On this week’s episode of the Seekers of Meaning TV Show and Podcast, Shelly Christensen, the Senior Director of Faith Inclusion and Belonging at RespectAbility, discusses her pioneering work in the faith community disability and mental health inclusion movement.
Seekers of Meaning TV Show and Podcast Now Available on Roku Streaming Service
You can add the Jewish Sacred Aging TV channel to your Roku streaming subscription by visiting this page: https://channelstore.roku.com/details/600964/jewish-sacred-aging.
The Seekers of Meaning TV Show is also available on the J-Link video service from the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey. You can sign up for the service at https://www.jlink-snj.org/seekers-of-meaning
You can also watch this week’s show in the player below. The shows now include closed-captioning for the deaf or people with a hearing loss. Click the “CC” button on the video player to activate closed-captions.
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Shelly Christensen
Shelly Christensen, the Senior Director of Faith Inclusion and Belonging at RespectAbility, is a pioneer and leader in the faith community disability and mental health inclusion movement. Her passion for this work is anchored by her experiences as the parent of a child with autism and as a neurodivergent person.
As Program Manager of the Minneapolis Jewish Community Inclusion Program for People with Disabilities for nearly 13 years, her innovative leadership approach supported synagogues, schools, community centers, and other agencies.
In 2009, Shelly co-founded the Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), which is marked annually in February. She is the author of From Longing to Belonging—A Practical Guide to Including People with Disabilities and Mental Health Conditions in Your Faith Community, as well as The Jewish Community Guide to Inclusion of People with Disabilities.
Shelly has consulted with numerous Jewish organizations and is a popular keynote speaker and trainer. She is involved in leadership for a variety of interfaith disability inclusion organizations, including the Core Council of the Institute on Theology and Disability, the Faith Inclusion Network, and is the past president of the Religion and Spirituality Interest Network of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, earning Fellow status for her contributions to the field of religion, spirituality, and disability.
Shelly is the 2021 recipient of the Religion and Spirituality Network’s Reimagining Spirituality Award. Shelly earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Minnesota and her Master of Arts degree in Developmental Disabilities from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She lives in Burnsville, MN with her husband Rick.
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