jews d

in
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on the cover

continued from page 12

tional therapists.
Despite the number of students
with disabilities who are not in a
Jewish educational environment,
there are significantly more students
who are now being accommodated,
something that was not always
possible. Opening the Doors cur-
rently serves 1,153 students in 26 day
schools, preschools and religious
schools. When it started in 1995, OTD
served just more than 200 students in
nine schools.
Based on reporting from schools
that responded to an OTD survey, of
the 1,153 students, 24 percent have
learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.
Nineteen percent have an atten-
tion deficit disorder; 11 percent are
identified as having a speech or com-
munication disorder; 8 percent are
students with anxiety, sensory issues,
oppositional defiance disorder or
dysgraphia; and 3 percent have Down
syndrome or other intellectual dis-
abilities.
Despite the challenges of being able
to accommodate every student seek-
ing a Jewish education, the Detroit
Jewish community is considered in
the forefront when it comes to pro-
viding programs and support to stu-
dents with disabilities.
Two years in a row, starting in
2013, Opening the Doors earned
national accolades from the Slingshot
Foundation for its inclusion pro-
grams. And, in 2016, Maiseloff
received Federation’s Mandell L. &
Madeleine H. Berman Award for
Outstanding Professional Jewish
Communal Service in recognition of
her work with the program.
Other Jewish communities look to
Detroit as a model for inclusion prac-
tices, says Shelly Christensen, execu-
tive director of Inclusion Innovations,
a national organization that designs
programs and strategies for religious
communities looking to create a more
inclusive environment.
“What is so impressive [about
OTD] is the degree of education for
teachers and administrators through
regular annual conferences that
feature the most cutting-edge spe-
cialists in disciplines that address
the most relevant issues of the day,”
Christensen said.

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SUCCESSFUL INCLUSION
Shayla Mostyn, a seventh-grader with
cerebral palsy at Hillel Day School
in Farmington Hills, is an example
of a student who is being success-
fully accommodated in a day school
environment. According to her mom,

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2154880

14

February 23 • 2017

jn

Lezlie, when Shayla was younger,
she was able to receive speech ther-
apy and physical therapy at Hillel,
through Farmington Public Schools,
and the school is able to provide all
the academic support she needs to be
successful.
“I like the idea she is not lost in
the system or treated like a special
needs kid,” Lezlie Mostyn said. “She
is among people who understand
and help but don’t enable her. All the
teachers work as a group, and she’s
thriving in this school. As a parent,
that’s all I can ask for.”
In another place of Jewish learn-
ing, 23 students, including 9-year-old
Conner Larson, spend their Sunday
mornings engaged in lessons about
the holidays, stories
from the Torah,
Jewish symbolism
and a host of other
Judaic topics. These
students are enrolled
in Efshar Circle, a
collaborative pro-
gram between OTD
Conner Larson
and the Friendship
Circle. Before Efshar
Circle, many of these
students would not have been able to
thrive in a congregational program,
even with an aide.
“Conner has always loved Sunday
school, but I felt like our congrega-
tion didn’t know how to teach to his
learning style,” said Stacy Larson of
Farmington Hills. “Now he is at Efshar
Circle and he is learning a lot about
Judaism. They know him, they under-
stand him, and nobody cares if he
blurts things out during class. He is
working at his own level, he is being
engaged and he is so happy there.”
Efshar students learn at their own
pace in a multisensory environment.
Every child has a one-on-one vol-
unteer and each class is taught by a
Judaic teacher and an educator with a
master’s degree in special education.
The students come from a variety
of Jewish backgrounds and levels of
observance, says Sarah Schectman,
Efshar Circle director.
“Everything is very hands-on,”
Schectman said. “The teachers focus
on engaging a child’s sense of Jewish
identity through tactile learning and,
because we have the one-on-one
volunteers, we are able to modify the
material and accommodate each of
our students.”
West Bloomfield mom Danielle
Gillman did her research before
choosing a congregation for her fam-
ily. Because her daughter Brodie has

