The Wohl Center 

The Wohl Center caters children ages 6-21 with severe and complex disabilities. The professional staff provides the students with a wide range of therapies, individualized educational programs and important life skills in order to help them advance and fulfill their potential. 

As the students at the Wohl Center are low-functioning and have serious disabilities, they need an expansive learning space that enables multi-sensory learning. The new 1,600 sqm wing, which is currently being constructed and annexed to the existing building, will include a wide range of therapy rooms, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and communication therapy and more.

The physiotherapy program is crucial for the students at the Wohl Center, as many of them have mobility difficulties, disabilities that affect fine and gross motor skills and disorders that prevent them from gaining independence without professional help. The new physiotherapy room will feature state-of-the-art equipment that will help the children improve their mobility, motor and balance skills, thus greatly improving their chances of advancement and independence.  

Hydrotherapy Program for Women with Severe Disabilities 

Ohel Sarah’s Housing Division includes 38 groups homes in the community for adults, married couples and children. 16 homes are designated for women with various levels of disability, from competently independent women who live without direct supervision, to women with severe cognitive and physical disabilities who need round-the-clock care. Each home houses 4-6 women. 

Severely disabled women need many varied therapies on a daily basis. 30 women ages 15-50 in our housing division, who all have lower and upper limb impairments, have been recommended hydrotherapy sessions by a physician as a vital treatment for their disabilities. 

In order to provide these women with the needed care, Ohel Sarah has begun weekly hydrotherapy sessions in a specialized pool that has a standards approval of the Ministry of Health. The pool features measures that are adapted to people with physical disabilities, including wheelchair access, modified height and electric levers that lower the individuals into the pool. The pool also serves as a snoozelen, encouraging sensory stimulation through sounds, lights and textured accessories. This has a very calming effect on the women, relaxes their limbs and eases their stiffness, thus enabling them to benefit more from each session.   

The sessions are conducted by a professional therapist who specializes in hydrotherapy for people with physical disabilities. The therapist has built individual therapy plans for each woman to cater to her specific level and needs, with the main goal being advancing and maintaining crucial abilities such as motor skills, coordination and balance. Submerged in water, the women are able to achieve a much wider range of movement and align and reposition with ease – in levels that are simply not feasible for them above water. 

The women are transported to and from the pool with a special wheelchair accessible van, and are accompanied by 6 aids throughout the sessions, as well as a head-counselor who oversees the smooth operation of the transport and the sessions. 

The hydrotherapy program has received a one-time grant of 50,000 NIS from the Ministry of Welfare; however, it has already been utilized and the program now seeks a new source of funding.

Budget

  *According to an exchange rate of 0.24

Supporting this project will provide wom en with disabilities a chance to improve their quality of life.