2010 Itanu Toronto Inclusion Action Week Awards of Excellence, Shabbat Itanu & other Initiatives 2010-03-21 10:42:39
Inclusion Action Week |April 16 – 22, 2010
Goals of Inclusion Action Week
To further the objectives of the Inclusion Initiative of UJA Federation – to raise awareness and to change attitudes towards the inclusion of people with special needs, to promote and motivate community organizations to take action and to encourage the creation and implementation of inclusive programs and activities throughout the Jewish community.
Rationale
Inclusion Action Week helps direct the community’s attention on the challenges faced by people with special needs in accessing programs and activities in the community. The Week provides a focus for the activities of Itanu Toronto through communication and public relations around the Week, education and motivation of various groups to undertake their own inclusion activities, and raising the profile of Itanu Toronto.
A planning meeting to which synagogues and select community organizations were invited was held on December 17, 2009. The purpose of this meeting was to motivate, educate and share materials to encourage congregations across the broad spectrum of the Greater Toronto Jewish community to participate in Shabbat Itanu in April. The meeting was also utilized to launch “Breaking Down Barriers – A Synagogue Guide to Inclusion” (Itanu Toronto participated in the creation of this guide). Finally, the meeting was also the forum for launching the Accessibility Network of synagogues to which Itanu Toronto will provide staff support.
Shabbat Itanu April 16/17, 2010
A Shabbat of Inclusion Across the GTA
Ideas for Shabbat Itanu Activities:
- Rabbinic Reflections on Shabbat Itanu
Comments from Rabbi Erin Polonsky
Comments from Rabbi Jarrod Grover
- Redemption - poem
- Shabbat Itanu Program Ideas
Resources:
Jewish Special Education International Consortium, www.jsped.org
Union for Reform Judaism site on diability awareness, urj.org/life/community/disabilities/
RAC's Jewish Disability Site, rac.org/advocacy/issues/issuedr/jewishdisabilitymonth/
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, http://www.uscj.org/Accessibility7508.html
Yachad: The National Jewish Council for Disabilities, http://www.njcd.org/naim
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, http://jrf.org/Jewish-Disability-Awareness-Month
Films worth showing:
Praying with Lior, www.prayingwithlior.com
Autistic License, www.autisticlicenseplay.com
2010 Community Awards of Excellence - for more information, click here.
Thursday, April 22 | 7 pm | CNIB
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