What is Tsad Kadima?
Tsad Kadima (A Step Forward), the Association for Conductive Education in Israel, was established in 1987 by parents and professionals, with the goal of bringing the Conductive Education (Peto) approach from Hungary, integrating it as part of the Israeli education system and to continue developing it for the benefit of infants, children, adolescents and adults with motor disabilities, and their families.
Tsad Kadima has brought about many changes in its role in the process of adoption, adaptation and development of the conductive education approach in Israel. These changes affected not only the lives of children with cerebral palsy and their families, but also the educational-rehabilitative environment in Israel and contributed to enriching the range of services offered to families, increased the parents’ choices and gave hope to many.
An important change is the concept of putting the family at the center. The perception of parents as initiators and full partners has helped parents once again become relevant, important and responsible, and has returned to them the responsibility, control and the right to choose for their children. Today “Family Centered Services” is considered a preferred and optimal framework for providing services for children with special needs, but twenty-five years ago this concept was considered a real revolution.
As part of the integration of this approach in Israel, Tsad Kadima needed to adapt it to Israeli culture and to integrate it with the body of knowledge that existed and was accepted in Israel. The Israeli system of Conductive Education therefore, is not a replication of the Hungarian one, but rather a transfer of the systemic nature of this approach, while adapting and integrating the educational and rehabilitative approaches prevalent here. As an open and flexible system, the Conductive Educational approach reorganizes the thought processes behind growth, education and functioning of a person with cerebral palsy throughout his life, integrating education and rehabilitation into a single whole.
When was Tsad Kadima Founded and Why?
The 1986 BBC’s documentary, Standing Up for Joe, changed the lives of thousands of children with cerebral palsy and their families both worldwide and in Israel. The movie followed a British child with cerebral palsy and his parents in search of an alternative educational-rehabilitative approach and their trip to the Peto Institute in Hungary. The significant change that the child underwent caused parents of children with cerebral palsy and professionals in Israel to embark on a life-changing journey that led to the establishment of Tsad Kadima in 1987. The personal encounter of parents of children with cerebral palsy with the Conductive Education approach at the Peto Institute in Budapest, Hungary, led Tsad Kadima to bring the approach to Israel.
The Selection of Conductive Education and its Integration and Development in Israel
The decision to bring the Conductive Education approach from Hungary to the Israeli education system came after a thorough examination by Israeli experts who recommended the transfer and adoption of the approach in Israel, with changes and adjustments to fit Israeli culture and mentality and the existing knowledge in Israel.
The process of adopting the Conductive Education system in Israel was complex and multi-staged, from the stage of discovery in the late 1980’s to the development of a system of services that operate according to the Conductive Education approach from infancy to adulthood and include the training of conductors, specialists of the approach, in Israel.
From a small organization, today Tsad Kadima is integrated into the educational-rehabilitative fabric in Israel, and has become a magnet for hundreds of children and families who benefit from its services.
Over the years, professional partnerships have been created, opportunities for exchange of knowledge and mutual learning with organizations, institutions and professionals in Israel and abroad. Its professional work is accompanied by research, with the aim of basing itself on evidence, as is customary today in the educational-rehabilitative world.
Tsad Kadima is a leading organization in the field of Conductive Education outside of Hungary, and because of the reputation it has acquired, it is often asked to consult and help develop services around the world based on its experience and achievements. The organization held two important international conferences in Israel, presented at scientific conferences, seminars and continuing education courses in Israel and around the world, and was recognized and honored for its work in the global community of Conductive Education.
But its main contribution is undoubtedly the advancement of the quality of life of children, adolescents and adults with cerebral palsy and their families.
Genesis: The joint project by final-year student-conductors, class of 2015, of Tsad Kadima’s conductor-training corse, Conductive Education and Cerebral Palsy Studies. Read about the fascinating history of the establishment of Tsad Kadima, through the personal story of its founders. The project brings the voices of parents, family members, children and professionals. Click here to purchase the book…