Resources For Families

If you need help or know someone who does, you can find it here.

Local Programs

Discover programs in Los Angeles that can help you and your family.

All Ages

JLA Trust
Legal trust set up for a person with a disability, usually for the purpose of protecting both their means-tested government benefits and any assets they might inherit.
Jewish Family Services Life Skills Program
Provides comprehensive support to individuals with special needs and their families offering three areas of support: support groups and workshops for parents/ caregivers of children with special needs, targeted case management for families and individuals with special needs where they are supported with information, referrals, and advocacy assistance, and participants 18+ may enroll into the Life Skills Program which provides weekly activities to adults with special needs where participants embark on a journey of personal growth, skill development, and social confidence.
Maagalim
Community Circles
Providing life and social skills and fostering social integration for teens and young adults with autism and other special needs.
Friendship Foundation
The Friendship Foundation enhances local educational initiatives by providing a supportive setting for individuals with disabilities to explore and apply their skills in real-world interactions.
Friendship Circle Los Angeles
Provide Jewish children & individuals of all abilities with a full range of Judaic, social, recreational, and educational experiences, provide parents with respite and support, to enrich, inspire, and motivate Jewish teenagers through sharing of themselves with others. The Friendship Circle is made up of five parts: children, volunteers, parents, staff, and supporters. Providing programming for individuals of all abilities and ages.
Los Angeles Jewish Abilities Center
Case management, in partnership with Jewish Family Service Special Needs Programs and ETTA, provides guidance to assess, plan, and coordinate options for housing, employment, education, and life skills. Are you in need of assistance? An LAJAC case manager is a professional who helps coordinate services of care on behalf of an individual in need. Click on the link to be redirected to an intake form.
Miracle Project
Fully inclusive theater, film, and expressive arts program focused on building communication, self-esteem, job, and social skills for individuals with autism and all abilities – speaking and non-speaking. The Miracle Project has programming for those of all abilities and ages, both virtually and in person.
Zooz Fitness
Zooz Fitness is a one-of-a-kind inclusive fitness facility dedicated to empowering people with developmental and physical disabilities to thrive—physically, mentally, and socially. With a unique blend of personal training, psychology, and Judo, Zooz fitness fills a critical gap in the fitness industry. Zooz fitness is an accessible, welcoming fitness space for individuals with disabilities.

0-18

BJE
Raising a Jewish child with Diverse Abilities in LA? Resources, support, and programming are available, and JKidLA is here to help you connect to them.
Conejo Valley Friendship Circle
Conejo Valley Friendship Circle creates inclusion and friendship for children and teens with special needs. Empowering teen volunteers to become engaged and caring community leaders–Striving to create a more compassionate community in which individuals with special needs are fully embraced as contributing members.
Jewish Free Loan Children with Disabilities Loan
The Children with Disabilities Loan Fund can be used for a wide range of needs, including behavioral supports, diagnostic evaluations, durable medical equipment, home modifications, inclusion specialists or shadows, and funding during educational reimbursement waiting periods. Loans can also assist with purchasing specialized vehicles or covering other essential costs that help ensure your child’s well-being and access to necessary services.
Maor LA
Supporting students with special needs and their families in the Los Angeles Jewish community valuing each student and their unique learning needs, providing personalized services and support to help them learn and thrive while ensuring a Jewish education is accessible.
Valley Friendship Circle
Through a full range of activities and events, the Valley Friendship Circle creates its own special environment of friendship and love within the community.
Vista Del Mar Vista House of Lovingkindness
Nes Gadol: A Jewish Education and Experiences Program for Children, Teens, and Young Adults of All Abilities Led by Nes Gadol’s Creative Team of Educators.
Yachad
Inclusive Jewish social, recreational and educational programs for kids and adults with developmental disabilities.

18+

Bet Tzedek Conservatorship Services
Helping families and community members choose the best option for loved ones who lack the capacity to make their own legal, financial, or medical decisions. In limited situations, offer legal representation in conservatorship matters to have a judge appoint a conservator to oversee the daily care and/or the financial affairs of another adult.
Camp Ramah- Ezra & Ohr Lanu Programs
4- or 8-week vocational training program for young adults ages 17-24 where days are filled with job site experience, life skill classes, recreational activities, and living Judaism. Ezra participants live in communal, independent living quarters with peers under adult supervision. Ohr Lanu Family Camp allow families to come together for a retreat of study, prayer, respite, support, and fun in the beautiful hills of the Ojai Valley. Children with special needs ages 4 to 14, along with their parents and siblings, will enjoy specialized, therapeutic programming in a supportive environment.
ETTA
Serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families, and is one of the premier providers of such services on the West Coast. ETTA’s services include residential housing, case management, employment training and placement, educational services, and social services.
JVS SoCal
Comprehensive vocational evaluations which include Assistive Technology evaluations, case management, counseling, mock interviews, resume writing, and all other aspects of working with those with disabilities who are trying to enter or return to the workforce through the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) or self-referral throughout LA, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange Counties.
OurSpace- Valley Beth Shalom
This program offers a full range of learning, social, and spiritual Jewish experiences through weekly Hebrew school for students with special needs, as well as a support network for families of individuals with special needs
Shemesh Farms Shalom Institute
Social enterprise venture that provides employment and internship opportunities for young adults with special needs.

Adaptive Clothing, Toys, and Other Cool Stuff

Dressing can be challenging for individuals with special needs and physical disabilities. Whether it is a parent dressing their child or an adult with a physical impairment, clothes that meet the needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are in demand and the fashion industry has taken note. Simple clothing alterations like magnetic closures instead of buttons, snaps, and hooks on shirts and jackets, as well as softer materials and textures that allow for range of motion, can benefit individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Retailers like Tommy Hilfiger, Zappos, Nike, Kohl’s, and Target are leading the way in designing apparel, shoes, and other products for consumers that are not only fashionable but also allow people greater independence for activities in daily life.

A Fashion Show to Break the Stereotypes of Those with Disabilities

Check out additional companies with adaptive clothing lines:

New Adaptive Shoes from Adidas

Modes of Communication

We live in a hi-tech world where new technologies surface all the time. For some of us, new apps simplify life or provide a luxury — we can order our groceries from our cell phones so we don’t have to go to the grocery store. For others, they provide a solution to a problem or satisfy a necessity — they increase reading or hearing ability and promote learning in the case of a disability.

Assistive Technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether purchased from a store or personally customized — excluding medical devices or implants — that amplifies, sustains, or expands the functional capabilities of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Assistive Technology

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

What is AAC? – AssistiveWare
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
- Augmentive: to add to someone’s speech
  - Ex: sign language, pictures, letter board
Alternative: used instead of speech
2 main types
- Unaided communication: does not require external tools
  - Such as: sign language, facial expression, gestures
- Aided communication: requires external tools
  - Such as: writing, drawing, spelling words by pointing to letters
  - Low tech: writing, drawing, spelling words by pointing to letters
  - High Tech: app on Ipad like ProLoQuo, speech generating devices
Other AAC options:
- PECS- Picture Exchange Communication System
- Eye tracking
- Go talk 9+ GoTalk 9+
  - AAC device with pre-programmable buttons for those with limited to no speech for daily activities
  - This system specifically can benefit those who are limited in speech but also visually impaired, tactiles can be added onto the pre-programmed images to associate the different tactiles/ braille with the associated button to modify and expand its uses.

Understanding Assistive Technology: Simply Said:

And what is some of the best (and usable) AT developed over the past 10 years?

Apple’s iPad
Amazon Echo with Alexa
Microsoft Learning Tools built into the Office 365 and Microsoft Edge applications
Be My Eyes app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers for assistance with certain tasks.
AirPods
Microsoft’s Seeing Al app that uses the (IOs only) device camera to identify people and objects for someone who is visually impaired. The app audibly describes those objects for the user.
Xbox adaptive controller
Google Live Captioning
Munevo Drive smart glasses that interpret head movements into signals for controlling electric wheelchairs, taking photos, and sending emergency messages.
Open Sesame allow hands-free control of smartphones, tablets, and computers through a front camera that monitors head movements to upload social media posts, write text messages, make phone calls, and use apps.

JFEDLA Assistance Through Case Management

Are you in need of assistance? An LAJAC case manager is a professional who helps coordinate services of care on behalf of an individual in need.

An intake specialist from one of our partner organizations Jewish Family Service or ETTA will contact you shortly to help assess, plan, and coordinate options and services to achieve optimum outcomes.

For more information, contact LAJAC@JewishLA.org or (323) 761-8105.

Learn more about LAJAC

Tools That are Making a Difference

Today, assistive technologies can help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities learn more effectively. Ranging in sophistication from “low” technologies such as a graphic organizer worksheet to “high” technologies including cutting-edge software and smartphone apps, assistive technology is a growing and dynamic field.

Assistive Devices or Adaptive Devices? Both terms are sometimes used interchangeably since they both improve peoples’ lives by giving them the tools needed to manage their daily lives. And because all adaptive devices are assistive devices, but not all assistive devices are adaptive devices, it can get confusing. Here are some good definitions:
- An assistive device is any product, or a category of products, that helps people with disabilities achieve their goals. These tools include wheelchairs, wheelchair mounts, communication devices, and much more.
- An adaptive device is a type of assistive device, or subcategory of products, created to make an existing technology accessible. Braille, screen reader software, and switch-adapted products all count as adaptive devices.

More examples of assistive technology are:

Apple To Roll Out New Accessibility Features

This Michigan company reinvented the computer mouse with good reason (detroitnews.com)

Assistive Listening Systems

According to the National Association for the Deaf, assistive listening systems can be used by children who are hard of hearing or to enhance the reach and effectiveness of those with hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Text-to-Speech

Text-to-speech (TTS) software is designed to help children who suffer from blindness, dyslexia, visual impairments, learning disabilities, autism, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that affect their ability to read. The technology scans and then reads the words to the student in a synthesized voice.

Intel Reader

A mobile handheld device about the size and weight of a paperback book, Intel Reader uses TTS technology to read printed text aloud and features a high-resolution camera that captures printed text, converts it to digital text, and reads it to the user.

Kurzweil 3000

For students requiring a multi-sensory approach to literacy learning, this software program helps students who may have a non-print disability or may not typically consider a TTS program.

Graphic Organizers

Some students have dysgraphia or disorders of written expressions, and graphic organizers are very useful in helping them organize their thoughts, map out a course of action, describe objects, and perform other tasks.

Sip-and-Puff Systems

For students with mobility challenges, such as paralysis and fine motor skill disabilities, these systems allow for control of a computer, mobile device, or some other technological application by the child’s movement of the device (similar to a joystick) with his or her mouth.

Other Helpful Resources

About | Purple Vest Mission
- Emergency preparedness mission to promote accessibility awareness for those with disabilities and the elderly in the event of an emergency; began in Israel by Access Israel
Sensory friendly events:
- Sensory Sensitive Sundays | Chuck E. Cheese
- AMC theaters making movies accessible to those with audio and visual impairments, allow for wheelchair accessibility, as well as sensory friendly movie showings
  - Sensory Friendly Films
  - Assistive Moviegoing
- List of family friendly (sensory friendly) attractions throughout the state of CA and the accommodations provided Great California Attractions for Special-Needs Families
- Discovery Cube LA sensory friendly mornings to allow people of all neurodiverse background to enjoy LA Sensory Friendly Mornings – Discovery Cube
Tiimo–An AI visual planning tool that provides structure you can see, to reflect a way in which you work best. Highly personalized to suit the individual. Your schedule, how you need it. Both a free version and a paid premium version.
Disability Belongs™