The most joyous part of celebrating the eight nights of Hanukkah for me each year is reflecting on fond memories. I will forever and always cherish singing with the family and playing with the dreidel. I also cherish the many lessons that I learned from these observances. The Prayers My grandpa Harold Shapiro was a [click to continue...]
I have a dream I would like to share with you. On second thought, it’s not actually a dream. It’s a vision that stems from a deep longing. I am a neurodivergent individual, a survivor of complex brain surgery. I am also a parent of children with neurodiversity – including autism, ADHD, auditory and sensory [click to continue...]
I have always felt different, which I attribute to my disabilities. I have low vision, which I recently found out is due to a rare genetic disorder called MEPAN but I spent most of my life being undiagnosed. I also have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which effects my walking and physical activity. I feel that I [click to continue...]
RespectAbility’s Chanukkah celebration this year was one to remember. We had a wonderful celebration for community building, Chanukkah lessons, values, and celebrating some of the awesome speakers in RespectAbility’s Disability Training & Speakers Bureau. RespectAbility held candle lighting events during seven of the nights of Chanukkah. Given the virtual nature of the events, we did [click to continue...]
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation I was in. There I was on a beautiful spring day, with sunlight streaming through the windows and birds chirping outside, reading “Grover’s Eight Nights of Light” to my (at the time) 10-month-old son Phoenix. He’d been obsessed with this book for weeks, and [click to continue...]
My Jewish experience was challenging in college. Something I was once so passionate about and looked forward to on a weekly basis slowly started to become something I dreaded. Due to the nature of my disabilities, the traditional ways of doing Jewish activities and prayers didn’t work for me. To be more specific, Friday night [click to continue...]
Hi! It’s been a while since I have had the opportunity to write an article, but I know you’ve been seeing my name and email address a lot as we talk about opportunities to celebrate Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) with events featuring RespectAbility’s Disability Training & Speakers Bureau (DTSB). Recently, we have [click to continue...]
RespectAbility’s Disability Training and Speakers Bureau is a key tool in preparing your organization to create access for everyone whom you want to bring into your tent. As you begin to plan for Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), book one of our dynamite speakers to help your community be welcoming and inclusive of [click to continue...]
For those of us who have long waited to see people who proudly embrace their significant disabilities in positions of power, the fact that Israel’s energy minister, Karine Elharrar, is a power wheelchair user can easily lead one to believe that the arc of history is changing. And it probably is. Sadly, this week demonstrated [click to continue...]
Bizchut is excited to share a momentous achievement! For the first time workers in sheltered work environments have been granted the same social rights as any other employee! Such significant change for the rights of people with disabilities in the Israeli labor force is a rare event, especially when it concerns a particularly exploitive, discriminatory, [click to continue...]
