Disability Advocacy for Small Congregations

My hometown of Orlando, FL, has been on my mind a lot lately, mostly because its "seasonal" temperatures in the 50s seem much more enjoyable than the below-freezing temperatures in Washington, D.C. But on Monday, the city that brought us Disney World popped into my mind for a reason that had absolutely nothing to do with the weather--and everything to do with my work as the legislative assistant for disability issues.

I received an e-mail from the Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition (now the American Association for People with Disabilities, of which the URJ is a member, about a USA Today article on inclusion of people with disabilities in church life. The article was written by Mark I. Pinsky, a former religion writer for my hometown newspaper and member of Congregation of Reform Judaism (his son was in my b'nai mitzvah class!)

Pinsky's article details the challenges faced by small churches that want to be fully accessible to people with disabilities. Although the article deals exclusively with Christian faith organizations, it is still a thoughtful and useful account for our inclusion work in Reform Jewish communities throughout North America, particularly as February's Jewish Disability Awareness Month approaches.

For example, Pinsky writes: "Changing attitudes, implementing programs and making modest accommodations -- as opposed to costly changes in architecture and adding paid staff -- can be relatively inexpensive, even for smaller congregations, and even during a recession." Jewish Disability Awareness Month is a perfect opportunity to do all of those things, whether your congregation chooses to host an Inclusion Shabbat, incorporate special needs education into your religious school, or start an inclusion task force dedicated to raising awareness year round and making your congregation accessible.

Please e-mail the Religous Action Center to learn more about what your congregation can do to make your community more accessible.

I'm also here to lend an ear to anyone who wants to reminisce about the warm Florida weather!