Yuvalim School

Narratives

Architect Narrative

Special Education School

The school targets 13-21 year old children with mental retardation, behavioral problems and motor problems. The population is divided into three groups: 13-17 year olds, 17-21 year-olds and autistics. For many years the school was housed in a building unsuited to its needs - three stories high with no elevator and bordering on a main street.

The decision was made to expand the school and improve the students’ learning environment. Within this expansion three new wings were added to the building:
A classrooms and workshops wing, a main hall and a treatment wing. Total area
14860 sq ft.

The existing structure, 13000sq ft, is scheduled for intense renovations, adapting it to the school’s unique pedagogic approach, while allowing easy contact with the new wings. The addition of an elevator reaching all floors is already done.

The program included classrooms for small groups of students. Each classroom has its own bathroom, a wet corner and a small annex for personalized care. Each two or three classrooms share a communal space with a kitchenette.

Many of the spaces are intended for occupation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, educational kitchen work, dance and music rooms, computers, art centers, wood shop and rooms for learning regular day-to-day skills such as laundry, ironing and housekeeping. A warming kitchen was also planned as the school provides the students with hot meals and they spend most of the day between its walls. The children bake and cook for themselves, perform community service, and take bicycle rides in the area.

The courtyard was designed to be educational in the following ways:
- The ground floor classrooms have adjacent courtyards with direct exits
- A bicycle path was developed
- A road safety lot was designed, where the children can safely learn how to cross a street, walk in the city, wait in a bus station and ride a bicycle
- A large part of the yard is designated for gardening. The children grow flowers with the help of volunteers from the community
- Animal care

The children arrive at the school in arranged transportation, and so a small terminal was added on the main street, as well as a safe entrance from the parking lot. The main entrance to the school is from the neighborhood’s inner street. There is a large courtyard at the entrance to the school which is used for gatherings, and a small treatment center was designed near the entrance. This center is used for the school’s constant activities, to treat children remaining at school over the weekend, and for treatments required by the general community.

There is a central event hall at the center of the school, in the wing connecting the old and new buildings. This hall is used for parties, gatherings, drama and dance performances and community activities. The hall has an exit to the courtyard for outdoor events during the spring and summer.

An emphasis was placed on quiet, smoothing colors, good ventilation and maximizing natural lighting in all structures. A great deal of attention was placed on making the design simple, allowing easy orientation within the complex. Each floor has work spaces for teachers, allowing them to give students personal attention and maintain a watchful eye on the floor.

The school has received many accolades from professional for the efficiency of its design, its pleasant atmosphere, both inside and out, and the dedication of the staff members, who were full and active partners in the design and decision-making process.

At the house warming party the students put on a show which included dance, music and drama, and many guests were moved to tears at their stunning accomplishments.

Educator Narrative

Rehabilitative School for Special Needs Children

The school serves a wide community, with students arriving from the entire region. Most students are driven in every morning, and others live in dormitories and not with their families. The students suffer from mental retardation, learning disabilities, and motor and behavioral problems.
The school is divided into three divisions:
- Ages 13-17
- Ages 17-21
- A special division for Autistic students

The school’s goals:
- Personal independence in daily functions and basic hygiene
- Independent feeding
- Self-service and personal awareness in matters of dress and bathing
- Independence in the community
- Normative behavior in regular society
- Development of job skills in protected factories or in the community
- Answering the students’ emotional needs
- Fostering a strong connection with the student’s family
- Providing the family with a supportive framework

The school believes in empowering each student, discovering their feelings, skills and abilities, allowing them to reach independence in their personal functions and within the community. This is accomplished with great professionalism and even greater love.
The school is based on the concept of an individual curriculum. Each student has their own learning schedule, constructed to fit their age, skills and interests. The curriculum is agreed upon by a staff with a wide variety of backgrounds.
The method of teaching the students to read relies on multi-sensory inculcation methods, as well as concepts of word photography and completion.
Mathematics lessons are also used to teach handling and using money.
The school incorporates a system of para-medical treatments which are part of the students’ weekly schedule.
The students’ motor, cognitive and sensory skills are exercised.
The school’s graduates leave it with basic communications skills for everyday life, which heighten their confidence in their personal abilities.
The principals guiding the school are:
- Training for employment
- Fostering the involvement of elements from outside the community
The school runs several special projects such as:
- ‘Road Safety’ - teaching the students how to be mobile outdoors, on foot, bicycle, bus or car.
- Biking trips
- Sexual education
- Self defense
- Community service

The new buildings which have expanded the school are wonderfully suited to our educational concepts. The program was arrived at by a joint team of teachers, pedagogues, professionals, experts, architect and physical designers, with alternate spaces designed and adapted for the special needs of this unique school.
The learning spaces include adjacent services and small rooms for private treatments.
Each group of two or three learning spaces has common area with kitchen facilities.
A great variety of workshops, treatments spaces and therapy studios are well provided.
The addition of an elevator is a great help to the disabled students in the school.

The new learning environment encourages a calm, pleasant atmosphere for students and staff alike. The colors are comforting, the spaces well-lit, naturally ventilated, and allow for activities incorporating both indoors and outdoors. The new building and its connection to the old building create a convenient continuity, an inviting space for the children, teachers and visitors from the community.