February is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), a unified effort among Jewish organizations to celebrate and support community members living with disabilities and mental health conditions.
The Jewish Federation of Ottawa will be marking this month in a variety of ways.
JDAIM was kicked off earlier this week with a virtual showing of the film The Ride Ahead by Samuel and Dan Habib, which follows Samuel’s story as he learns to navigate adulthood while living with a disability.
Hosted in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Pushing the Boundaries, many community members attended and heard this very important story.
If you missed this screening, Federation will also be allowing screening access to another film, THIRTEEN, which tells the story of a girl being denied a traditional bat mitzvah by her rabbi due to her terminal illness and her mother’s fight to make Jewish rituals more accessible.
Inspired by writer Allison Norlian’s experience with her sister’s groundbreaking bat mitzvah as the first one held for someone with a disability at their synagogue, the movie brings to light the important topic of accessibility and how Jewish traditions can evolve to include people of all abilities.
If you’re interested in hosting a screening of this film at your synagogue or organization, you can reach out to Federation’s Director of Advocacy and External Relations, Jodi Green, at [email protected].
Later in the month, representatives from Federation will be attending the FedPro conference in Phoenix, Arizona, which will provide an opportunity to learn and grow with other Jewish Federation professionals from across the continent.
One of the sessions that will be held during the conference will be given by Meredith Polsky, Executive Director of Matan, an organization concerned with helping Jewish communities become more inclusive and accessible. Green will be Ottawa’s representative in this session and one of its featured speakers.
Green will talk about the steps that Federation has already taken to help foster a more inclusive community, as well as what is in the works to increase access for community members with diverse needs.
Speaking about the session, Polsky said “I’m going to try and provide a framework for what inclusion means in Jewish communal life, practical initial steps that any Federation professional can take in the short term and tools for thinking about where the organization is at currently and how to grow into being more inclusive.”
Federation is also doing important work behind the scenes to strengthen accessibility year-round. This includes a review of our website, branding, and font choices, with a focus on readability and clear design; thoughtful use of language across our materials so people feel comfortable requesting accommodations; and an ongoing review of our technology to better support visual and hearing accessibility. We also continue to seek partnerships and invest in local organizations doing meaningful work in this space.
To learn more about accessibility in Jewish Ottawa and how Federation is continuing this vital work, visit our JDAIM resource page here. For specific questions, contact Jodi Green at [email protected].