Israel Sports Center for the Disabled
Encyclopedia
The Israel Sports Center for the Disabled (ISCD) is an Israeli
institution operated by ILAN
aimed at rehabilitation of the physically challenged.
, Israeli citizens injured during their military service with the IDF
, victims of car accident
s and terrorist attacks and others suffering from disabilities.
During its first years the ISCD was used by 200 active sportsmen, while in 2007 it was used by approximately 80% of the disabled in Israel. It also has the highest percentage, internationally, of physically challenged children. Its current 2,000 members are active in approximately 20 sport fields, mostly in wheelchair
s. Today, the center houses a wide variety of sport fields: Swimming
, wheelchair basketball
, wheelchair soccer
, table tennis
, wheelchair tennis
, wheelchair athletics
and tricycle
races. It also houses a gym
, private sport sessions and classes of hydrotherapy
and paramedical care.
Members of the ISCD take part, since its establishment, in the Stoke Mandeville Games and the Paralympic Games
. Their achievements gained Israel a reputation in the field of rehabilitation. The wheelchair basketball team of the center had so far won two paralympic gold medals, two world championships and three European championships.
The center was used for hosting the 1968 Summer Paralympics
. Nowadays, it is also a social meeting place for its members and houses different programs of yoga
and wheelchair dancing. On its premises is also a kindergarten
for disabled children of 3 - 7.
The administrative staff of the ISCD includes its director, Jacob Ben-Arie
, a gold medal winning paralympic champion, and head coach Baruch Hagai
, a paralympic champion and winner of the 2001 Israel Prize
in sports.
The ISCD is sponsored by donations in Israel and worldwide, with only 1% of its budget subsidized by the state. ISCD Friends organizations are found in the United States and the United Kingdom
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
institution operated by ILAN
Ilan
Ilan may refer to:* Eli Ilan , an Israeli sculptor* Ilan, a town in Taiwan*Ilan Berman, Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council* Ilan Araujo Dall'Igna, a Brazilian footballer* Ilan Eshkeri, a British music composer...
aimed at rehabilitation of the physically challenged.
History
The ISCD was established in 1960 in Ramat Gan by ILAN activist Betty Dubiner. It was first of its kind in Israel and one of the few operating at the time worldwide. In its early years, the center was mostly used by Polio virus victims. In later years it was adjusted to serve those suffering form Cerebral palsyCerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
, Israeli citizens injured during their military service with the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
, victims of car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
s and terrorist attacks and others suffering from disabilities.
During its first years the ISCD was used by 200 active sportsmen, while in 2007 it was used by approximately 80% of the disabled in Israel. It also has the highest percentage, internationally, of physically challenged children. Its current 2,000 members are active in approximately 20 sport fields, mostly in wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
s. Today, the center houses a wide variety of sport fields: Swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole...
, wheelchair soccer
Wheelchair soccer
-Powerchair Football/Power Soccer: Powerchair Football is not the first competitive team who use power. There have been many others such as Power Hockey. It is played in numerous countries around the world: France, Belgium, England, Denmark, Portugal, Japan, United States, Canada, Turkey, South...
, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, wheelchair tennis
Wheelchair Tennis
Wheelchair tennis is one of the forms of tennis adapted for those who have disabilities in their lower bodies. The size of courts, balls, and rackets are same, but there are two major differences from pedestrian tennis; they use specially designed wheelchairs and the ball may bounce up to two times...
, wheelchair athletics
Wheelchair racing
Wheelchair racing is the racing of wheelchairs in track and road races. Wheelchair racing is open to athletes with any qualifying type of disability, amputees, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and partially sighted . Athletes are classified in accordance with the nature and severity of their...
and tricycle
Tricycle
A tricycle is a three-wheeled vehicle. While tricycles are often associated with the small three-wheeled vehicles used by pre-school-age children, they are also used by adults for a variety of purposes. In the United States and Canada, adult-sized tricycles are used primarily by older persons for...
races. It also houses a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, private sport sessions and classes of hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...
and paramedical care.
Members of the ISCD take part, since its establishment, in the Stoke Mandeville Games and the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
. Their achievements gained Israel a reputation in the field of rehabilitation. The wheelchair basketball team of the center had so far won two paralympic gold medals, two world championships and three European championships.
The center was used for hosting the 1968 Summer Paralympics
1968 Summer Paralympics
The 1968 Summer Paralympics were the third Paralympic Games to be held. Organised under the guidance of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation , they were known as the 17th International Stoke Mandeville Games at the time...
. Nowadays, it is also a social meeting place for its members and houses different programs of yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and wheelchair dancing. On its premises is also a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
for disabled children of 3 - 7.
The administrative staff of the ISCD includes its director, Jacob Ben-Arie
Jacob Ben-Arie
Jacob Ben-Arie is a former Israeli paralympic champion.Ben-Arie was born in 1950 in Kibbutz Na'an, grandson of Yerachmiel Tzimbal. Shortly after he was born the family moved to live in Kibbutz Gesher, where he was affected by polio in 1952...
, a gold medal winning paralympic champion, and head coach Baruch Hagai
Baruch Hagai
Baruch Hagai is an Israeli paralympic champion.-Early life:Hagai was born in Tripoli, Libya, to a family of 13. At the age of two he contracted polio, and five years later his family made aliyah to Israel. The family settled in Tel Aviv, where Hagai was treated for polio in Israel for the first time...
, a paralympic champion and winner of the 2001 Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
in sports.
The ISCD is sponsored by donations in Israel and worldwide, with only 1% of its budget subsidized by the state. ISCD Friends organizations are found in the United States and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.