Abstract of V. Zilka lecture

AN EXAMPLE OF A COALITION OF ORGANIZATIONS WORKING

TO INFLUENCE POLICIES AND LEGISLATION

V. Zilka, I. Aviv

Beit Issie Shapiro, Israel

The Forum of Organizations and Parents for Children with Disabilities

brings together organizations and parents from various sectors

throughout the country. The forum is a collation of more than 60

organizations that work towards improving the lives of children with

disabilities and their families through influencing legislation and social

policies. The forum organizations have taken it upon themselves to

work in several areas: ensuring that children with disabilities and their

families are entitled to disabled child benefits from the National

Insurance to acquire help, treatment, and an educational framework;

ensuring that rehabilitative day care is available for any child who

requires it; ensuring that all children who can benefit from being

integrated into regular day care are given the opportunity. The forum

has also allocated issues that will be dealt with in the future. The

forum is headed by two professional women: an attorney and a

community social worker. A working model will be presented that is

suitable to multi-organizational coalitions that operate as a power of

influence upon decision-makers in the Knesset and government

offices. Critical aspects of the coalition's operation will be discussed,

such as establishing trust in the forum on the part of decision makers

in a manner that has made the forum influential in decision-making

processes. The presentation will raise some of the main dilemmas that

we have dealt with in work processes during the past few years, as

well as analyzing cases in which the forum succeeded in motivating

legislation processes and influencing policy. During the convention we

will also present findings regarding the influence of existing legislation

and their application in everyday reality.