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jdps.sagepub.com The past four decades have witnessed dramatic changes in the civic participation and activities of organizations of people with disabilities. The constant growth of civic soci-ety in Western countries led to the emergence of these orga-nizations, which have largely been the driving force behind the disability rights legislations unfolding around the globe. These organizations have changed governments ’ policies and practices toward people with disabilities, including how they are defined and measured (Oliver, 1996). Over the years, these domestic, local organizations have turned into national movements. The change in these organizations ’ mission is evident in other countries, as well as in Israel. However, they appear to have played a fairly modest role in promoting change i