Special needs at the Tower of David

The place was teeming with kids and parents when I made it over to the Tower of David last week. Mind you, it was the day before Purim. More importantly, the iconic museum space was hosting a singular event for children with special needs and their families. I was met by Rose Ginosar, the museum's American-born director of resource development, who explained where the idea came from for making the facility, and others around the country, more amenable and accessible to special-needs kids. “We had been at a conference last year, a museum conference, and we met with representatives of the Royal Academy [of Arts in London]. They were talking about special-needs programs they have for kids, and they found there was such a huge need for it.” It rang a bell. “We have lots of special- needs programs for the educational system, kids in classrooms and that kind of stuff, but we really don't have anything, and no one in Israel has anything, just for families,” says Ginosar, noting that it is not just about the youngsters in question but also about the people around them. “You have a kid with special needs, but you also have three other children [in the family]. So going to a museum becomes a major operation.” In fact that can be downright undoable. “It's hard for the families,” Ginosar continues. “No. 1, it's hard for the children, but it's also hard because of the logistics.” It seems that museums, and public cultural areas in general, are simply not special-needs-friendly. “It's crowded and the kids can be under stress because of the crowds. They can behave what we call 'inappropriately' and, of course, the other children can become embarrassed.” With that in mind, it made perfect sense to obviate decorum-related problems by allowing special-needs children and their families free rein of the place. “We thought it would be nice if we would have a time when everyone in the family – the ones with special needs and the others – could come here without the crowds, without the pressure. If someone makes noise, nobody really cares; if someone needs a timeout, we have a special room, a quiet room. If it gets too much for someone and they want to lie down, they can do that in the quiet room. Nothing is structured, and it is a family time.” Judging by the energy levels around me at the Tower of David last week, the plan seems to be eminently practicable. We passed by a clown who was purposely putting on a shoddy juggling act, which helped to keep the kids entertained in a laid-back manner. The proof of the pudding was not long in coming. “As soon as we put it out there, we had all these families coming back to us saying that was exactly what they needed,” notes Ginosar. “And there's nothing like this in Israel.” There are more plans in the pipeline for special-needs children and their families. “We had a nine-station program for Purim and we'll set up something else for Passover,” explains Eilat Lieber, the director of the Tower of David. “We want the events to be varied.” The idea is not only to accommodate children with special needs but also to tailor the museum's offerings so that the kids can get down and dirty and get into some hands-on activities. “We will consult professionals who will tell us how to build our programs. They will advise on what is suitable for the children, how long they stay focused, how long they should be allowed to run free, and that sort of thing,” Lieber continues. Of course, the Tower of David is a prominent cultural institution in this country and is known across the globe, and Lieber and the rest of the staff are hoping that the message of their latest welcome and sorely needed initiative will spread far and wide. “Looking at the wider picture, this program makes the Tower of David a leader in the field,” says Lieber. “We want the museum to be part of the community, and for other museums and institutions outside Jerusalem to look at catering for special-needs children.” Lieber, Ginosar, et al. say they want to make as much of the museum and the surrounding facilities as accessible as possible to everyone, regardless of the challenges involved. “We are going to install an elevator, with a special lift, so that children with physical disabilities can go up to the top of the [Old City] walls,” says Ginosar. “Of course they won't be able to roam all along the walls, but at least they will be able to get up there and look down at the surrounding area. That will be exciting for them, I'm sure.” The resource development honcho feels the across-the-board user-friendly ethos is a given. “We get people coming here from all over the world, including Jews, Christians and Muslims and ultra-Orthodox Jews, and we thought, hold on, there is another group we need to bring here,” says Ginosar, referring to special-needs children. “That's part of our mission. It's a no-brainer.” Beth Steinberg is one of the driving forces behind the new initiative and, along with Miriam Avraham, founded the Shutaf Inclusion Programs organization, which provides a wide range of services to children, teens and young people with disabilities. The organization's website spells out its mission as offering these services to all the above, “regardless of labels and perceived functioning differences, while inspiring and educating others towards the acceptance and inclusion of all members of the community.” The latter part of that mission statement certainly suits the Tower of David mind-set. Steinberg and Avraham both have children with special needs and got together shortly after Steinberg made aliya from New York, in 2006. “One day I was with Miriam and two other parents [with special- needs children],” Steinberg says, “and I asked them what they do in the summer, and they said summer is a catastrophe. But it had been a catastrophe in New York, too.” Both Steinberg and Avraham came from a summer-camp background and the two soon set about exploring that means of keeping their and others' kids gainfully occupied during the long school recess. They started off with a modest program at Ein Yael, with 10 children, which was so successful that the following summer the number quadrupled. This summer's activities will cater to around 115 youngsters. Shutaf became involved in the Tower of David move after the museum's public relations director, Caroline Shapiro, called Steinberg and asked her what she thought about setting up a program for families with kids with disabilities. “I said that sounds great. I don't go to the museum. I love the idea,” Steinberg recalls. “I didn't go because I thought, What happens if my kids makes a noise? My son is now older and he could comply with, let's say, expected behavioral patterns. But museums aren't exactly designed for people who might take in information more slowly, or the museums are hard to get around, the signage is small, they are not so great for the elderly, let alone for a person with visual or any sensory disability.” Now, Steinberg's son can enjoy most of what the Tower of David has to offer to all and sundry. But, Steinberg is keen to point out, it's not only about the young person with challenges, it is about offering the whole family opportunities to take part in activities which, until now, have been logistically off the radar. “When a family can go together, that's really important,” says the Shutaf executive director. “That's a family doing stuff together, which they need to do. This program has been well planned. The Tower of David took great care to educate their staff, with Shutaf's help, to think out the activities they were doing. The idea is to think about how every family can have a successful outing here. I have very high hopes for this program. It's a great start.” One looks forward to other cultural institutions around the country following the Tower of David lead. For more information about the Tower of David's programs: *2884 and www.tod.org.il

Special needs at the Tower of David

One looks forward to other cultural institutions around the country following the Tower of David lead.

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Special needs at the Tower of David

One looks forward to other cultural institutions around the country following the Tower of David lead.

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