Michal Rimon Archives

Originally appeared in jns.org, March 19, 2026

Home Front Command and “purple” initiatives help vulnerable populations access shelters, information and essential services.

As Iranian and Hezbollah missile attacks continue across Israel, people with disabilities and the elderly face unique and often overlooked challenges—from reaching shelters in time to coping with overstimulating environments once inside.

In response, the Home Front Command and a range of civil society initiatives are working to ensure that vulnerable populations remain safe, informed and supported.

For many, the obstacles are immediate and practical. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may not hear warning sirens. Those with mobility impairments may struggle to access shelters. People with autism can find crowded, noisy spaces overwhelming.

“The most important thing is planning ahead and knowing the safest place,” said Tami Durst, the Home Front Command’s professional academic officer and desk commander for people with disabilities. “It is proven that following the guidelines and getting to a shelter on time saves lives.”

The Home Front Command has adapted its emergency guidance to reach diverse populations, offering materials in multiple languages, including English, Russian and Amharic, and tailoring content for different disabilities.

Services include sign-language training videos with subtitles, phone alerts using repeated vibrations or flashing lights for those who are deaf, and simplified, illustrated materials for people with intellectual disabilities.

“Booklets have illustrations and simply explain things such as what a missile is,” Durst said.

The agency conducts daily Zoom sessions for people with disabilities, partnering with organizations such as ALUT (autism), Elwyn (multiple disabilities) and Migdal Or (visual impairments).

In Israel, families can call 104 for assistance or request group briefings.

**Shavvim volunteers operating the Purple Hotline, March 2026. Credit: Shavvim.**

Nonprofits play key role

Beyond government efforts, nonprofit organizations are playing a critical role.

Access Israel estimates that roughly 25% of Israel’s population—about 2.6 million people—are individuals with disabilities or older adults who may need assistance during emergencies.

Shavvim, an advocacy and media platform focused on disability issues, estimates that more than 1.6 million Israelis live with disabilities, a number that has risen sharply since Oct. 7, 2023, due to injuries and trauma.

Both groups operate initiatives known as “purple” campaigns, a reference to the color associated with International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Access Israel’s Purple Vest Mission mobilizes trained volunteers to assist individuals in reaching accessible shelters, relocating to protected housing when necessary and obtaining essential supplies during prolonged emergencies.

“Emergencies do not affect everyone equally,” said Michal Rimon, founder of the Purple Vest Mission and CEO of Access Israel. “For people with disabilities and older adults, it takes more time to reach safety; even a few seconds can mean the difference between safety and tragedy.”

Jamie Lassner, executive director of Accessibility Accelerator and a volunteer with the initiative, said the program’s impact lies in preparation.

“They understand accessibility, they understand disability, and they act with urgency, compassion and dignity,” she said. “That preparation is no longer theoretical. It is saving lives.”

Shavvim operates a “Purple Hotline,” offering emergency assistance and rights-based support for people with disabilities and their families.

The hotline grew out of an operations center established after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, fielding calls from individuals unable to reach shelters, access medication or evacuate safely. It also assisted newly injured reservists in navigating rehabilitation systems and the families of children with complex needs.

“We received calls from wheelchair users who couldn’t get to a safe room, from people needing food or medicine, and from parents struggling to care for children with special needs during constant alerts,” said Idan Motola, founder and CEO of Shavvim.

The hotline, relaunched on March 1 after a previous pause, has assisted more than 4,500 people to date. Among its efforts, volunteers distributed hundreds of tablets to children with autism spending extended periods in shelters.

Motola said hotline operators were called, inter alia, by families without protected spaces and from those unable to obtain medication or food, calls from parents of children with complex needs who could not evacuate safely, and from newly injured reservists encountering Israel’s rehabilitation and welfare systems for the first time.

“We received calls from wheelchair users who couldn’t get to a safe room or shelter, and from people with food requests, those with husbands on reserve duty, those needing to buy medicine and people needing help babysitting kids while they ran an errand. We also got requests for tablets for families of children with autism spending a lot of time in the shelter. We gave out 250!”

Shirly Pinto Kadosh, Israel’s first deaf member of Knesset and a longtime advocate for accessibility, said the initiative addresses critical gaps.

“People with disabilities in Israel still face dangerous barriers during war and daily life alike,” she said. “The Purple Hotline is meant to ensure that no one is left alone when systems become impossible to navigate.”

As the war continues, organizers said the goal is not only to respond to immediate needs but to build lasting systems of support that extend beyond times of crisis.

The Israeli pavilion at the Expo 2020 offers the experience of being a disabled person in an urban environment.

Access Israel is well known in Israel for its disability awareness work and advocacy efforts on behalf of people with disabilities.

Last week, a delegation of leaders from Access Israel took their message and their “urban obstacle course” on the road to Dubai. Visitors to the Israel pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai had an opportunity to experience what it is like to navigate an urban environment in a wheelchair or as a blind or visually impaired person.

Access Israel, an NGO established in Israel in 1999, also marked December 3 the International Day of “People of Determination” at its pavilion, along with colleagues from Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), Start-Up Nation Central, and the Regional Cooperation Ministry.

The organizations also showcased advanced accessibility technologies, including an automatic speech recognition device developed by Voiceitt; medical technology and innovative communication technologies produced by EyeControl, an AI-based motion-control system that analyses wheelchair seating positions developed by ReSymmetry; and a panoramic, 3D photography system that identifies accessibility obstacles in a range of terrains, including urban environments.

According to most estimates, people with disabilities comprise 15% of the world’s population.

Access Israel brings ‘urban obstacle course’ to Dubai. (credit: ACCESS ISRAEL)

“The Israeli innovation ecosystem offers multiple technological solutions to a global challenge, with the hope of enhancing the lives of people with disabilities and achieving a more precise lateral integration,” said Michal Seror, director of ecosystem development at Start-Up Nation Central. “Start-Up Nation Central regards the display of the Israeli technology in Dubai as a direct continuation of our long-term partnership with the UAE.”

KKL-JNF, Access Israel, Start-Up Nation Central, the Regional Cooperation Ministry, Google and FAISR also created a collaborative social event to increase awareness. One hundred people with and without disabilities jointly created the logo of the International Disability Alliance on the Expo lawn by holding up blue umbrellas.

Michal Rimon, CEO of Access Israel, found the making of the umbrella campaign video, which required 100 people to stand in the Dubai heat with an umbrella raised, to be one of the most touching and memorable moments of their stay in Dubai.

“I was afraid it would be difficult to get so many people to agree to be part of it. Eventually, we had hundreds of participants – those who did not have an umbrella cheered and clapped and the entire hour became a real attraction – bringing together people from all over the world on this special date and raising awareness for us all.”

Rimon welcomed the opportunity for Israel to actively participate in this important world event.

“The Expo is one of the largest global exhibitions and a great opportunity to send our message and share our projects with people literally from all over the world. We had a chance to get together with people from all our neighboring countries as well as from other parts of the world. Israel’s leadership in inclusion and disability was evident, and people want to learn more.”

Access Israel founder and wheelchair user Yuval Wagner added, “Arriving at UAE on an official delegation of Israel with an amazing unique combination of people with and without disabilities, wearing the Israeli flag with pride and receiving great reactions from the people themselves, was an amazing experience and true pride for us all.”

Wagner looks forward to returning soon.

“The fact that we left with a specific request from several local contacts – that they want more and want us back already in January – is probably the best proof to the potential and the ripple effect of our visit.”

The Access Israel delegation had planned to organize an accessible candle-lighting event on December 5 in Dubai, utilizing a menorah developed by Impact Labs and printed on a 3D printer. The menorah makes it possible for people with arm and hand disabilities to light candles using a special lighter.

While the menorah was indeed accessible, it was deemed ineligible on board the plane to Dubai due to its fire-starting mechanism.

Instead, Wagner, who has limited use of his hands, lit candles on the eighth night of Hanukkah in Tel Aviv with TOM (Tikkun Olam Makers) and the Impact Labs team.