No one does this alone. No one. More than twenty years ago, I was directing a program aimed at faith communities to raise awareness and guide them to include people with disabilities in communal life. I did a lot of public speaking in this role, and occasionally an audience member would approach me after my [click to continue...]
Counting the Omer is a reminder that, in addition to counting the days, we also must reflect on who is counted in our communities. Everyone Counts. Ask yourself: How do people with disabilities and mental health conditions and those who love them actually count in your community? When I was the Program Manager of the [click to continue...]
“For My House Shall Be a House of Prayer for All Peoples” Isaiah 56:7 Many faith traditions highlight this text from the book of Isaiah as a longstanding declaration of welcome and inclusion. Perhaps your congregation or organization has a plaque near the main entrance to your building with this quotation, or maybe it’s part [click to continue...]
Hello Members of the RespectAbility Faith Inclusion Family, When was the last time you started something new? Was it a new job, a new relationship, or a new stage of your life? Did a new opportunity come into your life unexpectedly? A month ago, I was happily running my consulting business, working on a new [click to continue...]
On Sunday I was waiting to pick up my grandsons, Eli and Isaac, from Hebrew school at our synagogue. I listened as their classes were practicing the Four Questions in the sanctuary. Like their dad and their uncles before them, they would officially lead the Four Questions at our seders this year! The passage of [click to continue...]
