The inclusive fashion brand Palta partnered with the Ruderman Family Foundation to design the official uniform for the Israeli Paralympic Games team.
Palta was founded by Shay Senior, who was injured during his military service in the IDF, and Netanel Yehuda Halevi, who was born with muscular dystrophy and uses a motorized wheelchair. The company was made to be a social venture that would provide people with disabilities opportunities in the fashion industry. The people involved get a chance to design, develop and model fashion, where in the mainstream industry, they may not have the chance.
Palta has in the past been a recipient of the Ruderman Family Foundation grant and has collaborated with brands and organizations in education, technology and fashion.
"Investing in Palta's crucial work and mission reflects our understanding that effecting prosocial change through sports, including by promoting a more inclusive landscape for athletes with disabilities, can make a tremendous public impact not only in the sports world but in society at large," said Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation. "We are gratified that Shay and Netanel, empowered by their experiences through the Foundation, have used their unique inclusive fashion brand to make a highly visible and prosocial impact at the Paralympic Games."
Senior and Halevi are also members of Link20, which is a social movement that was established in Israel and has since expanded to Boston, New York and Washington. Activists and advocates work with the movement to participate in social activism in a digital space, by making campaigns, attending events and taking an active role in social change programs. Among Link20's successes are: convincing American Airlines to reverse their weight limit on wheelchairs, changing the MLB's "disabled list" to "injured list" and getting equal payouts for Olympic and Paralympic medalists.
The Paralympics run from August 24-September 5, and the uniform designed for Israel's 33 Paralympic athletes includes clothes and accessories that reflect the needs of the athletes.