Spotlight on Inclusion: The Axelrod Family

Throughout the month of February, we will be sharing blogs from members of our community about their experiences being touched by the J’s inclusive programming. Our first family, Corey and Jennifer Axelrod are parents of two twin boys, Ryder and Jordan, who attend our Early Childhood program at Lake County JCC. Both Corey and Jennifer are a part of the Deaf community and have shared how the J provided a supportive, inclusive space for their family to find a connection.

 

What has your experience been like at JCC Chicago? How have you felt accepted or included?

Being a part of the J community has been a phenomenal experience.

When we initially expressed interest in the J as a potential daycare center for our boys, Ryder and Jordan, we shared with Lisa Spewak, the director, our story and background. As Deaf individuals, we are much appreciative of the team’s willingness to meet our respective communication needs and cultural preferences.

During our virtual tour, Lisa wore a clear mask. This was a precursor of things to come as during the meet the parents event prior to the school year, all the teachers and administrators wore clear masks.

The boys’ teachers have been eager to learn and use sign language with them and other students in their class – this is important to us as American Sign Language (ASL) is the boys’ primary language. We often get requests of how to sign certain words so the teachers can model it appropriately for our boys – this is always much appreciated. We created videos for the teachers to watch that included Ryder and Jordan signing and us modeling the signs correctly (as we all know, 22-month old toddlers are not necessarily the best model for language!) Generally, we include signs that we know are being used in the classroom. What’s even more exciting for us is that the teachers reported that other parents shared with them that they have seen their own children sign and essentially be able to communicate at home with family members.

Unfortunately, Covid-19 has somewhat limited our experience. We haven’t really had the opportunity to go into our boys’ classroom, as well as meet other parents and family members at school-wide events. Zoom simply isn’t the same! However, we’re connected with our classroom teacher representative from FIG and with other parents through our classroom’s private Facebook group.

Masks have also made it difficult for us as Deaf individuals to understand other people, especially as we do rely on lipreading to understand others. Understandably, we’ve had our challenges understanding others, including the boys’ teachers, when we drop off and pick up our boys from the J. Thankfully, we have Kaymbu to help navigate communication with our teachers. We also would be remiss not to mention that we do struggle with not being able to understand other parents – e.g., in the foyer during pick-ups and drop-offs.

Being Deaf comes with communication challenges, but we appreciate the J team’s willingness to work with us and make sure our respective needs are met. All in all, the J team has shown us they do embrace and celebrate differences.

 

What do you hope your kids learn from your experiences?

Ryder and Jordan come from a multigenerational Deaf family. Corey is a passionate advocate and social entrepreneur while Jennifer is a school psychologist who works primarily with Deaf and hard of hearing children. At the end of the day, it is our intention to lead by example and ensure that our boys understand that they can do whatever they put their minds to. At the same time, our goal is to instill the core values of Judaism in our boys, including remembering their roots and being empathetic and supportive of marginalized communities like the Deaf community.

 

Inclusion is 365 days a year, how can our community continue to build on our inclusive mindset?

Diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are more than mere buzz words. When thinking about these terms, they align very closely with many of the core values of Judaism, including the need to recognize and celebrate differences within our own community.

Along these lines, building on an inclusive mindset requires dialogue and awareness, as well as reinforcing learning that creates respect for others, open-mindedness, curiosity, cultural humility, kindness, and empathy. We also need to be mindful that you cannot have true equity and inclusion without ensuring all individuals have full access. With respect to Deaf and hard of hearing individuals, this means access to communication. This includes ensuring the following are provided to Deaf and hard of hearing individuals: closed captions, sign language interpreters, written access to pertinent information, and so forth.

Incorporating lessons on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the classrooms foster inclusivity and empathetic understanding of others. But it cannot stop there, these conversations need to take place at the home front, as well. Instead of telling a child not to stare at someone who may appear to be different, tell them to “wave and say hello.” Who knows what learning opportunity they may encounter!

 

Bios:

Corey Axelrod, MBA, is the founder and CEO of 2axend, a Deaf-owned strategic consulting and training firm working with organizations to address critical elements impacting the Deaf and hard of hearing employee and customer experiences. Corey is a recent three-term former president of the Illinois Association of the Deaf, Illinois’ leading civil rights organization of, by and for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Illinoisans.

Jennifer Axelrod, Psy.S. is a school psychologist with the Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL). With more than 10 years of experience working in mainstream settings and schools for the Deaf, Jennifer is passionate about looking at the whole child and all factors impacting the whole child’s development. She has a specialty degree in School Psychology from Gallaudet University and a Master’s Degree in School Counseling, also from Gallaudet University.

Both Corey and Jennifer were born deaf and are first-time parents to Ryder and Jordan, who are in the toddler classroom, Sufganiyot. Their unique birth story was highlighted by the Daily Herald and the Daily Moth, an international Deaf media outlet.