Grayson Roberts is a blind 10-year-old from Altadena, Calif. I first learned about him in the Los Angeles Times after his story went viral. 

Grayson is adept at navigating his home and school. He plays drums and studies using braille texts and reading equipment. He once raised money to donate more than 160 canes to blind people in Ghana. But in January of this year, his family lost their home in the Eaton fire, along with his cane, his instrument and his braille books and reading equipment. He now has to rebuild an accessible world while navigating displacement with his family.

As we come to the end of February, which is also Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), I reflect on my role as the executive director of JBI Library, an organization that works to ensure that anyone with blindness, low vision, or other print disabilities can fully participate in and feel connected to all aspects of Jewish life. Through this work, I’ve learned how people with disabilities are especially vulnerable during times of crisis or emergency. 

It’s true that disasters often build community solidarity and compassion and prompt individuals to be good neighbors and extend themselves. We must find ways to ensure that this impulse is not limited to moments of crisis; rather, it should be a guiding principle of how we live every day. 

For example, for individuals who are blind or have low vision, navigating the world — whether there is a disaster or not — presents challenges. As Grayson’s family faces the difficult task of rebuilding their home and lives, they must also consider how accessible their new house and school will be day-to-day. Will Grayson’s new teachers know how to use verbal cues when teaching? Will his school be ready to provide what he needs to read his textbooks or his music? Will there be proper physical or audio markers or braille signage in the halls to indicate the classrooms, the bathrooms, the sidewalk and streets outside?

In the recent Torah portion Parashat Yitro, Jethro advises his son-in-law Moses to share the burden of leadership, reminding us of the importance of working together and sharing responsibility. This wisdom speaks volumes about using the diverse capabilities within our community — a key principle in building an inclusive environment. Like Moses, there are moments when we simply cannot “go it alone” and we need others to step in to clear our path.  

For some, the words accessibility and inclusion have become associated with privilege, but let’s be clear: They are human rights. At its core, accessibility means being as responsive to others as Jethro was to Moses, and as so many are during times of troube. “Loving your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18) and not “putting a stumbling block” (14) reflect a personal responsibility we have to show everyone dignity and respect through positive action. We are obligated as community members to ensure that our communities are inclusive and that they affirm and act with the understanding that accessibility is a moral imperative. 

Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month provides a reminder to internalize this truth by intentionally seeking out and removing these stumbling blocks. Whether these obstacles are physical (such as inaccessible buildings or small print materials) or attitudinal (such as misconceptions about the abilities of those with disabilities), our Jewish values remind us that we must work to create a world where every person, regardless of their abilities, can freely access our neighborhoods, our synagogues, our schools and other institutions — as a right.

When we do this, we as a society receive returns many times over when everyone can participate. We benefit from a diversity of perspectives that enrich our understanding of the human experience, resilience, determination and creativity. We must see beyond accessibility compliance and strive for genuine inclusion.

How to begin? Three concrete and simple actions:

1. Support accessibility initiatives that work to ensure that our communal spaces and resources cater to the needs of all individuals, making every person feel valued and included.
   
2. Remove barriers from our public and professional spaces. This includes ensuring accessible physical spaces (meeting spaces, hallways, bathrooms, lighting, elevators, signage, etc.);  implementing technology supports (captioning, assistive technology, accessible web design, etc.); and promoting affirmative inclusion by making verbal cues, ASL interpretation and accessible braille, large print and audio materials, sensory considerations, etc., standard. Don’t wait for your customer or patron to ask for large print books or ramped entranceways — make them feel truly welcome by taking the step before being asked.
   
3. Build awareness and educate. Engage in open discussions with members of your community about their challenges, share efforts and resources, publicize initiatives, make use of inclusion committees and never be afraid to ask others who may have accessibility needs what we can do to remove barriers.

In Jewish tradition, we are all created in the image of God and thus have inherent dignity and worth. Our mutual responsibility to each other extends to those for whom inclusion and full accessibility is more of a challenge. So, consider — do you know someone who would need help evacuating in case of an emergency? Have you made sure that there are no stumbling blocks on your literal and figurative sidewalks? Are you actively working with your synagogue or other community organizations to commit to a more inclusive environment? Are you hearing what others in your community say they need to be fully engaged members? 

JDAIM may be coming to a close, but it’s our ongoing responsibility to be ever mindful of our role in weaving a vibrant, compassionate and inclusive fabric of faith in community. 

Livia Thompson is the executive director of JBI Library.