Welcoming People With Disabilities Into Your Synagogue

Disability Awareness Month in the Boston Jewish Community Iyar 5766 (April 29 - May 27, 2006)

Support Disability Awareness Month in the Jewish Community...

Dedicate a kiddush or oneg Shabbat in honor of Disability Awareness Month.
Invite a speaker on community inclusion to lead a program in honor of Disability Awareness Month.
Designate preschool or religious school tzedakah during the month for the synagogue's accessibility fund or to enhance access to the building or to programs.
Add a relevant quote to the bulletin each week during Disability Awareness Month.
Join the Accessible Congregations Campaign of the National Organization on Disability

Rabbis can...

Make a commitment to creating an inclusive synagogue community.
Learn more about the disabilities among members of your congregation and consider any special pastoral care that may be needed.
Use “people-first” language when referring to people with disabilities and in written communications.
Urge your congregation to consider people with disabilities when hiring staff and when electing congregational leaders.
Encourage your congregation’s religious school to infuse the curriculum with multisensory teaching strategies to encourage success by all students. Encourage the religious school to include disability awareness in its curriculum about Jewish values.
Read your movement’s statements on disabilities.
Speak from the pulpit about disabilities and the importance of inclusion.
Welcome people with disabilities as b’nai mitzvah.

Congregations can...

Take the following action steps right now:

Make a commitment to creating an inclusive synagogue community.
Use “people-first language” in all synagogue publications, communications, and on the website.
Add the universal access symbol to your synagogue’s ads, signs, and publications, and include a statement that all are welcome.
Hold a discussion or training session with staff members, the board, congregants and teachers about welcoming people with disabilities. Instruct ushers regarding appropriate ways to greet and offer assistance to people with disabilities.
Review synagogue programs for inclusivity. Encourage people with disabilities to participate fully in all aspects of synagogue life. Are people with disabilities active participants on committees, the board, sisterhood and men’s club, in all programs and services, and on the staff?
Review attitudes conveyed by written policies and unwritten codes of conduct toward people who look or act differently from others.
Welcome children with disabilities into the pre-school and religious school. Commit to including children with disabilities in the synagogue youth groups. Speak to children with disabilities and their families about the ways that the religious school and youth group could be welcoming.

Take additional steps...

Create a committee on accessibility. Ensure that people with disabilities participate in the review of the synagogue’s physical and programmatic accessibility.
Assess the synagogue’s physical accessibility: Is the building wheelchair accessible? Is the bimah accessible? Could someone with fine motor limitations or a visual impairment open the ark? Is there space in the sanctuary for people in wheelchairs? Are light switches, water faucets, water fountains and mezzuzot at appropriate heights for people in wheelchairs or those who are small? Are the kippot and talleisim low enough for all to reach? What about the siddurim and chumashim? Does the building have adequate lighting? Are there companion restrooms so that a spouse, parent or PCA can assist someone of the opposite sex?
“Improve your synagogue’s air quality by dusting woodwork, brass and other fixtures in the sanctuary, vacuuming with a HEPA filter and cleaning air conditioning filters on a regular basis.” (from, “Opening the Gates of Torah 50 Plus Programming and Action Ideas,” Opening the Gates of Torah Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month Resource Packet, Special Needs Department Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning, Board of Jewish Education of Greater Washington, November 2004)
Place directions to accessible entrances on doorways that are not accessible. Keep the accessible entrance unlocked when the synagogue is in use.
Install Braille and raised-letter signage. Offer Braille and large-print siddurim and chumashim, and offer assistive listening devices for those who are hard of hearing. Explore other assistive devices or accommodations that would facilitate inclusion.
Learn about resources for deaf congregants, including ASL interpreted services, which enhance accessibility for them.
Keep resource information about disability-related programs and services, Jewish special education, and Jewish values related to disability in the synagogue library.
Speak to the synagogue webmaster about making the website accessible.
Offer transportation to services and programs to those who can’t drive themselves.
Locate and support local Jewish disability programs.