LOTEM: Integrated Nature Studies, a non-profit organization, was established in 1993 by Amos Ziv following a encounter with a group of visually impaired teenagers hiking in the Israeli countryside. 17 years later, LOTEM is the leading organization in Israel offering field trips, extracurricular activities and creative workshops to people with special needs. These include men, women and children who are visually and hearing impaired, physically and mentally challenged and emotionally disturbed. It also includes youth at risk, and mothers and children living in shelters for battered women. All LOTEM's activities are adapted to the needs of a specific group. The visually-impaired are able to feel three-dimensional models and read explanations in Braille; autistic children are provided with illustrated communication tables; the mentally-challenged are given simplified explanations suitable to their level; and wheelchair-bound participants are taken to accessible nature sites.