Leading as Equals

Leading as Equals - A National Leadership Group for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Who We Are
We are the members of Leading as Equals: people with intellectual and developmental disabilities from across Israel who work together to advance the rights, participation, and influence of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in society.

This is not just a learning group:

This is a leadership group that creates change through action.

We strive to bring the voices of people with disabilities themselves into the places where decisions are made.

We learn about issues that matter to us, discuss real-life experiences, develop clear positions, and then meet with policymakers, government ministries, Knesset committees, professionals, the police, residential service providers, and other public bodies.

In every meeting, we bring firsthand knowledge, personal experience, important questions, and above all, a clear message: people with intellectual and developmental disabilities must be a part of the conversations and decision making that affect their lives.

Over the years, we have addressed key issues such as legal capacity and guardianship laws, employment and vocational training, housing, personal relationships, and community life and recreation. Following our conferences and meetings, we have developed and shared position papers with policymakers that present our needs, rights, recommendations, priorities, and perspectives clearly, respectfully, and decisively.

In 2023, the Leading as Equals group received the prestigious international Zero Project Award, presented at an official ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Our Message

Our message is simple:

Nothing About Us Without Us.

We are here to influence, create change, and promote a society in which people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are full partners in making decisions about their own lives.

*The Leading as Equals Group was established several years ago in partnership with the Beit Issie Shapiro, organization with the generous support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Would You Like to Meet Us?

Companies, organizations, local authorities, educational institutions, public bodies, and professional teams are invited to host members of the Leading as Equals group for a lecture, discussion session or activity on self-advocacy, rights, participation, and the influence of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on and in society.

During these sessions, we share our personal stories, present the group’s work, discuss the challenges we encounter, and offer a different way of thinking about decision-making: one that begins simply