This heartwarming story showcases a family's dedication to celebrating Hanukkah with their son, Dov Marcus, who has intellectual disabilities. It highlights the importance of faith communities creating welcoming and accessible environments for all believers.
How faith communities can be welcoming of believers with disabilities this holiday season and beyondAl menos 20 muertos en Gaza por ataques aéreos israelíes, según médicos palestinosEn las ruinas de una iglesia bombardeada en Líbano, hay un pequeño árbol de NavidadKathleen Krueger and her daughter, Megan, 28, sit together at their home in Racine, Wis., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.
Mount Olivet United Methodist Church, one of the congregations, is hosting a “Calm Christmas,” a sensory-friendly celebration and worship, where music will come from a guitar, rather than a piano, and candles will be swapped for glow sticks to avoid any dangers. There are fidget toys and a “visual schedule” to help those needing images and graphics to better process the sequence of events.
Bunk, who has bipolar disorder and lives in Virginia, said she especially likes seeing people with disabilities worshipping with the full congregation, rather than separately. “The idea isn’t to give him his one opportunity a year to be called up to the Torah for the blessings,” said Stephen Glicksman, a synagogue member and director of innovation at Makor Care & Services Network which supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families and is co-sponsoring the service.
His parents became aware of his sensitivity to sounds the first time they took him to synagogue. During the Jewish holiday of Purim, he became overwhelmed by the loud congregation. It would also happen when he heard the shofar — a ceremonial ram’s horn, sounded on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. “To see Dovie light up the room, to be included and respected the way he is and honored — that’s the highlight of the Hanukkah holiday.”David Mandell, psychiatry professor and director of the Penn Center for Mental Health at the University of Pennsylvania, urged leaders to make their houses of worship hospitable from the moment members enter the door, considering such things as how greeters are trained. The message that all are welcome, he said, should also come from the pulpit.
In Wisconsin, Kathleen Krueger said attending church with her daughter, who has cognitive disabilities and autism, was at times very challenging, especially when she was younger. When her daughter had an outburst, people would stare, she said.
Disability Inclusion Faith Hanukkah Accessibility
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