TAP

by Daniel Zaslow, Keneseth Israel   This past Sunday we had the chance to listen to and speak with disability advocate and cartoonist, Wendy Elliott-Vandivier. We learned specifically about her cartoons. Wendy creates cartoons featuring herself, and other disabled people. They focus on what life is like as a disabled person: the obstacles they face, the stereotypes they endure, and the thoughts they have. They also included her service dog, Lucy. She had thoughts of her own, supported her owners, and criticized those who made offensive comments. It was great hearing Wendy’s perspective and difficulties through life as a disabled [...]

by Aiden Yanoff, Adath Israel Hearing Dr. Sanford Greenberg's incredible story was an enlightening experience. His story starts off with him talking about his humble beginnings in a small house in Buffalo, New York. He then talks about how there were many ironies throughout his life when it came to his blindness. He talks about how both his aunt and his brother needed to get prosthetic eyes after some kind of accident. Hearing the part about how he described in great detail the experience of being at the doctor's office and being told that he wouldn’t be able to see [...]

by Natalie Polsky, Temple Sholom On January 9, we met with comedian Pam Schuller who talked about her organization, Project Here Now, and how it plans events for teens like “failure graduations” that celebrate messing up. These events can help madrichim and song leaders understand that a slip of the tongue during a lesson or a wrong chord isn’t the end of the world. They could also help teens learn how to reassure children who have difficulty getting over failure. Pam also discussed how humor about her conditions helps herself and others accept themselves more and even lets them open [...]