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Supporting Inclusion Across Jewish Atlanta

Did you know that one in five individuals lives with a disability? JAccess, an initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, is dedicated to creating a community where everyone belongs. We celebrate the unique abilities of every individual and amplify the voices of people with disabilities.

Through JAccess, the Federation provides synagogues, camps, schools, and organizations across Jewish Atlanta with the tools and resources needed to welcome and include people of all abilities. Together, we’re fostering a stronger, more inclusive Jewish community for all generations.

Advocacy Work
JAccess Impact Report
VISIT JACCESS FACEBOOK PAGE
JAccess Large Scale Grant Application
JAccess Accessibility Fund Details
Apply! JAccess Accessibility Fund

What We Do

  • Lift the voices and perspectives of people with disabilities across Jewish Atlanta. 
  • Foster collaboration and planning around disability inclusion across the Jewish ecosystem.
  • Increase the capacity of Jewish Atlanta agencies in creating a community where people with disabilities are engaged, supported, and feel a sense of belonging. 

Funding Opportunities

  • JAccess Accessibility Fund: The JAccess Accessibility Grant is designed to promote inclusivity and celebrate the uniqueness and abilities of every community member across the lifespan. This grant supports Jewish Atlanta in welcoming and including people with disabilities in synagogues, camps, schools, and other Jewish organizations.

    The grant is offered throughout the year, with $6,250 available for grant funding each quarter and a maximum amount of $1,500 per organization.

    Grant Quarters:

    • July – September 2024
    • October – December 2024
    • January – March 2025
    • April – June 2025
  • Large Scale Grants: Applications are open! JAccess offers Jewish community partners the opportunity to apply for grant funding ranging from $10,000 to $20,000. This one-year grant will support community partners in launching projects that create more inclusive and accessible communities for people with disabilities.

JAccess Community Initiatives

  • Community Programs
    Programs that lift the voices and perspectives of people with disabilities while fostering shared community dialogue and a vision for disability inclusion.
  • Training
    Training for professionals, lay leaders, volunteers, and students to increase awareness of people with disabilities and the barriers they face engaging in Jewish life. In 2024, JAccess provided training to 1,372 community members.
  • JAccess Inclusion Grants
    Grants designed to foster community inclusion projects. In 2024, JAccess awarded funding for 24 inclusion projects.
  • The Ina Enoch Training Fund
    Providing funding to Atlanta professionals and lay leaders seeking skill-building opportunities around disability inclusion.
  • Information and Referral
    Helping individuals and professionals connect to essential local resources.

Engaging Synagogues

JAccess has a long history of supporting synagogues and religious schools in becoming welcoming communities for all. JAccess offers an 18-month-long Disability Awareness and Accessibility Education Project designed to help synagogues create inclusive communities for people with disabilities. This initiative ensures that spaces, information, and materials are accessible, and that community members understand the social model of disability and the importance of fostering inclusivity.

The project will kick off with the Synagogue Disability Inclusion Committee Luncheon on September 21st at Temple Sinai. If you or members of your synagogue would like to get involved, please contact amurphy@jfga.org.

Educational Support:

  • Jewish classroom observations and inclusion strategy consultations.
  • A Shared Resource Library, loaning curriculum, sensory materials, and a beautiful illustrated Torah, to Jewish educational settings.
  • Skill building trainings for educators, including Bright from the Start certified trainings for early childhood professionals.

Early Child Education Initiative

In December 2024, JAccess introduced a preschool initiative to address the need for Jewish preschools to be more inclusive of students with disabilities, fostering a community that welcomes, cares for, and educates all children.

JAccess believes that by supporting attitudinal changes and upskilling preschool staff to build their inclusion competencies, it could increase their capacity and knowledge, enabling them to develop and implement strategies to ensure preschools are more inclusive and that students with disabilities are welcomed and supported in the classroom.

This initiative included two preschools and introduced a curriculum aimed at building the capacity of preschool educators. It focused on strengthening classroom culture and structure through teacher-led strategies, parental engagement, and internal and external supports, positively impacting students enrolled in Jewish preschools.

For more information, please contact amurphy@jfga.org.

Events

JAccess Training Initiative

Accessibility in Jewish Atlanta promotes equal participation in Jewish life. The JAccess initiative is committed to a vision of creating opportunities for building ordinary lives in a thriving Jewish Atlanta. We provide training to improve understanding and practices of accessibility and belonging. Our training program offers several benefits, including:

Awareness and Acceptance: Training helps individuals and organizations identify barriers for people with disabilities and highlights the importance of inclusivity.

Professional Development: It provides practical skills for creating accessible environments in physical spaces, programming, and communication.

Policy Implementation: Training guides organizations in developing policies that promote accessibility and inclusion, ensuring legal compliance and ethical practices.

Community Engagement: Participants learn to engage with diverse backgrounds, fostering stronger relationships and collaboration.

Sustainable Change: Ongoing training encourages a culture of continuous improvement, making accessibility and belonging core aspects of community life.

Interested in learning more? Check out the training guide here.

Why invest in JAccess training?
Investing in training helps Jewish Atlanta build an inclusive community. JAccess training offers donor-funded courses for advocates, professionals, and disability rights leaders in in-person, hybrid, and virtual formats. Contact lflax@jfga.org to discuss your learning journey.

Ina Enoch Training Fund
Training support is available for community professionals and lay leaders who wish to attend professional development opportunities that support the inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families. Individuals wishing to apply for funding may do so by submitting a completed Training Fund Application. The completed application must be submitted no less than 8 weeks prior to the training date. Applications must include organization and/or individual financial participation. Applicants will be informed of the final decision within 2–4 weeks of submission.

Apply Here:

Application – Ina Enoch Training Fund

Meet the JAccess Trainer, Lindsey Flax

Lindsey Flax is the JAccess Training Coordinator at JAccess, an initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. She leads training and workshops on accessibility best practices while advocating for the disabled Jewish community to live independent, ordinary lives.  

Lindsey has an extensive background in disability advocacy, holding roles at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Full Radius Dance, The Smithsonian Institution, and as a graduate trainee from Georgia State University’s Center for Leadership in Disability Georgia LEND program. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Studio Art from Beacon College, the first accredited college for students with Learning Disabilities. Lindsey serves as a leader in Atlanta’s accessibility sector, dedicated to fostering connected, creative, and accessible communities for people with disabilities to thrive. 

JAccess Resources and Guides:

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