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By allowing ourselves to experience individuals who our different from us, we challenge ourselves to be better human beings. Had I given in to my temptation to return to my comfort zone that...
As a child, I always loved hearing the Exodus story on Passover. But in adulthood, upon learning that Moses had a speech impairment, the drama took on new significance for me, because I, too, have...
As we welcome guests this Sukkot, the sole label we should place on each other is an inclusive one: we are individuals with diverse needs.
When I was 7, my parents ordered a braille prayer book for me from the Jewish Braille Institute. When I went to the synagogue with them, I proudly carried my siddur and tried to read along – but I...
February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, and today, people with disabilities are also wandering the proverbial desert, exiting one era but not quite ready to enter a new one.
Like any child, growing up I relied on the support of my parents. Due to my severe learning disabilities, this support was even more essential. Although I was reading at age 4 and showed a...
Although it’s age-appropriate for young children to question physical similarities and differences, it’s important for us to teach them that it’s what’s inside that matters.
It’s easy to say you want to hire someone with disabilities, but how do you go about it? For me, it’s been trial and error rooted in the philosophy that the best way to accommodate someone is to...
I am so grateful for the experience I had at JDAD 2018, and I am inspired by the unique approach the Jewish community takes to advocacy on these complex issues.
We cannot pretend that these enormous gains for the few are not creating massive suffering and dangerous resentment among the many.
In building the ramp, we felt we had been true to the Talmudic maxim Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh Bazeh, “All Jews are responsible for one another."
On the night of January 21, 2005, a drunk driver paralyzed me. I was 21 and just starting my music career.
Just opening your door is not a mitzvah; it’s a start. What happens after the welcome is what really matters. It’s the critical difference between being tolerated and being valued – that...
Rabbi Edythe Held Mencher helps us understand why the language of disability is such a powerful determinant of social attitudes, from prejudice to pride.
I am a lawyer. I graduated Harvard law school and have practiced law for major corporations and large law firms. It shouldn’t, therefore, have been much of a challenge when the Union for Reform...
Mania can be challenging. Normally, it’s fairly easy to act properly and lawfully. But when much of your brain is malfunctioning, it can be difficult, if not impossible.
Jewish wisdom says every human being is deserving of dignity and respect – and that certainly holds true whether or not they have a college degree.
Jewish Disability Advocacy Day (JDAD) offers us an opportunity to urge lawmakers to support legislation that enhances the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities.
"Connection doesn’t have to be this huge thing. It can be small things, too, that make just as big of an impact."
Those of us who use wheelchairs have accepted the idea that we need to find another way to do this, as we are simply unable to assume a standing position. My question, however, is for everyone else.
Being Jewish and having a congenital bone deficiency has made my life path quite unique, so I would like to share my story.
This Purim, we recognize modern-day heroes for their courage, chutzpah, integrity, goodness, and – most of all – for inspiring us all to #BeLikeEsther.
In April 2015, when I was 15 years old, I learned that my grandfather had taken his own life after fighting with anxiety and depression for many years.
Just a few days after the first yahrzeit of my friend and mentor, I can’t help but recall how she influenced my life and the legacy she left behind.
Halfway through Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, here are some of the many stories, ideas, and resources that have resulted from this important awareness effort.
Our realities are, to a degree, relative. On one hand, this is a great thing: Our varying perceptions of the world around us allow us to bring our unique viewpoints to our jobs, our communities,...
