Engage your students and educators in compelling, experiential programming to cultivate a culture of a culture of respect and appreciation of learning, physical, and developmental differences.
Our Program
By focusing on the overall culture and mindset of the community towards difference and disability, Shiluv (or “Inclusion”) stands in contrast to traditional approaches to disability awareness and sensitivity trainings, seeking to shift understandings of what it truly means to embrace and include people with a variety of developmental variations.
Students will be exposed to films, literature, and Jewish texts, exploring themes of diversity, disability, accessibility, and equity. Students will hear from speakers with disabilities first-hand and engage in dialogue to deepen their understanding of the lived experiences of people with disabilities. As an optional add-on, faculty will have the opportunity to participate in professional learning to develop shared language and cultivate their own inclusive mindset to facilitate an ongoing inclusive culture in the school.
To bring any of this programming to your school and discuss customization options, please email us at .
Classroom Lesson Plans and Activities
Choose from one of the following:
- In partnership with ReelAbilities, a Gateways consultant will facilitate a remote film screening and activity.
- Or, Gateways will provide a lesson plan with suggested texts and discussion guides to be facilitated by a teacher or other school staff member.
Through the above activities, students will:
- Consider the lived experiences of people with various types of disabilities and participate in a guided discussion incorporating Jewish themes.
- Engage with Jewish content related to disability and the themes raised in the book or film.
- Consider their preconceptions about disability, address stigma associated with disability, and develop an appreciation for their own differences and the differences of their peers.
- Brainstorm questions for the upcoming speaker
Disability-Specific Speaker Series
Gateways will coordinate and facilitate presentations with speakers with various disabilities (i.e., Autism, intellectual disability, blindness and low vision, deafness and hard of hearing, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, etc.) to share about their lived experiences, experiences in school, with friends, and navigating their differences while forming a positive identity.
Training for Teachers
Gateways will coordinate and facilitate presentations with speakers with various disabilities (i.e., Autism, intellectual disability, blindness and low vision, deafness and hard of hearing, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, etc.) to share about their lived experiences, experiences in school, with friends, and navigating their differences while forming a positive identity.
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