Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
The article rejects the exclusionary stance of “we don’t do disability,” showing that Jewish institutions already serve people with disabilities wherever they engage in education, social justice, poverty alleviation, community building or Jewish engagement. Framing disability as a niche excludes students, congregants, volunteers, co-workers and loved ones who are already present and entitled to belong.
The author names the breadth of disability — visible and invisible, including mental health, neurodivergence, learning disabilities and chronic illness — and shows how exclusion compounds inequity. One in five people in the United States lives with a disability, and poverty rises because of barriers to employment, health care and transportation. Stigma and limited access to care burden families across synagogues and schools; a community that centers only some of its members weakens itself.
Access benefits everyone — the article’s “curb-cut effect” examples make the case. Curb cuts designed for wheelchair users also help parents pushing strollers and travelers with suitcases; captions assist people who are Deaf or hard of hearing and anyone who processes information better by reading; audiobooks, first created for people who are blind, also serve those who prefer listening.
Practical inclusion is sacred work — kavod habriyot, honoring human dignity. When synagogues, schools and programs start with access, everyone benefits from clearer communication, better design and attention to physical, emotional and cognitive access. For Community Builders, the charge is direct: stop excusing exclusion, embed accessibility in everyday operations and build a community where everyone truly belongs.
Read the Full Article: Disability inclusion is ‘outside our scope’? Think again.
By: Meredith Englander Polsky
