Voices That Connect: From the Individual to the Wider Community

Coordinators from the Re’im Program, together with the program’s national director and district facilitators, recently gathered at the NINA Center in Herzliya for the program’s annual professional development conference.

Re’im operates social belonging groups for teenagers and adults on the autism spectrum and people with complex learning disabilities. Through professionally facilitated group activities, the program creates opportunities to develop social relationships, strengthen personal identity and build a sense of belonging within the community.

Throughout the conference, participants moved from personal experiences to group perspectives, from the group to the community and from stories emerging in individual Re’im groups to the broader story of the program. Voices from the field brought to life people, communities and experiences from across the country.

A central part of the conference focused on complex learning disabilities, an issue that is increasingly relevant to many Re’im groups. The day opened with a lecture by Dr. Orly Toren, a lecturer and coach who works with people with attention deficit disorders throughout the different stages of life. She is also the mother of a son with complex learning disabilities.

Drawing on both her personal and professional experience, Dr. Toren discussed the complexity of diagnostic processes and the challenges individuals and families face in their daily lives. She also provided coordinators with practical tools for identifying participants’ needs and developing appropriate, individualized responses.

The program continued with three short, TED-style presentations by Re’im coordinators, each sharing stories and perspectives from a different group. The speakers included Yehuda, coordinator of the Haredi group in Bnei Brak; Alon Hershkowitz, coordinator of the LGBTQ+ group; and Pua Lasri, coordinator of the Mateh Asher group. Each presentation opened a window into a different community and the unique world it represents.

The conference concluded with a moving and insightful presentation by Nevet Mazor, an autistic filmmaker with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in film and the creator of the Kan 11 documentary series Game Changer.

Mazor shared his personal journey—from years of struggling to form social relationships and requiring extensive support, to standing on stage today and speaking openly, humorously and thoughtfully about his life, the relationships he has built and the ways in which his journey continues to evolve.

The conference also featured Feeling at Home, a photography exhibition created by members of the Re’im group in Misgav. The exhibition explored the meaning of “home,” both as a physical place and as an experience of connection and belonging.

Working with photographer Sharon Kotler, the participants examined what home means to each of them and expressed their perspectives through photography and personal responses to a series of questions.