Inclusion
Inclusion

Disability Inclusion and Belonging

Federation CJA is proud to support children and adults living with disabilities and their families in meeting their unique challenges and ensuring their participation in Montreal Jewish communal life.

As a community convener, Federation CJA uses expert research and resources to build a culture of inclusivity for the Montreal Jewish community, while assuring that Jewish engagement and learning opportunities are accessible to everyone.

Current context

There are approximately 16,000 people aged 15 and over living with disabilities in the Montreal Jewish community. For many of these people, challenges related to their disabilities limit their full participation in society. Federation CJA is committed to working with a vast network of service delivery agencies to further address identified needs.

Four years ago, Federation CJA increased its investment in communal organizations working with individuals and families who are living with disabilities by more than 40%. In 2014, the Special Needs Granting Envelope evolved into the Inclusion Granting Envelope, which, in the 2019/2020 funding year, saw $271,500 distributed across ten support services.

In 2021, funding envelopes transitioned into one within the Impact Partner Investment Cycle (IPIC). This ensured alignment of our community investments within the three impact priority areas:

  1. Delivering Community Care with Compassion

    Dignified Living – Disability Inclusion – Responding to Critical Situations

  2. Strengthening Jewish Life and Continuity

    Access to Jewish Life – Jewish Education and Camping – Israel Experience and Engagement –Leadership Development

  3. Advancing Jewish Communal Interests

    Combatting Antisemitism and Racism – Ensuring Safety and Security – Commitment to Israel

In 2023-2024, $1,000,000 in approved funding will be supporting Disability Inclusion Impact Partners and Programs.

As part of our commitment to Delivering Community Care with Compassion Federation CJA created a brand-new dedicated full-time position on staff to support disability inclusion. This Staff Team Member serves as a key connector and convener for our stakeholders supporting the web of impact partners and community organizations. The manager also enables our vast network of supporters to work together towards innovative partnerships that meet the needs of members of the Montreal Jewish community living with disabilities.

SPACES is a first-of-its-kind collaboration that aims to harness the universal language of music to elevate the many voices of the disability community and recognize the real talents and achievements of these individuals. Everyone deserves to be seen and heard, and we are all creating our own unique spaces and experiences in this world. SPACES was developed from beginning to end with members of the spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) community. The song was written and performed by singer/songwriter James Ian.

JDAIM 2023 Events – Watch the video
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Recently, we welcomed back Arlene Fels, an ardent believer in Disability Inclusion at Federation CJA. Arlene, who has cerebral palsy, previously spent 19 years working at JVS/Ometz doing filing and serving as administrative support to their teams.
 
Arlene is passionate about seeing initiatives aimed at improving opportunities for those living with disabilities come to fruition. Two projects she holds near and dear are the Jewish Disability Awareness Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) Micro Grant and the presence of the Web Accessibility Widget across our impact partners’ websites.
 
The JDAIM Micro Grant initiative has encouraged organizations to lead by example by helping them to alleviate financial costs associated with running initiatives in the month of February as part of JDAIM. In the last 2 years, JDAIM Micro Grants have been awarded to 27 non-profit organizations including Jewish Day Schools, Synagogues and Community Organizations resulting in over 100 initiatives. Collaborations between community organizations, schools, speakers, and synagogues have also culminated in 93 collaborative opportunities.
 
Meanwhile, the Web Accessibility Widget caters to individuals with diverse needs including, but not limited to, those living with cognitive, neurological, speech, and visual disabilities by allowing them to more easily access web content. Over the last two years, Federation CJA awarded 2-year licenses for the widget to be embedded on the websites of 22 impact partners, including Ometz, Cummings, CSUQ, and others. Federation also proudly has embedded the widget on our own website.
 
We are grateful to donors like Arlene who have so generously supported these initiatives, which benefit so many.
 
Did you know…

There are approximately 16,000 people aged 15 and over living with disabilities in the Montreal Jewish community.

Federation CJA is proud to serve as a community convener, supporting children and adults alike living with disabilities.

We are committed to building a culture of inclusivity and assuring that Jewish engagement and learning opportunities are accessible for everyone.

When interacting with individuals living with diverse abilities:

  • Focus on the person, not the disability
  • Be patient and give your undivided attention, especially with someone who speaks or moves more slowly
  • Speak in first-person using concrete language
  • Listen and allow enough time for a response
  • Be yourself! It's much better to engage with someone and make a mistake than not to engage with them at all
 
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Shabbat Candlelight
February 21  5:12PM
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