Disability Studies Quarterly Spring 2003, Volume 23, No. 2 pages 205-208 <www.dsq-sds.org> Copyright 2003 by the Society for Disability Studies |
Rehabilitation in Israel Erin Martz, Ph.D. |
Abstract
The amount of payment for the "disability due to illness or accident" category is based upon the individuals' loss of functions and abilities. Individuals who belong to this first category will lose their pensions if they successfully return to work. In contrast, individuals who experience disabilities due to work injury, widows, and victims of terrorism will receive a payment whether or not they work. Ertzman reported that the latter policy helps to encourage individuals to attempt to return to work, because they will not lose their benefits if they are vocationally successful. Though the biggest group being served is the "disability and handicap from illness or accidents," special attention is focused on victims of terrorist acts in Israel. This group also receives the highest benefit payments, according to Ertzman. Within 24 hours after a terrorist attack, workers from the Social Security department will visit individuals in the hospital or in their homes. Small children and families can also receive these services, if they were affected by terrorism. Typically, after an act of terrorism, even individuals who were not injured but who witnessed the terrorism will be taken to the hospital. This allows immediate psychosocial intervention to be given, if individuals experience acute stress reactions related to the terrorist incident. After three days, individuals who witnessed terrorism are invited to
a debriefing group, due to the radical change of life and perspectives
that they may have experienced after the trauma. According to Ertzman,
there are four goals of the debriefing: a) to encourage talking about
the event; b) to help organize the trauma by focusing on the facts, because
individuals' memories about the terrorism may be fragmented; c) to examine
feelings about the event and symptoms that are being experienced; and
d) to explore how individuals will cope with the trauma, and how traumatic
events were dealt with in the past. The Rehabilitation System for Veterans The vocational rehabilitation for individuals wounded while serving in the Israeli Defense Forces is much more flexible than the civilian system. Cases are never closed; and services are provided to individuals for their lives, which can include medical, psychological, vocational, and independent living types of services. Shalit acknowledged that dependency and demands can result from such an extensive, long term network of support. Yet, many are able and want to return to work. Volunteering is one option presented to individuals who cannot work (e.g., for psychiatric reasons), in order to build confidence and a sense of contribution to one's community. Group homes exist for veterans who cannot or do not want to live alone. Professionals do not run these group homes. Individuals are put on waiting lists for these homes, which reinforces the concept that living in these homes is a privilege and not a given. There are many different kinds of activities, such as art, music, and productive endeavors (e.g., carpentry) at the group homes. Hostels are run for individuals who need more extensive continuous care and support once they leave the hospital (e.g., individuals with head trauma or psychiatric disabilities). As a rehabilitation caseworker, Shalit receives information about the circumstances of the injury from doctors before setting up vocational rehabilitation for veterans who express interest in participating. She states that she continuously examines for the existence of acute stress reactions in her clients, especially among those who experienced physical injuries. Shalit will attempt to intervene therapeutically if she observes acute stress reactions, in order to help prevent these reactions from developing into the long term posttraumatic stress reactions.
Contact address for Erin Martz, Ph.D.: Educational and Counseling Psychology, 16 Hill Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211; email: <erinmartz@hotmail.com>. |
Disability Studies Quarterly (DSQ) is the journal of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS). It is a multidisciplinary and international journal of interest to social scientists, scholars in the humanities and arts, disability rights advocates, and others concerned with the issues of people with disabilities. It represents the full range of methods, epistemologies, perspectives, and content that the field of disability studies embraces. DSQ is committed to developing theoretical and practical knowledge about disability and to promoting the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society. (ISSN: 1041-5718; eISSN: 2159-8371)