Sasone, the Jewish community’s program to support students with special needs, will be conducting Kansas City’s first-ever Jewish Disability Inclusion Study.
With the help of a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City and the Menorah Heritage Foundation, Sasone will be conducting the community study from Jan. 7 to 9. This assessment will be run in conjunction with Matan, a national organization whose mission is to enable Jewish professionals, communities and families to help create and sustain inclusive settings in Jewish life.
“According to the recent community study conducted by Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, 26% of Jewish households include at least one person with a health issue, special need or disability,” Sasone Director Lindsey Lipsky said. “That means 3,276 of 12,600 Jewish households have someone with a disability that needs support.”
Matan’s efforts support Jewish leaders in addressing the needs of individuals with a wide variety of learning, developmental and mental health challenges. Matan focuses on helping communities understand their inclusion needs, enabling them to establish and meet goals, and training Jewish communal leaders and educators in inclusive best-practices.
Matan aims to offer Sasone and the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City (which runs Sasone) a comprehensive assessment as it pertains to the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities (and their families) in Jewish life in Kansas City. To understand the collaborating organizations, program offerings and possibilities that exist for a more robust approach to Jewish disability inclusion, three Matan professionals will conduct fact-finding meetings with local professionals, lay leaders and other community members on the ground over three days in Kansas City.
“While we gleaned a lot from the larger community study, this will give us a deeper dive into disability inclusion and the role of Sasone,” Lipsky said.
Sasone is reaching out to all congregational teams, families, Jewish educators, self-advocates and program professionals within the community to participate in this study. Those interested should contact Lindsey Lipsky at or (913) 327-8043.
