by Natalie Rubin, Temple Sholom in Broomall
Disability inclusion is so important because it sets an example for the younger generation. It sends a message that “just because you have a disability, it doesn’t mean you are not able to do certain things.” For example, my family owns a store called Game on State. At Game on State, we hire neuro-diverse individuals and create job opportunities that they can do. For example, we have a heat press to make shirts. One of these employees has something called cerebral palsy which makes it hard for him to use his hands, but he taught himself how to do the heat press with his elbows. Another thing we have him do is stamp bags which he also uses his elbows to do. These are just a few examples of things this employee can do. We want to normalize this to show that someone who may not be able to do everything can still do amazing things in other ways. As we have these younger generations seeing these neuro-diverse individuals working we a creating a new type of normalcy that shows that they are just like any other person but maybe just do things a different way.