APRIL 29 • 2021 | 23
OUR COMMUNITY
J
CC Detroit’s Opening
the Doors (OTD) pro-
gram holds its 25th
Anniversary Celebration
virtually on Tuesday,
May 11, at 7:30 p.m.
Event honorees include
Anita Naftaly, Susie
Citrin and Peggy Frank.
OTD enables children
with diverse learning
differences and abilities
to participate in inclusive
Jewish education with
their peers. Master level
special educators and
para-educators are pres-
ent in preschools, con-
gregations and religious
schools to engage students
and empower staff with
strategies.
OTD also provides
disability awareness and
resources for families,
educators and profession-
als through development pro-
grams, community conferences
and a teen leadership program.
OTD has increased its impact
over the years through collab-
orations with Jewish schools,
hospitals and mental health
clinics, Jewish Federation,
Friendship Circle, JVS, JFS,
Kadima, JARC and more.
The honorees have been
with OTD since the beginning.
Naftaly was the original director
and founder of the program,
Citrin was the chair of all the
OTD committees and Frank
was involved in OTD com-
mittees and was almost like its
“historian,
” according to Ellen
Maiseloff, OTD’s senior director
since 2007.
“We believe each child was
unique, had their own ability,
and we had to help them
reach their potential.
”
OTD helps people reach
that potential with more
than 10 different programs
within the umbrella, such as
Doors to the Future, fund-
ed by the Jewish Women’s
Foundation where para-ed-
ucators provide one-on-
one, short-term early inter-
vention for students in early
childhood centers.
OTD’s School Inclusion
Program, partially fund-
ed by the Zuckerman
Klein Family Support
Foundation Grant, pro-
vides students with full-
time classroom assistants
for Jewish day school
education.
The Enhanced Learning
Initiative provides day school
teachers with professional
development and other services.
The program is partially funded
by the Jewish Fund.
A featured film for the event
will be The Influencer, featuring
discussion with Elaine Hall,
founder of the Miracle Project,
an inclusive theater, film and
expressive arts program for
individuals off all abilities.
“It’s exciting for us to have a
public forum and share what we
do, but we’re really hoping other
families will say, ‘Hey, I didn’t
know. Maybe I will give them a
call,
’” Maiseloff said.
For information, visit jccdet.org/otd25.
JCC’s “Opening the Doors” has helped
kids of varying abilities grasp Judaism.
Inclusive Learning
Program Turns 25
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
Anita
Naftaly
Susie Citrin
Peggy
Frank
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