Machado Research Chair on Cognitive Modifiability and Human Development / Otzmot Empowerment Project - Academic Integration in 3 Stages for Adults with Intellectual Disability

Machado Research Chair on Cognitive Modifiability and Human Development

Head: Prof. Hefziba Batya Lifshitz

About us

Empwerment-Ozmot Project: Three stages of inclusion in the academic world of students with ID.

The project was launched in 2012 as part of the Lois Alberto Machado Research Chair on Cognitive Modifiability and Human Development and the Etel Lab for Research and Promotion of Persons with Intellectual Disability (ID).

The project includes three stages:

Stage 1. Separate Model: Adapted Enrichment Courses. Students with ID study

academic courses at the Faculty of Education (Psychology, Self-Advocacy, Library, and Computers) adapted to their level. The lecturers are MA students at the Faculty of Education’s ID program. We are the first in the world to open a college academic track for adults with severe ID who need extensive support. They do not attend the university, we conduct the academic enrichment course in their day center.

Stage 2. Mixed/Hybrid Model: Students with ID are included in a BA research

seminar on Lifelong Learning of Individuals with Disability where they conduct a research study together with students with typical development.

Stage 3. Fully Inclusive Model - BA degree: Six highly capable students with

ID are fully integrated into undergraduate courses. Accompanied by an academic facilitator who is a graduate of the MA program in ID, the students, passed the exams, performed class tasks, and completed 32 academic credits after 5 years. Based on their success, Bar-Ilan University (Dean of the Faculty of Education, the Rector, the Academic Secretary, and the budget department manager) decided to register them as regular students. By the 2023 academic year, they had completed the 64 academic credits that were needed for the BA degree.

Principal achievements

In 2024 these six students were the first ever adult cohort with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in Israel to receive their bachelor’s degree. They received their degrees at the graduation ceremony of Bar-Ilan’s Faculty of Education in the presence of Israel’s First Lady Michal Herzog. A reception in their honor took place before the ceremony with the participation of Michal Waldiger MK.

International Engagement

International workshops about the Empowerment project were given at the University of Antwerp - Belgium, the University of Hamburg - Germany, and the University of Salzburg – Austria.

Prof. Lifshitz is a secretary of the SIRG of Inclusive Education, the IASSID

Impact

All Empowerment Project activities are followed up by research.

In the study: The Contribution of Post-secondary Academic Courses on Crystallized and Fluid Tests of Adults with Intellectual Disability with/without Down Syndrome (Lifshitz, Nissim, Shnitzer, & Weiss, 2023), we found that participation in PSE contributed to semantic fluency, homophones, and the Raven matrices - crystallized and fluid tests.

In another study, Training Program Reveals Typical Brain Lateralization in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities with and without Down Syndrome (Mashal, Yankovitz, & Lifshitz, 2020), we found typical brain lateralization in non-specific ID and Down syndrome.

An innovative study Post Secondary University Education Increased Crystallized and Fluid Intelligence of Students with Intellectual Disability (Lifshitz, Shnitzer-Meirovitz & Vakil, 2023) - indicated improvement in FSIQ and Verbal IQ of the PSE students with ID after 4.5 years of participation in the Empowerment Project. The IQ of the BA group exceeded the mild ID diagnostic cutoff (IQ<70-75).

Significant Employment: The students have been admitted to the certification program in Librarianship at David Yellin College in Jerusalem. After their graduation, they will begin working as librarian assistants in public libraries.

Empowerment Ozmot project: conducting psychological assessments of potential candidates: A new cycle of students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) will pursue a BA degree 

Our team

Head: Prof. Hefziba Lifshitz 

Director: Dr. Shoshana Nissim | nissimshoshana@gmail.com

Academic Counselor: Dr. Dalia Tal 

Lecturer: Dr. Irit Chen, Dr. Olry Alshech 

Academic Facilitator: Dr. Noa Bustan, Matanya Rieger, Morag Karadi, Avital Weiss. 

Publications  - Lifshitz

Contact Information

For more information and registration for the program: Prof. Hefziba Lifshitz

Ms. Avital Weiss, secretary | avital.weiss@biu.ac.il  

Dr. Shoshana Nissim | nissimshoshana@gmail.com