It's not every day that you see people rappelling and omega-lining down the thick stone walls of Jerusalem's Old City - and certainly not in wheelchairs. But to mark InternationalDisability Awareness Month in December, ordinary folks with disabilities did exactly that, along with disabled athletes and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.
The daredevil event was sponsored by Israel's National Insurance Institute (NII) in partnership with Etgarim (Challenges), a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 by a group of disabled IDF veterans, disabled civilians and rehabilitation professionals.
Barkat's rappelling buddy was Nati Gruber, 42, who represented Israel at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics in hand cycling and expects to compete in the London Games this summer. "Every day, my goal is to bring to the public a realization that people who are different can be just like the person next door - or even better," says Gruber.
Yossi Heyman, director general of the Jerusalem Municipality, said the unusual foray into "snappelling" (the Israeli term for rappelling) demonstrated "the triumph of the spirit over the body" and that "the impossible is indeed possible."
Gruber says he'd never tried it before. Since he has partial use of his right leg, "it was a little difficult but not too much." He did not have to be persuaded to try. "I agreed right away because I believe in the cause," he says. "The crowd was very excited to see all of us. It was a special event to highlight Jerusalem as a city accessible to the handicapped."
Mayor Barkat said: "The city is constantly changing and growing, and the municipality feels committed to making the city's buildings, gardens and streets accessible to its entire population so that all people can use and enjoy public property."
Pushing the envelope of the possible
Under CEO Dafna Harary, Etgarim helps people with physical, sensory and mentaldisabilities to strengthen their self-confidence, maximize and realize their potential through challenging sports and outdoor activities. About 4,500 children and 700 adults participate in Etgarim activities at 240 venues throughout Israel.
About three years ago, Harary asked her former commander, Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, to chair Etgarim. "We believe we should give equal chances to everyone regardless of external problems, and we are working with the relevant ministries in Israel and with most of the municipalities," says Halutz in a telephone interview.
"The event in Jerusalem was a kind of symbol, but of course it's not only a symbol, that those people can do everything once you give them the chance. We thought that together with the mayor, who supports us very much, it would be very impressive to see these kids and teens and adults do snappelling and omega activities over the wall of Jaffa Gate."
Halutz explains that omega involves sliding down a cable connected to high and low points such as trees, while holding two handles. "You can either hang by your arms or sit in a wheelchair," he says. "The idea is that Jerusalem is the center of everything, and accessibility to people with disabilities is very important so anyone can travel anywhere and do everything. It was a kind of a demonstration that nothing is beyond achievable."
New initiatives for the disabled in Jerusalem
Halutz says the municipality and Education Ministry help Etgarim identify where its services are most needed. "We come with our instructors and equipment, not ad-hoc but fully coordinated with the annual educational syllabus," he says. "All these extreme sports are done outdoors. Besides rappelling and omega, we offer also sailing, biking, diving and parachuting. We are active all over the country, regardless of race, religion or gender - Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze. Unfortunately, we can't cover everyone who needs us for budgetary reasons. But we do our best."
NII director general Esther Dominissini, said: "Our aim is to create a genuine social change, leading to a situation in which disabled people become a part of society while focusing on the integration of disabled people in the fields of employment, education, sports and leisure activities." The NII, in collaboration with the Jerusalem Development Authority, has allocated NIS 5 million to make central sites in the Old City accessible to disabled people. Another NIS 3 million was allocated for the project in cooperation with the Jerusalem municipality.
Through its Fund for Development of Services for People with Disabilities, the NII also donated NIS 1 million to Etgarim to purchase adapted extreme sports equipment including a tandem bike designated for the blind, rappelling equipment and special wheelchairs for rugged terrain.
