RespectAbility Communications Fellow and 2020 Lab alumni Ava Rigelhaupt speaks about autism and Judaism for Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month 2021 at Congregation Har Shalom.
Faith Inclusion Webinars
Lauren Appelbaum Speaks at Melrose B’nai Israel Emanu-El
For Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month 2021, Lauren Appelbaum, Vice President of Communications at RespectAbility, spoke about her work.
Shelly Christensen Speaks at Reform Temple of Rockland
Shelly Christensen from RespectAbility’s Speakers Bureau spoke about disability inclusion at the Reform Temple of Rockland for JDAM 2021.
From Moses to Marlee: Celebrating Jews with Disabilities and Diverse Identities through Conversation, Creativity, and Music
A special evening celebrating Jewish diversity through storytelling and music. [continue reading…]
Panel Discussion: Intelligent Lives
Intelligent Lives stars three pioneering young adults with intellectual disabilities—Micah, Naieer, and Naomie—who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college, and the workforce. Award-winning actor and narrator Chris Cooper contextualizes the lives of these central characters through the emotional and personal story of his son Jesse, as the film unpacks the shameful and ongoing track record of intelligence testing in the United States.
Watch a lively dialogue about the poignant film, moderated by Joy Stein, Director of Inclusion and Disability Programming at the Edlavitch DCJCC. Featured panelists are Carly Okyle, Jordyn Zimmerman, and Yonatan Koch, all members of RespectAbility’s National Disability Speakers Bureau: Jewish Division. [continue reading…]
Training: “How to Ensure Legal Rights and Compliance Obligations”
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While our main focus is on doing inclusion right, at some point your organization may need to know little bit about its legal rights and obligations. This session will cover those topics, including the special sensitivities and limitations applying to religious organizations.
Panelists Include
- Moderator: Matan Koch – Director of RespectAbility California and Jewish Leadership
- Ariella Barker – Former RespectAbility Fellow
- Robert “Bobby” Silverstein – Principal, Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC
- Matthew W. Dietz, Esq. – Litigation Director, Disability Independence Group, Inc.
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Training: “How to Create and Implement Successful Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives”
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We shared how to take your deep commitment to Diversity and Inclusion and make it a reality. Learn from some truly successful leaders as they share the secret of their Diversity and Inclusion success, exploring the successful disability initiatives of which they’ve been apart, and looking at their intersection with other initiatives in the diversity space, including LGBTQ+ and beyond.
Panelists Include
- Moderator: Linda Burger, MSSW – RespectAbility Board of Directors Treasurer and Jewish Family Services Houston
- Dorsey Massey, LMSW – JCC Manhattan
- Sally Weber, LCSW – Program Consultant
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Training: “How to Ensure a Welcoming Lexicon, Accessible Websites and Social Media and Inclusive Photos”
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Download Accessibility Partners’ Best Practices Document
Today’s website is the front lobby of an organization, and social media is fast supplanting the more traditional ways that our organizations connect with the public. We can’t help you decorate your lobby, but we can make sure that it is warm and welcoming for Jews of all kinds, including Jews with disabilities. Learn from our dynamic and expert team everything you need to know to open your digital door to all!
Panelists Include
- Moderator: Tatiana Lee – Hollywood Inclusion Associate at RespectAbility
- Sharon Rosenblatt – Accessibility Partners
- River McMican – Keshet: For LGBTQ equality in Jewish life
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Training: “How to Ensure Accessible Events: Both Live and Virtual Across All Platforms”
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Making your event accessible is easier than you think. This session gave a simple accessibility checklist, as well as the processes and confidence that you need to make all of your events accessible, both virtual, and in person!
Panelists Include
- Moderator: Dori Kirshner – Matan
- Rebecca Wanatick – Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ
- Lauren Appelbaum – RespectAbility Vice President, Communications
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Training: “How to Recruit, Accommodate and Promote Jewish Leaders with Disabilities”
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From Itzhak Pearlman to Marlee Matlin, we all know that there are tremendously talented Jews with disabilities, and that they can make our organizations stronger in all aspects of our mission, including inclusion. Watch this webinar if you want to learn how to attract amazing Jews with disabilities to your volunteer team, your boards, and maybe even your staff!
Panelists Include
- Moderator: Vivian Bass – RespectAbility Board Member Executive Committee and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Jewish Women International (JWI)
- Lori Golden – Ernst & Young LLP
- Lee Chernotsky – ROSIE’S Foundation
