Abstract of A. Altman lecture

FORGING A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY

A. Altman

UJA-Federation of NY, USA

UJA-Federation of NY and its network of agencies have organized a

professional task force on disabilities that has become a potent

vehicle for building a collaborative, mutually supportive service system

that makes effective use of the strengths of each of its members. This

presentation will describe why and how this task force was organized;

provide examples of programs that best exemplify how these evolving

collaborative relationships are being realized; and offer additional

insights into the benefits to providers that have emerged from creating

such a structure. In 1996 a UJA-Federation professional task force on

people with disabilities was founded, open to all concerned about the

issue. Professionals from across the UJA-Federation’s agency

system, other Jewish organizations, and service providers, interested

lay people, a foundation, and most importantly people with disabilities.

This task force is a vehicle for communal planning- to identify unmet

and emerging needs, explore approaches to addressing them, sharing

of best practices and as a forum for outside informants from

government, specialists in housing, and visitors from abroad. The task

force has emerged as a potent force for change, coming together as a

community of caring professionals and lay people, who share and

learn from one another, and build collaborative, integrated programs.

This presentation will present an exemplary program, CLASSP which

is operational in 18 Jewish community centers and includes the

involvement of two area-wide UJA-Federation affiliates. It has been

studied and evaluated, and proven its success.