By JLNJ Staff | February 04, 2021
(Courtesy of Special in Uniform) Twenty-six percent of adults in the United States live with a disability, and according to the Centers for Disease Control, “Including people with disabilities in everyday activities and encouraging them to have roles similar to their peers who do not have a disability … involves more than simply encouraging people; it requires making sure that adequate policies and practices are in effect in a community or organization.”
A program that is quickly gaining the attention of U.S. officials is Jewish National Fund-USA’s Special in Uniform, an innovative program that integrates young people with autism and other disabilities into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and, in turn, into Israeli society. After their service, Special in Uniform helps usher its graduates toward a self-sufficient life, through employment or other meaningful societal involvement, once they are discharged from the army.