YAD HaCHAZAKAH -
The Jewish Disability Empowerment Center, Inc.
c/o Bikkurim 111 Eighth Avenue, 11th Floor,
New York, NY 10011-5201
Phone: 212-284-6936 [Voice and 711 TTY Relay Service], Email: info@yad-jdec.org

Personal Coaching: Yad HaChazakah-JDECs social service professionals and trained life coaches work with you to explore your personal values, talents, and potentials as you make life-changing decisions. We support and encourage you every step of the way and partner with you to strategize solutions and access resources when challenges arise.

Peer Networking and Support: Join Yad HaChazakah-JDEC's Chizuk Chaverim support groups, volunteer and mentoring programs, and special events. We network by phone, in person, and on the web to share information, socialize, learn Torah, and support each other so that we can make the most of our lives as valuable members of Am Yisroel.

Please contact us for more information about our Chizuk Chaverim programs.

Disability Awareness and Policy Advisement: Yad HaChazakah-JDEC invites people interested in creating more inclusive and disability-access friendly Torah communities to join the Yad Alliance. The Yad Alliance works with its members to:

• Dispel the myths and assumptions that surround disability and chronic illness
• Inform leaders and others in our communities about our needs and concerns
• Encourage our leaders to enact and execute disability-related initiatives and policies consistent with Torah.

The Yad Alliance also informs the community about Yad HaChazakah-JDEC and helps to attract program participants, service consumers, and contributors. Members of the Yad Alliance may be considered for positions on the Yad Board of Directors.

Advocacy and Resource Navigation:
Yad HaChazakah-JDEC staff can work with you to identify and access resources for:

• Vocational training and employment searches
• Long-term care options
• Shadchanim and singles events
• Braille, large print, or recorded renditions of Torah-related texts
• Better wheelchair access to your home, shul, or yeshiva
• Daily living assistive devices and communication technology
• Sign language interpreters
• Benefits and subsidies for which you may be eligible

A Yad HaChazakah-JDEC staffer will follow up with you to assure that the service or product meets your needs or that the application process for benefits is going smoothly. When appropriate and as you
request, we will advocate or intervene on your behalf or refer you to the proper agency to help you access the resources or benefits to which you may be entitled.

Topical Workshops: Enhance your knowledge and build your skills. Experts in their fields provide information on subjects relevant to our lives as Jews with disabilities. These forums provide additional opportunities to network with peers and leaders.

Please contact us for further information on upcoming workshops.