Background
People with disabilities in Israel face significant barriers in realizing their rights and fully integrating into society. This is all the more so among people with disabilities in the Arab population, which is the result of two factors: (1) they are part of a minority group, which is characterized by a lower socio-economic status than the Jewish population, a scarcity of public services, and a lack of physical and linguistic accessibility to existing services; and (2) the fact that they have a disability. When seeking services, people with disabilities in the Arab population face various types of barriers at the system, community, and individual levels, and in general they tend to integrate less into various life domains relative to people with disabilities in the Jewish population. Currently, there is a lack of information regarding the services consumed by people with disabilities in the Arab population, making it impossible to determine which services are being utilized and which still need to be developed so that people with disabilities in the Arab population can realize their rights and full potential.
Objectives
This study provided an updated overview of the number and characteristics of people with disabilities in the Arab population. It also examined the consumption of services among people with disabilities in the Arab population and expanded the knowledge and understanding of this issue in three key areas:
- Patterns of service consumption by people with disabilities in the Arab population in the fields of health, welfare, education (at all levels), employment, rights realization, leisure, and emergency services. The study also addressed the level of independence and digital literacy among people with disabilities in the Arab population, the family and community support for individuals, and the unique situation of women with disabilities in the Arab population.
- Barriers that hinder service consumption and the realization of rights for people with disabilities in the Arab population.
- Needs of people with disabilities in the Arab population that are not being met by the current services provided in Israel and which require the development of new services.
Methods
- Literature Review: This included academic articles, grey literature such as research reports and policy papers, the websites of government ministries and service providers, etc.
- Interviews with the target audience and key figures, including adults with disabilities in the Arab population (n = 15), parents of children with disabilities (n = 24), and professionals in various service areas (n = 65).
- Analysis of administrative data provided by 11 institutional bodies.
- Secondary analysis of survey data from representative samples of the Israeli population, including Arabs with disabilities:
- Population Survey on the Level of Service and Healthcare System Performance conducted by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute in 2022.
- The Social Survey carried out by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics in 2021.
- Personal Security Survey carried out by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics in 2022.
Main Findings
People with disabilities in the Arab population suffer from double exclusion: due to both their minority status and their status as people with disabilities. Most of the data presented in the report indicate that the situation of people with disabilities in the Arab population is worse than that of people without disabilities in the Arab population and that of people with disabilities in the Jewish population. This is particularly the case among people with disabilities in the Bedouin population in the Negev who are even worse off. Women with disabilities in the Arab population and in the Bedouin population in the Negev suffer from triple exclusion because they belong to a minority group, because they are women, and because they have a disability. Their circumstances in various domains, such as employment, education, and family status, are worse than those of men with disabilities in the Arab population and in the Bedouin population in the Negev.
The study also found that the proportion of people who are recognized by the state authorities as having disabilities in the Arab population is slightly lower than that in the Jewish population (12% vs. 13%). However, self-reporting, which includes also those who are not recognized by the state, shows the reverse trend, namely that the proportion of people with disabilities in the Arab population is actually slightly higher than in the Jewish population (21% vs. 19%). There are also differences in the prevalence of types of disabilities between the Arab and Jewish populations: a higher rate of “visible” disabilities in the Arab population (such as a physical disability and visual impairment) and a higher rate of “invisible” disabilities (such as autism and a mental health disability) in the Jewish population. It was also found that people with disabilities in the Arab population consume fewer services than those in the Jewish population, including disability allowances, welfare services from the Disability Administration, health services including mental health, services for children with disabilities, education, higher education, employment, leisure, emergency services, and digital services.
Three types of barriers hinder service consumption: barriers related to the manpower providing the services, availability and accessibility barriers, and socio-cultural barriers related to the individual and the community. The research also highlighted difficulties stemming from the limited independence of people with disabilities in the Arab population, the loneliness they report, and reactions of shame and concealment.
Recommendations
- Increase awareness of the rights and services available to people with disabilities and their families in various ways.
- Encourage young people from the Arab and Bedouin populations in the Negev to pursue higher education in professions that provide services to people with disabilities in the fields of health, education, and welfare.
- Improve the ability to identify and diagnose disabilities in the Arab population by, for example, developing a system for detection starting from a very young age (even before six months) at Mother and Baby clinics and daycare centers, and later on in schools.
- Develop a program to promote physical accessibility in Arab localities, including within public buildings and on sidewalks, and add parking spaces for the disabled in city centers while strictly enforcing parking laws.
- Develop new programs to encourage the integration of people with disabilities in the Arab population into higher education, employment, and recreation; develop sexual-social care services and matchmaking mediation services, as well as culturally adapted residential facilities; develop support and emotional guidance programs for parents in various situations and mental support programs that combine innovative approaches and religious perspectives; develop programs to promote digital literacy among people with disabilities and their families and programs to empower women with disabilities; develop training programs for educational staff so that they are able to better deal with children with disabilities; and promote emergency preparedness in the Arab population with regards to people with disabilities.
Citing suggestion: Hercowitz-Amir, A., Guedj, N., Ayali, T., & Barlev, L. (2024). People with Disabilities in the Arab Population in Israel. RR-006-24. Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. (Hebrew)