A bar mitzvah boy with attention deficit disorder appears during the afternoon service rather than in the morning, so that he can lead the Torah service without delay. A bat mitzvah girl with a speech disorder presents her d'var Torah through an art project instead of laboring through a prepared text.

In the past decade, such arrangements have become more commonplace as Jewish institutions have become increasingly proactive in serving children with special needs and their families. But while day schools, supplemental religious schools and major congregations have made significant progress in this area, many synagogues continue to lag behind.

To raise awareness of Jewish special needs within organized religious life, Hebrew College will convene a public conference, Opening the Ark: Bringing Children and Families of Challenge into the Synagogue, on July 31 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Held in Berenson Hall and adjacent classrooms, the conference is part of a two-week summer institute for the College's Jewish Special Education Certificate program.

"We want to raise awareness, especially among synagogue professional leadership, that these families are there," says Dr. Scott M. Sokol, who directs both the Certificate program and the Cantor-Educator program. "Addressing their needs is not just a Jewish value to which we aspire, but something that's also achievable."

In presentations, workshops and a panel discussion, Sokol and other leading Jewish special educators will explore Jewish ethical perspectives on disability, challenges with b'nai mitzvah and other lifecycle events and how to make the synagogue, religious schools and early childhood programs accessible to children with special needs.

Common solutions range from building ramps to the bimah to devising alternative rituals, says Sokol. "Rather than having the child fit into an existing framework," he stresses, "we sometimes need to orchestrate what we do around the child's abilities."

Due to a generous contribution by the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation, this conference is free (including lunch). It is co-sponsored by Hebrew College, the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis, the New England Board of Cantors and the Bureau of Jewish Education, Greater Boston. For more information, contact Dr. Sokol at 617-559-8620 or ssokol@hebrewcollege.edu.

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