For over four decades now, Shmaya aims to rehabilitate hearing impaired and disabled individuals, with a special focus on children. Each year Shmaya treats approximately 500 disabled children – who come mainly from large families from the lower socio-economic spectrum, and hundreds of hearing-impaired adults. Shmaya operates in twelve locations throughout the country, and does not discriminate on the basis of religion, ethnic origin, lifestyle or financial status. The main goal of the organization is to enable every disabled person to live a happy, fulfilling and productive life, despite his/her handicap, and Shmaya operates on many levels to achieve this goal. The children and their families are provided with support and counseling by social workers and psychologists; the organization operates rehabilitative day care centers, nurseries and kindergartens, provides speech therapy, emotions and occupational therapy. We oversee an active and growing career training and mentor program. We operate an assisted communication program, which provides interpreter services to the hearing-impaired public. We are also involved in mainstreaming hearing-impaired children and to this end, we provide teachers and regular school staff with training and guidance. We now have several sheltered residences throughout the country serving at risk and disabled young men and women. All of Shmaya’s programs are recognized by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Welfare, and the municipalities of our various branches. We are a tax-exempt organization in the U.S. and England. www. Shmaya.org.il