Propelling Inclusion Forward
By Glenn Rosenkrantz, for Gateways
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Barbara Lischinsky & Ribbon
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Over at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, a group of preschoolers from the Bernice B. Godine JCC Early Learning Center watched Barbara Lischinsky, who is blind, demonstrate how her service dog Ribbon helps her get around.
Meanwhile, at The Boston Jewish Film Festival, six films about people with disabilities are featured in the festival's REELAbilities series.
And 24/7 on Facebook, close to 1,500 people - and counting - make connections and share ideas on programs and issues related to Jews with special needs.
Seemingly disparate, but all connected by the fact that February is Jewish Disability Awareness Month (JDAM), marked by special events, cultural programs, educational initiatives and advocacy opportunities in and around Boston - and nationally, globally, and online too.
It's all part of a large-scale and concerted effort to raise the communal consciousness and to support efforts fostering and encouraging inclusion of people with disabilities and their families in all aspects of Jewish community life.
"Families and organizations dedicated to embracing all Jews, no matter what their ability or disability, are driven by this passion every day," said Arlene Remz, Executive Director of Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, which works to ensure inclusion of students with special learning needs in Jewish educational settings in the Boston area.
"For one month, JDAM propels our collective mission to the top of the Jewish communal conversation. Our hope is that it fuels attention the rest of the year as well."
