Kaplen Jewish Community Center on the Palisades

Creative Connections:  Elevating inclusion Through the Arts

The “Creative Connections:  Elevating inclusion Through the Arts” initiative at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades is an initiative that will be woven into every department from Early Childhood to senior services and provide the opportunity to enhance and expand the inclusivity and accessibility of our Arts and Culture program(s).  Through this initiative, we hope to share our best practices and insights across JCC’s nationwide.  The three areas of focus for this project are:

1. Increasing Accessibility in our Arts and Culture Center- providing assistive listening devices, offering ASL interpreters, closed captioning for films
2. Expanding Training and Launching and Inclusive Resource Center- Partnering with Inclusion U to establish an Inclusion Ambassador program at the JCC, provide professional development for Arts and Culture staff in inclusion and adapting the arts for individuals with disabilities
3. Continuing to build organizational capacity- make necessary improvements to our agency website to increase accessibility, update our Accessibility Guide, document our best practices for dissemination.

Multi-sport Court for All

The Kaplen JCC on the Palisades is committed to providing fully inclusive programming within an environment that offers access and opportunities for physical fitness and wellness experiences for all community members. With support from the IHC grant, we are working to identify and address barriers to participation and community perception and to make necessary capital improvements to provide access for all.

To accomplish these goals, our IHC grant will allow our JCC to:

1. Install a multi-sport court to function as a community space where athletes of various abilities can participate.
2. Pave accessible pathways and a ramp from the main facility to the court.
3. Provide sitewide training to staff and volunteers to build a deeper understanding of individual needs and a sense of true belonging.
4. Develop policy and procedures under the universal design model to foster full inclusion at our organization and meaningful community engagement and relationships.