Special Needs Partnership

About SNP

The Special Needs Partnership (SNP) was founded more than a decade ago by a group of local families to advocate on behalf of their children with special needs. The Partnership continues today as a grass-roots initiative that furthers awareness and inclusion by providing support, resources, and education for individuals and families through our programs and services.

You’ve heard the proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child.” This is never more true than when raising a child with special needs. In fact, building this “village” is vital to the health and happiness of the entire family. To address this need, our SNP community was created to foster social relationships, encourage an inclusive environment, and to help all families with the joys and challenges of raising a child with special needs.

Our team of professional experts works to ensure individuals with special needs can reach their fullest potential at home, at school and in their community.

Special Needs Resource Guide

Our goal at Jewish Family Service is to help special needs children and families reach their highest potential socially, emotionally, behaviorally and intellectually. To fulfill this goal our approach is to involve and support family, friends and community resources.

If you or a loved one has special needs and are seeking additional support, we first recommend that you research the services offered by the Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas Special Needs Partnership.
Please note that the following resource guide is a compilation of our own research and is not an endorsement of any particular organization. This list is non-exhaustive and will continue to be updated as more resources come to our attention.

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Community Programs

For more information about these community programs, please contact Ariela Goldstein at agoldstein@jfsdallas.org

The Inclusion Experience

To learn more about the Inclusion Experience, contact kjackson@jfsdallas.org.

The Inclusion Experience is a hands-on, multi-sensory simulation designed for participants to experience the reality of the difficulties faced by people with specific disabilities. Our goal is to help build and create awareness and understanding, sensitivity and inclusion, and empathy and compassion.

Groups of all ages and abilities are given the opportunity to participate in stations simulating what it’s like to have behaviors associated with: learning differences, executive functioning challenges, fine motor difficulties, and hearing, speech, vision and memory impairments. At each of the stations, trained facilitators open up discussions about what can be done to better accommodate those with special needs in personal and professional settings. Participants also discuss the emotions that individuals may have who are managing these daily challenges.

Parents Empowered Raising Kids (PERK)

To begin receiving communications about PERK meetings, please contact us.

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PERK, our parent and guardian support group, meets monthly to help create and support connections between adults who are raising children or caring for adults with special needs. PERK events are facilitated by professionals from the JFS Special Needs Resource Team and are designed to give parents tools, resources, and support for everyday challenges.

Faith Inclusion Network of Dallas

Please check our community calendar for information on the next FIND conference.

VIEW CALENDAR

The Faith Inclusion Network of Dallas (FIND) is a collaboration of faith communities coming together to create inclusion for those with special needs. FIND offers support by sharing best practices and resources, and educating faith leaders with the goal of providing a sense of belonging for all.

In 2015, Jewish Family Service of Dallas convened its first two-day conference with faith leaders. Now, years later, temples, synagogues, churches, and mosques are coming together to continue to move our mission forward.