Hillel was established in Jerusalem, Israel in 1986 by a group of concerned parents to support each other with the serious difficulties we faced when our children were diagnosed with learning disabilities. We received the diagnosis which many of us had to pay for privately, but little or no information or services from the school system was forthcoming. We heard from teachers that our children were "lazy" or "immature" and "if they really tried harder they could succeed."

The situation has improved greatly in Israel today since we began our efforts but we parents know just how far we have still to go in order to provide equal educational opportunities for all children with learning disabilities. There is still widespread ignorance of learning disabilities among teachers and other professionals, as well as parents who may not have access to information as readily as others. Many children are still unidentified, misunderstood, and forced to struggle with repeated school failure and social rejection.

Children with learning disabilities often find themselves in overcrowded classrooms where many times the teacher is unaware that the child has a problem, and where services for our children are not available. We parents find that we have to inform the teachers, updating them about the most recent assessment of our child, not only suggesting tips to lighten the heavy homework burden, but also recommending alternative testing conditions. For our older children we must become familiar with critical "bagrut" testing conditions which have to conform to the child's assessment recommendations as well as to the various testing options available in each subject.

Therefore Hillel's main goal is to educate parents so that we all become well-informed advocates and better spokespersons for our children's rights. We are the key factor in our children's education and future.

Join us in our effects. Your support for Hillel makes you a supporter of good education, and an advocate for a better childhood and adolescence for children with learning disabilities. Together we can make a difference!