Jewish Disabilities Advocates Hosts Yachad Disability Sensitivity Training

Jewish Disabilities Advocates, a program of Jewish Family Service formerly known as Jewish Disabilities Network, hosts a Yachad Disability Sensitivity Training called “Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes” as part of Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month. The training will be held on Sunday, February 22, 1:00-3:00 pm, at the Hebrew Education Alliance (HEA), 3600 S. Ivanhoe St. in Denver. Michael Appelbaum, program director for Yachad’s adult programming division for individuals with developmental disabilities, will facilitate this free training workshop.

The workshop is designed to help sensitize teachers, camp staff, parents, and high school students to a variety of learning challenges that students with disabilities may be experiencing. The workshop consists of stations that mirror various student disabilities with discussion questions for each. Stations include auditory, visual, dyslexia, writing, fine motor, gross motor, autism spectrum, ADHD, and Down syndrome. Participants will be divided into small groups and rotate from station to station for an interactive, hands-on experience.

The learning objectives are to:

1.      Sensitize individuals to challenges experienced by students and peers with disabilities.

2.      Understand the range of learning challenges that a student may experience in the classroom.

3.      Through understanding, help build social acceptance among all members of the classroom and community.

RSVP to Lynn Rubenstein, 303.623.0251, lrubenstein@jewishfamilyservice.org by February 15.

About Jewish Disabilities Advocates
Jewish Disabilities Advocates (JDA) provides a single-point-of-entry to case management, information and referral, recreational activities, and Jewish cultural and educational opportunities for Jewish individuals with disabilities, and provides associated services to their families. The JDA supports Jewish agencies in their work to include people with disabilities at their own facilities by providing resources, information, and educational workshops. A Jewish Disabilities Advocates Inclusion Committee is in place to raise awareness and accommodation of people with disabilities within Jewish community agencies and institutions through education, mentoring, and advisement.