{"id":29996,"date":"2023-01-26T12:49:41","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T12:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/?post_type=news&p=29996"},"modified":"2023-01-26T12:54:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T12:54:28","slug":"most-armies-ignore-autistic-people-with-onos-help-israel-is-calling-them-up","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/news\/most-armies-ignore-autistic-people-with-onos-help-israel-is-calling-them-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Armies Ignore Autistic People.\u00a0With Ono\u2019s Help,\u00a0Israel Is Calling Them Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most Armies Ignore Autistic People.\u00a0With Ono\u2019s Help,\u00a0Israel Is Calling Them Up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Business Insider Magazine recently published an article profiling Ono Academic College\u2019s \u201cRo’im Rachok (Seeing Far)\u201d program which encourages autistic volunteers to join the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The article begins with a description of the work of Sgt. I. (only the initial of his last name can be used in order to preserve informational security), who scours the internet to find elusive intelligence that could help Israel fight its enemies. The article continues noting that Sgt. I. is a \u201cweb specialist for an elite unit of the Israel Defense Forces, focused on open-source research that informs high-level decision-making and can even reach the prime minister’s desk. He is also autistic.\u201d Sgt. I. said that his different abilities enable him to excel during long, exhausting intelligence work better than many others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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There are about 150 soldiers currently serving in the IDF through Ono\u2019s \u201cRo’im Rachok\u201d program.\u00a0 The program works with the army to place autistic people in sensitive military positions in order to utilize their particular sets of skills that provide them with comparative advantages. While many autistic teenagers are exempt from military service, Ono\u2019s \u201cRo’im Rachok\u201d allows them to sign up as volunteers. The program has recruited 300 soldiers into the IDF who serve in 27 different units. Some of these soldiers\u2019 preliminary training takes place on Ono\u2019s campus before they begin their service, like the electronics training course, which takes four months.<\/p>\n

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The first \u201cRo’im Rachok\u201d soldiers joined the prestigious Unit 9900 which performs visual-intelligence analysis and is sometimes called the \u201ceyes of the country.\u201d Maj. R., who initially accepted the \u201cRo’im Rachok\u201d soldiers into Unit 9900, noted that those in his command with autism performed particularly well in the unit\u2019s tasks which have been said to include analyzing images from satellites, drones and reconnaissance flights over areas like the Gaza Strip and Syria.\u00a0 They were able to work long hours doing vital work and were less distracted than other soldiers. During the August 2022 Operation Breaking Dawn, the soldiers of Unit 9900 “helped protect civilians” and provided operational support in the clashes according to the IDF Spokesperson\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

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During the interview with Business Insider, Sgt. I., in addition to discussing his work (to the limited level permitted by the IDF informational security officers), mentioned other ways his autism interacts with his job. He mentioned “stimming” \u2014 a behavior often associated with autism that can involve repeating words, sounds, or movements to cope with stress, as well as flapping his hands when he’s excited or overwhelmed. He said, “It’s an urge, like blinking.”<\/p>\n

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Ono faculty member and Mossad veteran, Tal Vardi, who helped found \u201cRo’im Rachok\u201d, wanted to clarify that the program is \u201dnot an act of charity.\u201d The program is mutually beneficial for the IDF, people with autism, and their families. Soldiers with autism receive skills and connections that assist them in forging an independent future working in civilian professions. “The idea is to put together real needs with real capabilities to create this win-win,” Vardi said.<\/p>\n

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To read the full article, click here:\u00a0https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/army-autistic-people-israel-idf-calling-up-military-conscription-2023-1<\/a><\/p>\n

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Most Armies Ignore Autistic People.\u00a0With Ono\u2019s Help,\u00a0Israel Is Calling Them Up Business Insider Magazine recently published an article profiling Ono Academic College\u2019s \u201cRo’im Rachok (Seeing Far)\u201d program which encourages autistic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29997,"menu_order":357,"template":"","class_list":["post-29996","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories_news-updates_news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/29996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ono.ac.il\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}