This seminar was held in collaboration with the Haruv Institute. The lectures dealt with risk factors and tools to identify and report cases of child abuse and of people with disabilities in secular, religious, and ultra-Orthodox sectors of society.
On Monday, September 26th, 2016, a seminar was held in the Department of Communication Disorders on "Violence and abuse against people with disabilities." The seminar was held in collaboration with the Haruv Institute, Israel's leading training and research center and one of the preeminent institutions worldwide in the area of child abuse and neglect. The lectures dealt with risk factors and tools for identifying and reporting cases of child abuse and of people with disabilities in the secular, religious, and ultra-Orthodox sectors.

Special emphasis was placed on giving testimony. Particular importance was given to dialogue with parents in cases of suspicion of abuse. A lecture on this subject was given by two presenters from the “Meser” organization – The National Center for Medical Simulation.

The seminar was open to faculty, staff, and teachers from the Department of Communication Disorders. They participated in a variety of scenarios whereby actors played the part of parents and the participating faculty played the role of people receiving treatment. Each scenario was then analyzed by the seminar lecturer.
At the close of the seminar, all felt that some light had been shed on this important social issue. The lectures raised the participants' awareness of physical and emotional abuse against people with disabilities, and the challenges involved in identifying these people, in understanding their situation, and assisting them.

Actors of the “Meser” Center play the role of parents. Each photo represents a different type of parent and a different parenting style. The speech therapists play the role of caregivers.