JDAIM Programming

February 2021: Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion Month

Please join the Pozez JCC in attending these great no-cost programs for JDAIM! 
To check out more incredible programs in honor of JDAIM, please go to www.jewishtogether.org/jdaim. 

Film: Intelligent Lives and Engaging Discussion 
Tuesday, February 2nd, 7:30pm-8:30pm

Join the Pozez JCC, Edlavitch DCJCC Inclusion & Disabilities program, and RespectAbility for an on-demand screening (becoming available on January 30) of Intelligent Lives, followed by a live discussion on February 2nd at 7:30pm. Both the film and discussion are free to attend and open to the public.

Intelligent Lives stars three pioneering young American adults with intellectual disabilities - Micah, Naieer, and Naomie - who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college and the workforce. Academy Award-winning actor and narrator Chris Cooper contextualizes the lives of these central characters through the emotional story of his son, Jesse, as the film unpacks the shameful and ongoing track record of intelligence testing in the United States. Intelligent Lives is a catalyst to transform the label of intellectual disability from a life sentence of isolation into a life of possibility for the most systematically segregated people in America.

On Tuesday, February 2 at 7:30pm, participate in a lively dialogue about the poignant film, Intelligent Lives, moderated by Joy Stein, Director of Inclusion and Disability Programming at the Edlavitch DCJCC.

Featured panelists are Carly Okyle, Jordyn Zimmerman, and Yonatan Koch, all members of RespectAbility’s National Disability Speakers Bureau.

Please note that there are two versions of this film available for streaming: For a version of the film with closed captioning, please click here. For a version of the film with both closed captioning and audio description, please click here.

After this content becomes available on January 30 starting at 6pm, you will have 5 days to start watching. Once you begin, you’ll have 72 hours to finish watching the film. The February 2nd at 7:30pm livestream discussion can be viewed anytime until February 5th at 11:45pm.

Co-sponsored with Edlavitch DCJCC and RespectAbility. 

Kol Ami’s Inclusion Shabbat 
Saturday, February 6, 10am-12pm

In observance of Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month, Jewish singer-songwriter Nick May, featured in Washington Jewish Week’s “You Should Know” column, will be leading this creative, family friendly, inclusiveness-themed Shabbat service on Saturday, February beginning at 10am.

In addition to playing his original songs, Nick will share how music played an important role in helping him overcome a speech disorder. The service will also feature a special activity for children led by Jessica Tischler, Special Needs and Inclusion Director at the Pozez JCC of Northern Virginia and author of We All Can Color.

This service is open to the broader community. To register, please click here.

In partnership with:

Author Talk: Amy S.F. Lutz,We Walk…Living with Extreme Autism (on Zoom)
Wednesday, February 17, 7pm-8pm

Featuring Amy S.F. Lutz, writer, parent advocate, and historian of medicine

Join us for an inspiring talk by author Amy S.F. Lutz on her memoir about autism. In We Walk, Amy combines personal narrative, interviews, and research in philosophy, psychology, and sociology to examine social issues such as inclusion, therapeutics, and religion through the lens of her son Jonah. In a time when public perception of autism is shaped largely by “quirky geniuses” featured on television shows (Big Bang Theory, The Good Doctor), her book insists that public debates about this disorder spotlight those who are most impacted by it. Ms. Lutz’ book may be purchased at our local independent bookstore, Scrawl Books at: https://www.scrawlbooks.com/search/site/amy%20s.f.%20lutz 

Fee: Complimentary (However, registration is required.)
To Register, please click here. After registering you will receive a Zoom access link.

Questions? Contact Jessica.Tischler@thej.org  or Shari.Berman@thej.org .

Presented in partnership with the Jewish Book Council and Edlavitch DCJCC