I will never forget an extremely kind and generous neighbor while growing up. Each year, he would invite individuals with a wide range of developmental and very complex learning challenges from various residential and day centers to his home for Thanksgiving dinner. His children once politely asked their father, “Why can’t we ever invite regular people?” The father responded, “Regular people will always be invited by others, but we will invite these people with special needs.”

While chesed, kindness, is one of our most revered virtues – applicable in all times and places – today’s attitudes toward disabilities and handicaps have broadened to include other ways to respond to those who have them. We are taught in Pirkei Avot (2:5), “Do not separate yourself from the community.” Accordingly, Jewish tradition supports the idea of not allowing anyone to be separated from the community against his or her will. Rather, we should provide equal access to all and facilitate the full participation of individuals with disabilities in religious and