"How can you run to a shelter with a girl in an electric wheelchair?" Alon Perl While studying polymer engineering at Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art, Roy Goldenberg decided to clear his head and go travelling from Oregon to Guatemala. On the way back, however, somewhere in Mexico, one event changed everything. "We were robbed in the middle of the street and I was shot in the thigh," he recalls. Coming back to Israel, he underwent rehabilitation, during which, he says, he began to understand the complexity of being disabled. "It hits you everywhere. Suddenly, just carrying a cup of coffee from the kitchen to the living room becomes a challenge."
Goldenberg has since recovered and returned to full function, but the experience changed something for him. Upon returning to his studies, he heard about the Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) project and got excited. "I went to their office with a properly organized file, and I said that I would bring them to Shenkar."
The project, founded by non-profit association Reut Group, headed by Gidi Grinstein, provides technological solutions for physically challenged people. "There are the generic things, like wheelchairs and crutches, that enough people need, so companies have an economic interest in developing them," explains Goldenberg. "But there are dozens of needs that remain unmet, both everyday ones, like holding a toothbrush, opening a can, or giving a bottle to a baby, as well as less routine ones. If a person with a disability wants to surf, there’s no surfboard on the market adapted to them. Nobody develops products like that, and even if they did, the price would be too high."
How do you solve this?
"Once, if you wanted to invent something, you needed millions of dollars in investment. Today, all you need is a 3D printer and a few programmable controllers. This innovation has spawned the maker movement worldwide – people who love to invent, build, and share knowledge. Our organization realized that it was possible to connect these people to the needs of people with disabilities."
TOM was founded in Israel a decade ago, and today has makers in 30 countries, several development centers in Israel, and is soon to open in New York. To identify the problems and needs, TOM people also work in collaboration with universities, rehabilitation centers, various enterprises, hospitals, and the Ministry of Defense. "We have 1,000 volunteer makers in Israel and about 2,600 more around the world. We go through the process together, from characterizing the problem to delivering the solution and developing the product. Ultimately, they share the solution via a digital documentation system that is available to anyone."
"Now it's our turn to give back"
Goldenberg was born in Karmiel and at the age of 10 moved to Misgav. After high school, he did a year of national service at the Renanim school for children with special needs, then served as an infantry soldier in the IDF Golani Brigade. He began as a volunteer with TOM seven years ago, and for the past two years has served as director of TOM Israel and the head of R&D for TOM Global.
The war, naturally, had a great impact on TOM’s activity. "At first, we dealt quite a bit with protected spaces. The Home Front Command's directives didn’t take accessibility into account – they simply told people to run. But how can you run to a shelter with a girl in an electric wheelchair?
"So, we worked with Access Israel, the Home Front Command, and the Joint Distribution Committee in a collaborative effort in which we visited 650 homes, and helped families identify the most accessible protected space. In addition, we provided solutions: we created a wheelchair that can be pushed out to a stairwell, we protected glass windows, we helped people with visual impairments, and we also provided games for children on the autistic spectrum to play in the safe room.
"Bear in mind that these developments had to be made quickly. We realized that if we didn't manage to provide help immediately, it wouldn't be worth anything."
And on a personal level, how was it to work with the wounded?
"I sat a lot with soldiers in hospital smoking corners. It's a great privilege. They sacrificed a great deal for us, and now it's our turn to give back. I met a soldier who lost one hand, was injured in the other hand, and was blinded in both eyes. There are many solutions for the blind and for amputees, but there are no suitable solutions for a person with no hands and no eyes. I also met a soldier who plays the oud and wanted to get back to it, so we created a customized instrument for him. We collaborated with Renuar and adapted hundreds of clothing items for the wounded."
What do you hope to achieve over the next decade?
"A global deployment, within all hospitals, making development and adaptation of equipment part of the rehabilitation process, with TOM leading it in Israel and around the world. TOM will be one of the biggest organizations to come out of Israel. On a personal level, I don't know if I’ll still be part of this project or in another project of my own. What is certain is that I’ll be in the technology sphere, having a positive impact on humanity."
This article is part of the annual "Globes" "40 Under 40" young leadership in Israel project.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on April 7, 2025.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.
