Faith Inclusion Archives - Page 21 of 31

Ron Glancz, Vivian Bass, Lauren Appelbaum, Heidi Daroff, Dana Marlowe, Hillary Steen and Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi

Real Board Diversity Includes Jewish Leaders with Disabilities

Michelle Friedman, vice chair of the board of Keshet and on Keshet’s board of governance and development committees

Michelle Friedman headshot As a woman who grew up in a strongly identified observant family, attended Jewish day school and camp, and had a bubby who devoted herself to Jewish organizations, the obligation of tikkun olam, chesed and serving the community were engrained since childhood. So, when I left my career to be a stay-at-home mother in the mid 80’s, I sought an opportunity to serve. I became involved in my synagogue and children’s school, and eventually a friend invited me to serve on the board of Shalva, which provides service to Jewish victims of domestic violence in the Chicago area. (Not to be confused with Shalva, the Israel Association for the Care and Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities.)

This began my 32-year career as a professional volunteer, which I am proud to say has included service on nine nonprofit boards, eight of which are in the Chicago Jewish community. I am even prouder that every one of those organizations sought my leadership and saw my capability, even after I became blind 28 years ago.

They did not focus on my blindness, but focused on my value as a board member, and reaped the benefits. I have served as fundraising chair on six boards, and as Board President of three – soon to be four.

This means that I have attended countless meetings, conferences and seminars, and I always seem to be the only person at the table with a disclosed disability. As I have become more knowledgeable about board governance best practices, and as our boards have become more professional, strategic, and intentional, I noticed that the conversation about board diversity has never included the disabled community. [continue reading…]

Eight RespectAbility team members smiling in a Zoom meeting

Jewish Education is Virtually Zooming Right Along!

Two weeks ago, Lily Coltoff highlighted the symbolic role of the number seven in Judaism. This week’s Shabbat Smile continues with this “seven motif,” all weaving an overall message about virtual Jewish education during this pandemic and beyond.

1) To open, I invite you on a musical, whimsical st/roll down memory lane, by listening to and/or learning the lyrics to an age-old Israeli song – suddenly relevant to our virtual Zoom world! [continue reading…]

A young girl with a disability in a pool with one hand on the side of the pool and one arm up in the air.

Accepting the ISCD Go 60! Challenge: by Jared Goldin

As you have no doubt read over the past several Shabbat Smile emails, RespectAbility has been conducting a seven-part Disability Access and Inclusion Training Series for Jewish Organizations. While we plan on conducting more trainings in the future, for now we are happy to share with you that all seven trainings are live on our website, with open captions, transcripts, and accessible PowerPoint slides! If you missed one, a few, or all seven trainings in the series, or just want a refresher on some of the topics covered, we invite you to visit our Jewish Inclusion website!

The website also has our “Opening Your Virtual Gates: Making Online High Holiday Celebrations Accessible to All” toolkit. As I wrote in the toolkit’s introduction, “it is easy to make online services, and related events, accessible to everyone — if you know how.” And this toolkit should teach you how! I hope you find it helpful and will share it with every congregation you know so that all online Jewish convenings can be accessible.

Below, read a great piece written by Jared Goldin about the Israel Sports Center for the Disabled (ISCD) and their Go 60! challenge! [continue reading…]

Individual headshots of Matan Koch, Ariella Barker, Bobby Silverstein and Matthew Dietz smiling. Text: Training: How to Ensure Legal Rights and Compliance Obligations

The ADA as a Reflection of Jewish Values

The number seven has incredible significance in Judaism: the seven days of creation and the holiness of Shabbat; the seven Patriarch and Matriarchs; the seven branches of the menorah in the Temple; the seven blessings and circles in weddings; and the seven days of mourning after the death of a close relative – just to name a few. (Perhaps I should add two more, to make my list a symbolic seven?)

It fits, therefore, that the initial run of our Disability Access and Inclusion Training Series culminates in the seventh “How to Ensure Legal Rights and Compliance Obligations.” As Matan Koch, Esq. – a lawyer and director of RespectAbility’s California and Jewish Leadership – explained, “having established a clear vision of how to do inclusion, the series culminates not by advocating a bare minimum, but by placing our aspirations in a legal framework.” [continue reading…]

Headshots of Linda Burger, Dorsey Massey and Sally Weber. Text: Training: How to Create and Implement Successful Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

Creating and Implementing Successful Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

As we begin to cautiously look towards the future and imagine the new shapes that institutions – such as schools, synagogues and other organizations – may take on, it is crucial that accessibility be considered while laying these frameworks. Right now, we are beginning to think about what education may mean for this fall. We strive for balance, to ensure that students can learn, teachers can work and everyone can stay safe. In doing so, we need to focus on how this can also serve students with disabilities. If this is a concern for you or your child, RespectAbility has put together a wonderful resource guide at https://www.respectability.org/virtual-education/.

At the same time, on our Jewish calendars, the return to school is when we begin thinking about the High Holidays and how we will observe them. We need to make sure to create as much of a community as possible, where all are welcome and able to participate, even if we are not all physically together. Keep an eye out early next week for a new guide from RespectAbility, released in conjunction with many of our webinar partners, on exactly this question. [continue reading…]

Headshots of Tatiana Lee, Sharon Rosenblatt and River McMican. Text: Training: How to Ensure a Welcoming Lexicon, Accessible Websites and Social Media and Inclusive Photos

Ensuring a Welcoming and Accessible Online Presence

As we head into Shabbat, I wanted to offer some highlights from Tuesday’s 5th session of our Disability Access and Inclusion Training Series for Jewish Organizations, “How to Ensure a Welcoming Lexicon, Accessible Websites and Social Media and Inclusive Photos.”

An organization’s website, in today’s digital world, can be seen as its front lobby – and, given that many physical office buildings are closed right now, most connecting between the public and organizations takes place online, making it our only front door. This webinar addressed how to open that door for everyone.

Our expert panelists – Tatiana Lee, Hollywood Inclusion Associate at RespectAbility; Sharon Rosenblatt of Accessibility Partners; and River McMican of Keshet – offered key recommendations for making our digital platforms welcoming to people with disabilities. Here are some points they offered: [continue reading…]

Headshots of Dori Kirshner, Rebecca Wanatick and Lauren Appelbaum. Text: Training: How to Ensure Accessible Events: Both Live and Virtual Across All Platforms

Ensure Accessible Events for People with Disabilities

This week, almost 400 people registered for the exciting session, “How to Ensure Accessible Events: Both Live and Virtual Across All Platforms.” By now, you’re probably aware of our Disability Access and Inclusion Training Series for Jewish Organizations and Activists offered by a coalition of over 45 Jewish organizations. If not, this week is the place to start. Perhaps the most exciting thing about our record-breaking numbers is that, even if everyone only follows the tips and tricks we gave this week, it would be a quantum leap forward in access and inclusion for the Jewish world. Combining that with next week’s session, “How to Ensure a Welcoming Lexicon, Accessible Websites and Social Media and Inclusive Photos,” we will literally revolutionize the way your organization approaches disability inclusion. There is amazing learning to be acquired in all seven webinars; yet if your time is limited, I strongly recommend watching the accessible recording of this week’s webinar, and then register for the one on Tuesday. [continue reading…]

Headshots of Vivian Bass Lori Golden and Lee Chernotsky. Text: Training: How to Recruit, Accommodate and Promote Jewish Leaders with Disabilities

Recruit, Accommodate and Promote Jewish Leaders with Disabilities

RespectAbility was thrilled that nearly 200 participants from six different countries including the United States, Canada, Israel, United Kingdom, Germany and Argentina registered to attend the informative and innovative webinar held on July 7th entitled `How to Recruit, Accommodate and Promote Jewish Leaders with Disabilities.” This session was the third in a series of seven such webinars generously funded by The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles through a Cutting Edge Grant, The Diane and Guilford Glazer Philanthropies, and The Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation among others. Additionally, nearly 45 local and national/international Jewish organizations are serving as co-promoters for this series.

As Co-Chair of RespectAbility’s Global Jewish Inclusion work, I was pleased and proud to serve as moderator for this stellar webinar in tandem with the superb panelists Lee Chertosky, and Lori Golden. [continue reading…]

Headshots of Meredith Polsky Lianne Heller and Debbie Niderberg. Text: Training: How to Advance Disability Inclusion in Jewish Education.

Did you watch our training about how to advance disability inclusion in Jewish education?

More than 200 people registered for the exciting session “Disability Access and Inclusion Training Series for Jewish Organizations and Activists” offered by a coalition of over 40 Jewish organizations. “How to Advance Disability Inclusion in Jewish Education” debunked the long-held belief that the Jewish world did not have educational models for students with disabilities. More than that, it highlighted three of those models, any or all of which might be of use to your community as you grapple with that all-important value of Mi Dor l’Dor – from generation to generation, passing the Torah into the hands of all of our children, and successfully including children with disabilities.

Our three panelists – moderator Meredith Polsky of Matan (sadly, I can claim no relation), Lianne Heller of Sulam and Debbie Niderberg of Hidden Sparks – each introduced us to both the founding stories of their organizations and what this genesis meant for their model. [continue reading…]

Headshots of Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, Aaron Kaufman and Matan Koch. Text: Training: Inclusion as a Jewish Value

Disability Access and Inclusion Training Series Continues This Week

More than 100 people joined the first session of the new “Disability Access and Inclusion Training Series for Jewish Organizations and Activists” offered by a coalition of over 40 Jewish organizations. The session “Inclusion as a Jewish Value” laid the groundwork for the other six sessions, not only demonstrating clearly that inclusion is present even in our earliest texts, but also responding to common misconceptions and obstacles.

Aaron Kaufman, Senior Legislative Associate at the Jewish Federations of North America, who has cerebral palsy, shared with us how his Judaism informed his leadership in disability policy, and his disability gave him a unique facet to lead in the Jewish world. He was also quick to point out that this was nothing new, and that in fact Moses – our greatest teacher – himself had a disability. Aaron also lined up a number of common concerns raised about practicing disability inclusion, from a perceived conflict with other inclusion needs to a perception of cost. Aaron responded factually, pointing out that disability cut across all categories, and that everyone could join the disability community eventually. He also pointed out that the financial cost of accommodation was low. [continue reading…]