11 soldiers with developmental disabilities ranging from Down Syndrome to autism to cognitive delays were sworn into the IDF this week, the Jerusalem Post reports.
The 10 young men and one woman were all graduates of the Yuvalim special needs school in Ramle.
Mendi Belinitzky, CEO of Special in Uniform, an initiative to incorporate young people with disabilities into the IDF, said there are 320 soldiers with special needs currently serving at 22 bases.
While the 11 soldiers will live at home, Belinitzky said they will arrive at a base in Ramle each morning to help prepare food and assist with basic tasks.
“They happily do everything that the soldiers don’t like to do, and we don’t even have to ask them,” he said. “They have more motivation than other soldiers and don’t want to go home.”
{Matzav.com Israel News}
