CELEBRATING JEWISH DISABILITY AWARENESS ACCEPTANCE AND INCLUSION MONTH (JDAIM)

Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County is proud to celebrate the 15th annual Jewish Disability Awareness Acceptance & Inclusion Month (JDAIM) during February 2024.

Founded in 2009 and initiated by the Jewish Special Education International Consortium, JDAIM is a call to action for Jewish people with or without disabilities worldwide to promote inclusion and belonging.  JDAIM is recognized as a time to raise awareness, promote inclusion and belonging, and celebrate the diversity of individuals with disabilities, including mental health conditions.

Ready to take action? The following are ways that you can be part of JDAIM:

1. Raise Awareness: Have meaningful conversations about disability inclusion. Participate in a JDAIM campaign. Share this blog post with your colleagues, friends, and family.
2. Promote Inclusion: Inclusion should be incorporated into everything we do. The words we use should always be inclusive of individuals with disabilities. Be mindful of how you treat others; people with disabilities should not be treated differently. Create environments where everyone feels like they belong.
3. Enhance Accessibility: Find ways to make your community more accessible. Whether that’s advocating to add a ramp outside your building, making professional websites accessible, turning on closed captions in online meetings, or encouraging your place of employment to add an accommodation statement to marketing materials.

JDAIM serves as a reminder that inclusion is not simply a goal, but a continuous journey. By thinking of inclusion as a forethought rather than an afterthought, we are taking the next step from inclusion to belonging. Through collective efforts, JDAIM empowers communities to embrace and appreciate the unique abilities of every individual, fostering a sense of belonging for all.

Resources to Utilize:

• Raising awareness and advocating for individuals with disabilities
• Guidelines on inclusive language
• How to make your website accessible

About Jewish Disabilities Network (JDN)

JDN is committed to promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in our local Jewish community, inspiring innovative accessible resources and programming, and embracing diversity. Click here to learn more.