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Gail Heyman
Leadership Award
Matan A. Koch
Impact Award
Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple
Trailblazer Award
honoring the work of
Rabbi Bennett Miller, Emeritus
and Rabbi Philip Bazeley

Building Inclusive Communities

We guide, train, and support Jewish community leaders and educators to provide purposeful, enriching, and inclusive opportunities for people with disabilities and their families.

Kids in the classroom

Who We Are

Changing the Landscape of Disability Inclusion

Matan was created in the year 2000 to address the lack of Jewish educational opportunities afforded to children with special needs. Originally created as a “direct service” organization for children in the New York metro area, Matan’s efforts now support professional educators, lay leaders, clergy, administrators and others in addressing the needs of individuals with a wide variety of learning, developmental and mental health challenges. Matan focuses on helping communities understand their inclusion needs, enabling them to establish and meet goals, and training Jewish communal leaders and educators in inclusive practices.

Stats

  • The U.S. Department of Labor reports 1 in 4 Americans have a disability.1 in 5 American adults live with a mental health condition.
  • 1 in 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
  • 15% of youth ages 3-21 receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Institutes & Training

For educators, educational leadership, clergy

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Consultations

For individual organizations and whole communities

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Resources

For educators, parents, tutors, grandparents

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Hear Our Voices

Teen Blogs

How We Can Support People on the Autism Spectrum

Reflecting on the Life of Judy Heumann Z”L

Resiliency:  the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness

Success Stories

With professionalism, flexibility, and diligence, Matan meaningfully meet with dozens of our constituents to provide us with a Roadmap, as we become significantly more supportive of ALL learners. The field is lucky to have the expertise and process that the professionals at Matan provide.

Stephanie Bash-Soudry

Director of Institutional Advancement
Golda Och Academy

Matan met with both lay and professional leaders in our community and, in a very short amount of time, understood the lay of the land and the culture of our particular community. They were able to pinpoint things to invest in – short term, long term.

Rachel Kest

Director
Jewish Education Services at Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester

The Matan Staff was an incredible addition to our summer staff training. In one morning, they informed, explained and inspired our staff on how to work with all children and staff. Their training was perfect- it was interactive, up to date and really kept our staff engaged. Throughout the summer we referenced back to their session and really we’re able to use it as a tool for building an inclusive community.

Helene Drobenare

Director
Sprout Lake

Contact Us

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