A Clergy Resource Guide
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
When Every Need is Special: NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING A Clergy Resource Guide For the best in child, family and senior services...Think JSSA Jewish Social Service Agency Rockville (Wood Hill Road), 301.838.4200 • Rockville (Montrose Road), 301.881.3700 • Fairfax, 703.204.9100 www.jssa.org - [email protected] WHEN EVERY NEED IS SPECIAL – NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING PREFACE This February, JSSA was privileged to welcome 17 rabbis and cantors to our Clergy Training Program – When Every Need is Special: Navigating Special Needs in the Synagogue Environment. Participants spanned the denominational spectrum, representing communities serving thousands throughout the Washington region. Recognizing that many area clergy who wished to attend were unable to do so, JSSA has made the accompanying Clergy Resource Guide available in a digital format. Inside you will find slides from the presentation made by JSSA social workers, lists of services and contacts selected for their relevance to local clergy, and tachlis items, like an ‘Inclusion Check‐list’, Jewish source material and divrei Torah on Special Needs and Disabilities. The feedback we have received indicates that this has been a valuable resource for all clergy. Please contact Rabbi James Kahn or Natalie Merkur Rose with any questions, comments or for additional resources. L’shalom, Rabbi James Q. Kahn, Director of Jewish Engagement & Chaplaincy Services Email [email protected]; Phone 301.610.8356 Natalie Merkur Rose, LCSW‐C, LICSW, Director of Jewish Community Outreach Email [email protected]; Phone 301.610.8319 WHEN EVERY NEED IS SPECIAL – NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING RESOURCE GUIDE: TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: SESSION MATERIALS FOR REVIEW PAGE Program Agenda .......................................................................................................... 2 Presenter Bios .............................................................................................................. 3 Presentation Slides What Parents are Feeling .................................................................................... 6 Developmental Disabilities ................................................................................... 8 Intellectual Disabilities.......................................................................................... 8 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) ...................................................................... 10 Tourette Syndrome ............................................................................................ 11 Physical Disabilities ........................................................................................... 12 Deaf/Hard of Hearing ......................................................................................... 13 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) ................................................ 14 Tips for Helping People with Disabilities ............................................................ 15 What Do People With Disabilities Want? ........................................................... 16 Parent as the Warrior for His/Her Child .............................................................. 18 How this Translates to Clergy Work ................................................................... 19 Exploring the Conversation ................................................................................ 20 Ritual & B’nai Mitzvah ........................................................................................ 23 Clergy Role: o Your Role .............................................................................................. 25 o Helpful Ways to Respond ..................................................................... 26 o Suggested Questions ............................................................................ 27 Suggested Modifications: o Questions to Ponder ............................................................................. 31 o Supports to Consider During Services .................................................. 32 o Suggestions for Integrating Families o into Congregational Life ........................................................................ 33 o Suggestions for Integrating Families into Congregational Life .............. 34 Looking for Resources ....................................................................................... 35 Learn more about JSSA at www.jssa.org .......................................................... 36 Connect With JSSA ........................................................................................... 37 SECTION 2: RESOURCES: LOCAL, NATIONAL & BEYOND JSSA Flyers Special Needs Services ..................................................................................... 40 JSSA Center for Autism Through the Lifespan .................................................. 41 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community Services ................................................ 42 Early Childhood Services ................................................................................... 43 BFF Camp ......................................................................................................... 44 Local Resources ......................................................................................................... 45 Regional Camps ........................................................................................................ 47 Resource Guides & Curriculum .................................................................................. 48 State Resources ......................................................................................................... 49 Respite Services ........................................................................................................ 50 Early Detection Services ............................................................................................ 50 Evaluators/Consultations ............................................................................................ 51 Vocational Programs .................................................................................................. 51 Additional Resources ................................................................................................ 52 Diamonds in the Rough Flyer 2013 ............................................................................ 56 PJLL Jewish Disability Month Resource Guide .......................................................... 57 SECTION 3: SYNAGOGUE RESOURCES Synagogue Inclusion Project Toolkit: - Jewish Family & Children’s Service, 2011 ..................................................................................................... 79 Department of Jewish Family Concerns - Union for Reform Judaism ....................... 86 Inclusion Rating Tool - Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston .................... 89 Al Pi Darco - According To Their Ways: A Special Needs Educational Resource Manual (UAHC Press, 2003) ................................................................................ 93 SECTION 4: DIVREI TORAH & SOURCE MATERIAL Exploring the J in JSSA: Purim and Jewish Disability Awareness Month by Rabbi James Q. Kahn ........................................................................................ 98 Moses Disability and Jewish Life .............................................................................. 100 Parsing the ‘Quest for Excellence’ in Jewish Life ..................................................... 101 Normalizing ‘Disability’ – An additional text – Talmud Bavli, Megillah 24b ............... 102 To Stand on Holy Ground by Rabbi Michael Levy .................................................... 104 Sources compiled by The Jewish Inclusion Project: Inclusion Training for Rabbis ... 110 SECTION 5 - RELEVANT ARTICLES & ESSAYS You Have Probably Never Met Someone Like Me by Jacob Artson ......................... 126 Everyone is Someone’s Jacob: What I’ve Learned from my Autistic Son by Rabbi Bradley Shvit Artson ......................................................................... 128 My Special Daughter (and her special brother) by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson ...... 132 After the Diagnosis by Cantor Karen Weber Gilat (Lilith Summer 2008) ..................... 134 Session Materials for Review 1 WHEN EVERY NEED IS SPECIAL – NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING TODAY’S AGENDA FEBRUARY 27, 2013 10 – 1PM I. Welcome II. Program Orientation & Introductions III. Jewish Frame: Moses, Disability & Jewish Life IV. Common Disabilities V. The Special Needs Journey {Break - 10 min} VI. Exploring the Conversation a. Case & Clergy Scenarios b. Practical Suggestions and Strategies VII. Q & A VIII. Text-based Discussion: Parsing ‘The Quest for Excellence’ in Jewish Life IX. Resources X. Closing 2 WHEN EVERY NEED IS SPECIAL – NAVIGATING SPECIAL NEEDS IN A CONGREGATIONAL SETTING Presenters & Moderators Jamell White, LCSW‐C, Clinical Social Worker, Director of Special Needs & Deaf Services Jamell assists individuals and families as they transition through life’s milestones. As a therapist and care coordinator, she aids clients to foster supportive, productive relationships in a variety of settings ‐ from school to home, camp to congregation. Jamell oversees JSSA's Autism Services Across the Lifespan Program, and is a collaborative divorce and child specialist. She has Master’s degrees in Social Work, Special