Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi argues that disability inclusion in Jewish life must shift from “good intentions” to expectation because People with Disabilities and their families have been pushed out of core community spaces. She writes that a beloved family member was excluded from Jewish life because Jewish organizations were “not willing or able” to include people with disabilities, and she adds that many other families experienced the same exclusion. Being “excluded from Jewish schools, camps and other experiences” is a direct denial of belonging that institutions can—and must—stop normalizing.
The article shows how disability inclusion gained momentum when Jewish philanthropy and allies refused to accept exclusion as the default. Mizrahi describes funders connecting through the Jewish Funders Network, other philanthropists joining as allies, and organizations expanding access in Jewish schools, synagogues, and camps; she says these efforts “changed lives” and shifted the narrative “from charity to belonging.” She also reports measurable progress in the organizations her fund supports—Jewish nonprofits were more likely to serve people with disabilities, include people with disabilities on boards, and train volunteers and leaders in welcoming practices—showing that leadership choices and expectations can move institutions toward inclusion.
Mizrahi rejects the excuse that accessibility is too complicated or expensive, naming “free and easy” actions that should be universal. She points to “Turning on Artificial Intelligence (AI) captions in Zoom, Teams or Google Meets is free,” choosing accessible venues, adding an access request field to registration forms, and allowing hybrid participation, insisting that for free or low-cost practices the goal should be 100% adoption. When organizations do not use captions, she says, that is “a moral and leadership problem,” and she stresses that accessibility must be visible before people register or they may never sign up at all. She also argues inclusion is sustainability and growth, citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data that 1-in-4 in the United States has some form of disability and warning that Jewish life loses participation when barriers remain in place.
For the “next phase,” Mizrahi calls for disability inclusion to be embedded in systems, budgets, and accountability so People with Disabilities are not merely served but hired, promoted, and represented in lay leadership. She names inclusive employment and leadership pathways, built-in accessibility across events, communications, and digital spaces (including screen-reader compatibility and plain language when possible), and funder-and-board accountability that tracks progress over time. Her conclusion is a demand to move from awareness to “universal belonging and leadership,” and for Community Builders that means acting on this principle now: “Accessibility should be the default,” not a special request.
Read the Full Article: From intention to expectation: The next phase of Jewish disability inclusion.
By: Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
