Celebrate Jewish Disability Awareness Month
Shelly Christensen, Consultant and Co-Founder of JDAM, shares her thoughts on the enterprise with The Jewish Voice readers, “Jewish Disability Awareness Month is a catalyst for change in Jewish communities and organizations and is proof that meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities in Jewish life is the responsibility of each one of us. By bringing everyone together in this unified initiative, we have been able to expand the scope of inclusion so that it is high on the priorities of Jewish organizations and communities. We hope that JDAM continues to raise awareness. That being said, the objective of JDAM will be reached when people with disabilities feel that they belong to the Jewish community in ways of their own choosing.”
JDAM’s Program Guide (you may download the PDF at jewishfamilyservice.org/_literature_194404/JDAM_Program_Guide_2014) emphasizes that Jewish Text is the foundation for the initiative. It states, “The Mission of JDAM is to remind Jewish communities that we are all created B’tzelem Elohim, in the Divine Image. … Each one of us has that Divine Spark within us, and as Jews we are responsible to ensure that no one is cut off from living the Jewish life of his or her choosing.” The concrete goals of JDAM are to elevate society’s perception of people with disabilities, foster empathy and encourage Jews to welcome people with disabilities into their lives and communities.
Looking to become involved in the initiative? You can gain much knowledge from the guide, which offers a study model, lists published resources and suggests numerous ideas – and detailed instructions on how to execute them – on becoming inclusive in your sanctuary, in your organization and in your community.
The main suggestion that the guide offers, however, is to start advancing the cause by changing your mindset. A contribution of support and collaboration would be much more valuable than one of separation (i.e., enacting special programs that emphasize difference by their nature). Instead of distinguishing people with disabilities as those of need, befriend your acquaintances with disabilities and greet strangers on the margins in your community whom you haven’t gotten to know yet. Make the first step not only toward participation in JDAM, but also toward a new attitude. The guide sums it up with its philosophy: “We do not do things for people with disabilities. We do things with people with disabilities.”
One of the initiative’s programs, JDAM Reads, has chosen “Hope Will Find You: My Search for the Wisdom to Stop Waiting and Start Living” by Rabbi Naomi Levy, founder and spiritual leader of Nashuva, and “Cakes and Miracles” by Barbara Diamond Goldin as the official selections of 2014. On Thursday, Feb. 20, at 2 p.m., Levy will host a webinar during which she will answer questions and discuss her moving memoir that focuses on the struggles inherent to raising a child with special needs. You can register for this international event at attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9183868039197476610. In addition, you may find the book discussion questions on JDAM’s Facebook page, facebook.com/JewishDisabilityAwarenessMonth.
Goldin’s e-book, available at amazon.com, is for children. It’s about a boy who doesn’t let his blindness impede his enjoyment of life. Wishing to do something for his mother in addition to chores, Hershel bakes beautiful hamantaschen to raise money for the family at Purim.
In addition to the books, educators can take advantage of a special curriculum. PJ Library and the Jewish Special Education International Consortium encourage those who are interested to contact Christensen at Shelly@inclusioninnovations.com, to ask for the curriculum, which they can receive at no charge, as well as for the files that would allow them to display the JDAM logo.
Prefer to contemplate JDAM’s goals and motivate like-minded people via the internet and social media? Consider joining @JewishSpecialEd Twitter chat on February 13 at 9:00 p.m. with #JDAMreads14 to discuss “Hope will Find You,” becoming a JDAM blogger, and making a 60-second video on what inclusion means to you and posting it to YouTube with #JDAM14.
Past December, the Union for Reform Judaism, along with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, joined with the Ruderman Family Foundation to launch the Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Initiative. Its intention is to promote awareness with regards to inclusion of people with disabilities within Jewish communities. The movement’s nearly 900 synagogues were invited to take part in the Active Learning Network, a way to share knowledge.
Curious to know how our local synagogues are embracing the inclusion efforts, the Voice heard from Rabbi Elan Babchuck of Temple Emanu-El. He shared that, in addition to the Inclusion Committee, which has been functioning at the synagogue for several years, Temple Emanu-El featured special programming, such as a presentation by Tom Fields-Meyer, in honor of last year’s JDAM.
Moreover, Temple Emanu-El practices inclusion by offering a service for families who would prefer to pray in a more intimate and welcoming setting. Koleinu (Our Voice) entails singing, movement, interactive storytelling, laughter and participation within a physically comfortable environment that includes bean bags and colorful educational posters. Babchuck says, “After having led a similar service in Los Angeles for a number of years, I worked with our passionate committee to tailor the service to our community. So far, it has been nothing short of awe-inspiring!”
This monthly Saturday-morning service takes place from 10:30 a.m. until noon, with the next Shabbat celebration on February 15. Marilyn Katz, a former special education teacher who volunteers at the Jewish Community Day School, describes the effort: “Koleinu is based on the practice of reverse mainstreaming. Rather than ‘throwing’ youth into uncomfortable situations for which they are ill-prepared, reverse mainstreaming seeks to coach and groom youth with disabilities for socialization by providing a more personalized activity within a less distracting, less intimidating setting. It also allows youth without disabilities to join the group and become comfortable interacting with everyone.”
Another step the synagogue has taken is to create a structure in which their Purim Spiel could feature children of all abilities. Referring to the work involved in hiring and training teen mentors, Babchuck calls the collaboration of Dr. Barry Prizant, Dr. David Kadmon, Eliza Beringhause, and Wendy Garf-Lipp “an absolute success!”
Wendy Garf-Lipp, Spiel Director, shared that, even though Purim Spiel has always been welcoming to all, the synagogue had recognized that some might need additional support for full participation and leveraged funding to create a program that assigns children mentors who work with them during rehearsals, stand with them on stage, help them with choreography and movement and, of course, celebrate their achievements. Garf-Lipp says, “Spiel has never been about high-level drama production. Spiel has always been about community building and community support. For the few months that we work together, we create an intense chevra and it seemed a natural step to set up some conditions that makes participation available to all.”
Temple Emanu-El’s efforts are aimed in the right direction. No matter how challenging, it’s crucial to include children with diverse learning needs in community life, as well as in Jewish schools. In “Inclusion: In All of OUR Hands,” Dr. Alan Oliff and Nancy Kriegel write, “Research has shown that students with learning challenges do well when integrated in schools and classes with typically developing peers.” The Voice heard from Miriam Esther Weiner, Principal at Providence Hebrew Day School, on how the institution practices inclusion.
Weiner shared that PHDS students are sensitized to differences and disabilities from a young age. They are exposed to literature about disabled children, taught that “fair is not equal” (students with low muscle tone type test answers) and offered a chance to volunteer to help the parents of a boy with autism (an initiative of the New England Academy of Torah’s Chesed Squad). In addition, students learn about adaptations that people with disabilities in one of the five senses use to compensate, as well as the importance of behaving appropriately toward people with disabilities from a Torah perspective.
Last October, PHDS middle school and high school students attended a workshop on the learning challenges of their peers by Batya Jacob, Educational Director of the International Jewish Resource Center for Inclusion and Special Education (See ‘Special Needs Sensitizing” from the Nov. 7, 2013, issue of the Voice). Weiner calls the workshop “truly amazing!” Currently, PHDS is working with Lawrence Katz, Director of Jewish Learning at the Jewish Alliance, to present Jacobs’ workshops for parents and teachers in late March.
This service is the latest offering of the Jewish Alliance that has hosted multiple workshops, including one by Kathy Snow of Disability Is Natural. Also, the Jewish Alliance has co-hosted a program with Temple Emanu-El; Elaine Hall of “Autism: The Musical” fame held panel discussions based on videos such as “Including Samuel” and “Autistic License.”
Katz emphasizes that those interested in any books or videos mentioned above may borrow them from the Library of the Jewish Alliance. Besides the ones in this article, the library offers dozens of sources that illuminate the issues, concerns and best practices related to people with disabilities. Begin your journey to unity through collaboration and effort to eradicate the largest obstacle to inclusion – a closed mindset.
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