B'nai Mitzvah Project
Welcome to our community! We are so glad you’re interested in helping people with disabilities as part of your B'nai Mitzvah journey. Did you know that one in four Americans has a disability?! JBI Library exists to help make sure that Jewish life is accessible to everyone, whether or not they are currently able-bodied or are living with a disability that impacts their life. We believe it’s important that Jewish education, entertainment, culture, community, and religious life are welcoming and inclusive for everyone! And we believe that you can be an important part of this.
How it works
Our B’nai Mitzvah project participants engage in 2 steps for their project:
1. Learning about JBI Library and Inclusion (about 1 hour)
The first part of the project is all about learning. You’ll use our learning page to explore blindness, disability, and inclusion — for kids, teens, and adults.
This will take about an hour and includes:
- Watching videos of self-advocates who share their experiences with blindness or other disabilities.
- Reading a tip sheet about basic disability etiquette and FAQs
- Reading about the person who invented Hebrew braille and the history of JBI Library.
This “learning portion” will help you understand the issues and give you the knowledge you need to choose the project you want to do.
2. Community Project (5 to 20+ hours)
The second part is about putting what you’ve learned into action. You’ll use your knowledge to raise awareness in your community and help others.
This is the longer part of the project, and you can choose one, two, or even all three of the project options! Pick the ones that match your interests, skills, and where you want to grow. You might choose to write a piece for your community newsletter, create tactile Chanukkah cards for people who are blind and low vision, or reach out and who spread information about accessibility and JBI Library to local organizations.
Community Projects
Community Newsletter Column
Do you like to write? Do you like to help make change in your community by teaching and inspiring others?
If your synagogue or school has a newsletter, you can write an article about what you’ve learned about blindness, accessibility, and inclusion — and share ways your community can be more welcoming to people who are blind, have low vision, reading disabilities like dyslexia, or physical disabilities that make reading a standard print book difficult.
You’ll also include information about the free resources JBI Library offers that can help!
If you choose this option, you’ll write a draft of your article and share it with JBI Library’s librarians. They’ll help you polish and prepare it so that you can submit it for publication in a local newsletter or newspaper.
You’ll walk away proud to have shared about JBI Library’s important work — and you’ll grow your own writing skills too!
Tactile Art cards
Do you love making art? Do you like bringing people together to be creative? If so, this option is for you!
While regular drawings and paintings can be hard for people who are blind to enjoy, tactile art can be experienced by touch. You’ll gather a group of friends, classmates, or family to decorate greeting cards for JBI Library’s blind and low vision community members — and learn how to make art that’s truly accessible for everyone.
If you choose this option, JBI Library will send you blank cards with braille and large print greetings.
You’ll walk away having spread joy to JBI Library patrons — and with a new understanding of how art can include everyone.
Teen Ambassador Project
Do you like talking to people? Are you outgoing? Do you enjoy connecting others and helping your community?
Then this option is perfect for you!
As a JBI Teen Ambassador, you’ll learn how to talk with local organizations — like JCCs, synagogues, and nursing homes — about how JBI Library can help reduce isolation and make Jewish life more accessible. You’ll share how JBI provides free, fun, and meaningful reading materials, programs, and prayers for people who are blind, have low vision, or can’t read standard print.
If you choose this option, JBI Library will train you on how to reach out to organizations, what to say, and how to support them in learning more. You’ll walk away knowing you helped make the Jewish community more inclusive — and you’ll strengthen your public speaking and communication skills, too!