disabilities. "Children with motor disabilities have the right to move equally in the educational and social space."

Advocates, including "Ilán," "Itzhak Shamir" and the Coalition of Parents for Children with Special Needs, filed the petition after years of attempts to negotiate with the Education and Welfare ministries. "It is regrettable that for years the Ministry of Education refused to resolve this painful issue and correct the ongoing injustice, and that only a petition prompted its senior officials to do what they should have done long ago," said Adv. Revital Len Cohen of the Coalition of Parents for Children with Special Needs.

While the current arrangement applies to students with disabilities in special education, the fight continues to extend eligibility to students integrated into mainstream education. Organizations will monitor the implementation to ensure the solution is effective on the ground.