'They wouldn't treat me like I was made of glass': Autistic IDF recruits complete service

The IDF achieved an inclusivity milestone recently as a new round of autistic military recruits finished their army service, the IDF reported on Monday.

The announcement comes the day before World Autism Awareness Day.

The IDF’s “Advance” program started in July of 2021 and was designed to integrate people like Ori Weiss, a young man with autism, into the military.

'I wanted to contribute as much as possible'

"I was excited to join the army like everyone else, that they wouldn't treat me like I was made of glass,” the IDF quoted Weiss as saying. “ I wanted to do something significant and contribute as much as possible."

Because of the “Advance” program two years and eight months ago, he, along with 52 other young men and women on the autism spectrum, were able to arrive at the IDF induction center and commence their training.

The IDF noted that the program's new recruits went through the training together, along with two team commanders, nine commanders, and 13 personal mentors.

The content of the subsequent training was tailored specially to give this group the best opportunity to succeed during their service.

Upon completing his training, Weiss was assigned to Unit 339 in the Air Force as a photographer before transitioning to being a sound engineer.

"It was the position I dreamed of," Weiss said. "But I never imagined that I would be able to achieve such professional milestones. The experiences here made me understand exactly why I am in the army, and how significant my work is, both in general and for me personally."

Since the program started in 2021, eight recruitment rounds have taken place. 

Not the first program to integrate soldiers with autism

Roim Rachok (Looking Ahead) is another innovative program designed to train young adults on the autism spectrum in professions required by the IDF and the civilian market. The program was created 12 years ago by former Mossad agents who saw that talented young men and women on the autism spectrum were not being drafted into the IDF and were not encouraged to volunteer to serve, so the military was losing out on their talents and they were losing out on the opportunity to gain experience through military service.

Roim Rachok searches the country for suitable applicants, then prepares them to be integrated into IDF intelligence units with soldiers who are not on the spectrum. It also offers support for them and also helps their commanders communicate with them throughout their service, and helps place them in jobs following their military service. The program keeps growing, and many of those who have served in the IDF through Roim Rachok have gone on to careers in related fields, such as information sciences and data analysis.