My long hair was somewhat of a shield when I was a girl — an effective way to hide my multicolored hearing aids from classmates with lingering questions and bullying tendencies. I’ve worn hearing aids since I was 3-years-old. Being hard of hearing caused delays in my mental and physical development, which made going to…
Over the last decade, more and more Jewish institutions and organizations have become conscious of the importance of the inclusion of people with disabilities and their families—and have taken action steps to make their communities more inclusive both in terms of creating welcoming culture and also in terms of making physical changes needed for accessibility….
As the Academy Awards declare their winners this weekend, I start my annual plea for inclusion of people with Disabilities in Hollywood. It has been over 30 years since Marlee Matlin won her Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Children of a Lesser God. She is the last actress with a recognizable physical…
A version of this article originally appeared in New Voices. I’ve met member of the House Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus Rep. James Langevin (D-RI), networked with RespectAbilityUSA president Jennifer Laszlo-Mizrahi, and practiced my ASL with program director of Gallaudet University Hillel Jacob Salem, the first-ever Hillel director who is Deaf. One year ago, as a freshman…
Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of a wheelchair-bound Palestinian man shot during clashes with Israeli troops. Ibrahim Abu Thurayya, 29, was one of four Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli troops on Friday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Two of the Palestinians were killed on the border with the Gaza, and two were killed in…
A double-amputee from Brooklyn has sued nearly 200 businesses in the last seven years for failing to accommodate customers in wheelchairs—which some see as abusing the legal system while others classify as fighting for fellow citizens with disabilities. Zoltan Hirsch, age 37, has filed 195 claims since 2010, the New York Post reported Saturday. The…
It would not be hard to imagine one’s mother exclaiming “Mother’s Day? You should be aware of your mother’s blessings every day of the year!” With Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion month (JDAIM) behind us, it is important not to lose momentum. The journey to advance inclusion is an ongoing process. While this quest is…
In his Bar Mitzvah video, Adam Wolfond, a non-speaking autistic person who types to communicate, explores the story of Moses and the Golden Calf to ask: “Does the Torah book answer the reasons why I don’t talk?” Viewed as non-relational and unaware because of his autism label, Adam expresses his relationship to others, his environment…
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