"Transparent Disabled" in Israel

Jerusalem, Israel, July 9, 2025: In Israel, many disabled people face big challenges, especially those called transparent disabled. These individuals, like Assaf Benyamini, a 52-year-old from Jerusalem's Kiryat Menachem neighborhood, have serious conditions such as mental health issues, nerve problems, and ongoing illnesses. These conditions are not easy to see, unlike disabilities that need a wheelchair. This makes it hard for them to get fair treatment, navigate complex systems, and avoid being ignored by society.

Benyamini joined the Nitgaber (We Will Overcome) movement in July 2018 to fight for transparent disabled people. He has conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizo-affective disorder, psoriatic arthritis, and back pain. Tatyana Kaduchkin, who leads the movement, says about 500 people like Benyamini in Israel struggle to get enough help. They get smaller disability payments, cannot access special services, and are left off public housing lists.

Kaduchkin told Channel 7, "They are hungry for bread." Her research shows many transparent disabled people face high suicide risks because they get little money from the National Insurance Institute. They also miss out on benefits like mobility or escort allowances, which people with visible disabilities get more easily. Benyamini lives on a small disability payment and cannot afford medical care or basic needs like glasses, which cost him 7,686 New Israeli Shekels in February 2025.

Benyamini's experiences show how hard it is to deal with Israel's systems. In a January 21, 2025 letter to the Ministry of Health, he shared a frustrating issue with Clalit Health Services. A clerk told him he needed approval from an unknown center for medical imaging, causing delays and stress. Benyamini called this "wretched and outrageous conduct." He also tried to get a refund for glasses through the Tami Maizlik Law Firm, but the process was complex and hard to access.

Beyond healthcare, accessibility is a problem. In 2020, Benyamini sued the Israel Hayom newspaper. He was hired to hand out newspapers at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital but had to stand for three hours, which he could not do because of his health. This broke Israel's right-to-work-while-sitting law, passed by former Knesset member Shelly Yechimovich. After a tough legal fight with barriers like an uncooperative lawyer, Benyamini settled for just 3,000 New Israeli Shekels, far less than the 78,000 the law allows. He believes Judge Daniel Goldberg favored the newspaper, showing bias against small claims.

Loneliness is another big issue. Benyamini's document notes that some people, often without family, are cut off from society for months or years. He suggests an AI system to find people in distress online, like those searching for ways to end their lives, and connect them with help. He also has ideas for software to make technology easier for dementia patients and a platform for business owners to report crime safely. These ideas are hard to start because Benyamini has little money, no technical skills, and cannot travel far without a car or license. He tried contacting groups like the Michal Sela Forum and even Thailand's Prime Minister Paethongtarn Shinawatra, but got limited responses due to language or technical issues.

Many disabled people in Israel face similar problems. Kaduchkin has tried talking to Knesset members, but those with power often do not listen. The Nitgaber movement keeps pushing for fair benefits and housing access, warning that protests may happen if things do not change. Benyamini's story and the movement's work show a strong need for better systems to support all disabled people.

Israel must act to ensure fair treatment, easy access to healthcare, and enough money for all disabled citizens, whether their conditions are visible or not.