Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities

In 1998, Israel enacted a law that states as a principle that “the rights of people with disabilities and the commitment of Israeli society to these rights are based on the recognition of the principle of equality, on the recognition of the value of the human person created in his image, and on the principle of human dignity.”

The purpose of the law is to “protect the dignity and freedom of a person with a disability, and to establish his right to equal and active participation in society in all areas of life, as well as to provide an appropriate response to his special needs in a way that will allow him to live his life with maximum independence, privacy and dignity, while maximizing his full potential.”

The law has several chapters and addresses the following issues:
*Employment
*Public transportation services
*Accessibility of public places and public services
*Accessibility of health services and public places where health services are provided
*Accessibility of educational institutions, educational services and education.
*Insurance
*Emergency services
*Accessibility licensees and accessibility coordinators

In the draft law, regulations were amended that seek to regulate 3 main areas:
*Accessibility of the built environment – which refers to the physical environment: access to buildings, parking for the disabled, accessible play facilities, etc.
*Service accessibility – which refers to all non-physical aspects: how to receive the service, signage, employee training, additional accessibility areas – such as accessibility in education, accessibility in transportation, accessibility in times of emergency, etc.

Within the framework of the law, timetables were set for the implementation of the accessibility regulations. Among other things, it was determined that starting in 2014, the granting of a business license will be conditional on compliance with accessibility conditions.

In order to determine whether a building, website or a particular service complies with the accessibility regulations, the law defines who are the people authorized to grant approval.
These people are accessibility licensees. Professionals who have passed a unique certification in the relevant field. There are environmental accessibility licensees and service accessibility licensees. Only these people are authorized to determine whether the conditions of the accessibility regulations have been met.

In the service providers area, you can find details of companies that assist in finding accessibility solutions.

In the products area in the accessible environment category, you can find solutions that enable accessibility for Buildings: such as ramps, stair climbing solutions and environmental control solutions.