Accessibility and Accommodations in Jewish Spaces
Why is it important to make Jewish spaces truly accessible?
According to the CDC more than 1 in 4 (28.7%) people in the US live with a disability. Moreover, nearly all of us will have a disability impact either ourselves or a loved one in our lifetime. Yet, all too often, Jews with disabilities feel excluded from the fabric of Jewish life because Jewish spaces are inaccessible and fail to provide accommodations that allow for participation. Inaccessibility in Jewish spaces sadly states, “Disabled people are not welcome here,” creating an emotional wound that may never fully heal. If we are to live our values of tikkun olam, improving accessibility and accommodations is not a choice; it is an imperative.
DISABILITY
Disability arises from the way people with disability (physical disability, intellectual and developmental disability, mental illness, sensory disability, neurological disability, learning disability, chronic health conditions, physical disfigurement, etc.) interact with the world. Individuals encounter physical barriers, digital barriers and barriers of attitudes and communication. These barriers impact an individual’s ability to participate equitably in society. This understanding of disability contrasts with the old way of thinking that disability is an individual’s impairment or medical condition to be treated, fixed or cured. Disability is a natural part of the human condition.
ACCESSIBILITY
Ensuring those with disabilities have free and full access to the same programs, services, and spaces as those without disabilities.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Individualized changes to ensure individuals with disabilities can participate fully.
ABLEISM
Discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities, often with a patronizing desire to “cure” their disability and make them “normal”; a complex set of power structures, systems, practices, and policies that deny disabled people access, agency, resources, and self-determination.
Why is it important to engage individuals with disabilities in accessibility and accommodation efforts?
To truly understand individual needs, transform organizational structures, and create inclusive cultures, it is essential to engage individuals with disabilities (and caregivers) in accessibility and accommodations efforts. The lived experience and insights of this population are invaluable. Many people with disabilities are natural problem-solvers, adept at navigating and dismantling barriers. Conducting accessibility tour(s) with members with a variety of disabilities, soliciting suggestions via a community survey, and engaging individuals with disabilities in leadership roles (Board positions, committees, etc.) empowers those with disabilities while helping to enrich understanding, challenge assumptions, and ensure policies, practices, programs, and priorities reflect community needs.
What can you and your organization do?
1. Always assume a person with a disability knows what they need. Don’t do things for a person, do them with a person. Ask the person how you can make services, programs, events, etc. more accessible for them. A simple, “Do you need any help with that?” can also be used for personal interactions. If you are a person, or the loved one of a person, who needs accommodations to participate fully, actively share what you or they need.
2. Create connection and belonging opportunities within your Jewish space. Ensure individuals with disabilities have the same opportunities to participate in social connection as everyone else, which means choosing accessible venues for gatherings, offering virtual opportunities to connect, providing interpretation services/captioning or other accommodations. Encourage community members to become familiar with each other in ways that lead to further understanding of the whole person.
3. Learn who in your community may need accommodations to participate fully. Remember to consider individuals with invisible disabilities, including those who may be homebound, chronically ill, or have mental health challenges, as well as those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Add a section to membership and program registration forms that asks individuals to share their needs and invites them to request specific accommodations. Offer to reach out and ask how you can provide better access or help ensure participation in religious life. Create a volunteer program to match buddies with those who may be new to the community, attend services or programs alone, cannot attend in person, or seem less engaged.
4. Install assistive equipment (i.e., ramps, handrails, automatic door openers, etc.) to make sure that your physical spaces are genuinely accessible. Ensure any accessible bathroom is clearly labeled, with doors that can be easily opened by a single individual. Toilets, door locks, sinks, towel dispensers, and changing tables should be at different heights to accommodate different disabilities. Remember to arrange all furniture throughout the building, including seats in the sanctuary and social hall, to allow access. Never block accessible parking spots, access aisles, or curb cuts with vehicles, snow storage, or delivery trucks and add extra accessible parking for special events.
5. Ensure access to the bimah. Build ramps or install temporary ones. Until there is full access to the bima, create a means for bringing the Torah to the same level as the sanctuary’s seats. Also use a Torah table that can be accessed at various heights. These can be bought or built by a community member.
6. Welcome those with different disabilities by providing a variety of accommodations. Provide Braille and large print siddurs, hearing assistance devices, noise cancelling headphones or earplugs, quiet spaces, fidget objects, food options to meet different dietary restrictions, scent free environments, music stands to hold prayerbooks, page number display and announcement during services, and audio description and captioning as standard practice.
Additionally, keep in mind that we each can provide accommodations on a personal level as needed or requested (e.g., facing someone when speaking, wearing name tags or repeating your name, being patient with slow physical movements and/or emotional outbursts, asking questions with yes/no answers). Again, getting to know individuals with disabilities will help you learn which accommodations are needed.
7. Be flexible when accommodation needs clash. Consider thoughtful and creative solutions when different needs conflict (e.g., one person has a service dog and another has severe dog allergies; one person is hard-of-hearing, but another has sound sensitivity). True accessibility requires the ability to make changes, sometimes in the moment, to accommodate various people’s needs.
8. Make your website and written materials accessible and ensure your website conveys needed information about accessibility. Add an accessibility widget to your website with tools like a screen reader, font size adaptability, contrast changes, and much more. There are free, basic accessibility widgets that can be added to your site (e.g. UserWay) as well as more advanced widgets that can be purchased. Or hire a designer who knows the ins and outs of web accessibility. Content on your website is equally important. Add an accessibility tab that details the accessibility features of your space and accommodations available upon request. This page should also acknowledge accessibility challenges. If possible, create and post a video that provides a visual and audio guide to physical accessibility and available accommodations.
9. Elevate your options for virtual participation. Designate virtual greeters when possible and include chat features to build community among virtual participants. Work to ensure services, events, educational programs, and social gatherings include a virtual option for joining.
10. Create a strategic plan and a budget for improving accessibility and accommodations. Consider all the changes you would like to make and create a master plan for achieving your goals, including smaller and larger construction projects along with on-going needs (e.g., ASL interpretation). Consult with professionals familiar with Universal Design standards and involve individuals with disabilities in any remodeling plans. While there will be some low cost means for improving access, other improvements will require significant funds. Add a line item for accessibility improvements to your organizational budget and consider creating a special fund for accessibility donations.
11. Actively work to dismantle ableism. Raise awareness about the pervasiveness of ableism. Jewish communities are not immune from the societal tendency to ignore invisible disabilities, view disability through a lens of deficit, or consider accommodations acts of charity. Check yourself for language, attitudes, or actions that assume a disabled person is less competent or less interested in engaging fully with Jewish life.
First image by Malte Mueller/Getty Images
Sources: Allison Wallis, How to Make Jewish Spaces More Accessible for Disabled Jews Like Me, Kveller, April 2021. Michelle Friedman, Diversity and Inclusion in Jewish Leadership, Jewish Disability Inclusion News, Dec 2024. Emily Ladau, Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally. Australian Disability Network, What is Disability?