Keruv Korner

In honor of Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) in February, the Keruv Committee asked Beth El member Naomi FioRito to share her personal experience as mother of a child with special needs. Her daughter Paige is diagnosed as having a genetic anomaly in the CTNAP2 gene. She has a seizure disorder and global cognitive and physical delays, and she requires maximum assistance with life’s basic tasks. Below, Naomi describes several organizations that have provided fun and meaningful experiences for her daughter and additional support to their entire family.

As my brain considers which tools to pull out of my arsenal, my body temperature starts to rise. A calm and completely unfazed demeanor must prevail because one scent of anxiety and I’m dead in the water. As I pull the car into a parking spot in front of Beth El, I wonder how difficult it’s going to be to get my 16-year-old daughter Paige, who has special needs, out of the car. Will she go easily? If she doesn’t and digs her stubborn heels in, how long will it take me to convince her? We eventually get to the front and are greeted warmly by Joe who knows our names and plays along as Paige tries to scare him with a lighthearted “boo!” As we make our way to the sanctuary, we are met with friendly faces and kind smiles. The anxiety has passed, and I am home.

A few weeks ago, I was asked if I would like to speak to the Beth El community about ways it could be more helpful and inclusive to families with members who have special needs. The truth is that this congregation has always been welcoming. There is an array of wonderful things going on at Beth El and I can’t imagine our lives without our Beth El family, but honestly, it’s difficult to participate individually or as a family because of the complexities a simple outing can bring.

Over the years of much trial and error and determination to find activities that are fulfilling for Paige, I would like to share several resources, where we have found terrific success.

Friendship Circle (friendshipcircle.org) gives individuals with special needs the chance to bond with teen volunteers. While children and volunteers foster meaningful connections, parents receive valuable time to rest and recharge. Jared Sullivan, a teen volunteer from our Beth El community, was paired with Paige 8 years ago and it has developed into the relationship of a lifetime, not just for them but for our families as well.

Swim Angelfish (swimangelfish.com) is specifically designed to help children with Autism, sensory and motor coordination, anxiety, trauma, or simple discomfort in the water to become safe and independent swimmers. We never thought Paige could learn to swim, but how wrong we were!

Camp HASC (camphasc.org) has changed our lives forever! It is a seven week sleep away camp designed specifically for Jewish children with special needs, intellectual and physical disabilities. At camp, Paige swims, rides an adaptive bicycle, plays on the playground, does arts and crafts and many other things. The relationship she has formed with her counselors is incredible. She has even gone for sleepovers with their families for Shabbat! Seven of them came to her Bat-Mitzvah in October and the ones who are currently living in Israel Whatsapp her weekly!

GYMGYZ (gymgyz.com) is an in-home personal training company that customizes workouts for any fitness level. Paige was matched with a trainer who skillfully figured out her abilities both physically and cognitively.

Homefield Bowl (homefieldbowl.com) is a classic bowling alley in Yonkers that has made the simple act of bowling possible for Paige with a welcoming environment.

Southeast Consortium (secrec.org) is a community-based organization dedicated to providing therapeutic recreation programs and leisure-related services to children and adults with disabilities and other special needs.

Pegasus (pegasustr.org) offers PATH certified instructors, physical and occupational therapists and licensed educators to provide equine-based activities and therapies.

Access Equestrian (accessequestrian.org) in Mount Kisco provides adaptive horse-riding lessons for both children and adults with a broad range of disabilities. Adaptive riding is a unique and flexible concept that aims to overcome rider limitations by making simple adaptations to teaching methods, equipment or needed support.

Please feel free to contact me directly at nrothberg@yahoo.com for more insight into any of these wonderful organizations. - Naomi FioRito

Each organization that Naomi describes allows people with disabilities to enjoy activities that may be impossible for them in settings not attuned to their needs. They inspire us to use creativity, flexibility, and empathy to create a Jewish community that understands and accommodates the needs of all members to enable participation from everyone. Please contact me at csfox99@gmail.com if you know of a way that Keruv can help Beth El to better accommodate people with special needs, or if you would like to get involved.

-Carrie Fox