Organization
Access Israel
Israel's leading accessibility non-profit, founded in 1999 by wheelchair user Yuval Wagner, promoting inclusion for persons with disabilities across physical, digital, social, and legal domains. Access Israel conducts professional audits, legal advocacy, and nationwide awareness campaigns.
About
Access Israel was founded in 1999 by Yuval Wagner, a former Israeli Air Force helicopter pilot who became quadriplegic following a crash in 1987. Motivated by personal experience of navigating an inaccessible world, Wagner established Access Israel to drive systemic change in how Israeli society accommodates people with disabilities and the elderly. The organization has become Israel's primary non-governmental force for disability inclusion.
What They Do
Access Israel conducts professional accessibility audits for businesses, public institutions, and digital products; operates a national accessibility complaint center; delivers sign language and accessibility training courses; and organizes major public awareness events. The organization actively lobbies for strengthened accessibility legislation and monitors compliance with Israeli disability rights law. Access Israel also runs school-based inclusion programs and produces accessible tourism resources for visitors with disabilities.
Who They Serve
Access Israel serves the full spectrum of people with disabilities — physical, sensory, cognitive, and psychiatric — as well as older adults and anyone facing accessibility barriers in Israel. The organization explicitly focuses on peripheral geographic areas, not just major cities, to ensure more equitable national reach. Through legal and policy advocacy, Access Israel's work ultimately benefits all of Israel's approximately 1.5 million residents who live with a disability.
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