SPECIAL NEEDS
SERVICES
EMILY MALIN | DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL NEEDS SERVICES
The Special Needs Services Department has seen many changes
throughout 2018. Our Taglit Day Program now has 44 full
time young adults supported by 28 staff members. Our Taglit
program gained 5 participants this year due to our Summer
Taglit high schoolers graduating.
Our administrative staff has evolved to continue supporting
our growing programs. 2018 brought on a new structure to our
SNS leadership team. We are proud to announce that Veronica
Trujillo, previous floor supervisor for Taglit, was promoted to
Assistant Director.
Taglit Day Program operates as two unique groups: Avodah
(Vocational) and Ha-Ash-Arah (Enrichment). Each group
continues to fulfill The J’s and Taglit’s mission by providing
enriching programs which emphasize wellness, education,
and social action. Both groups continue to enjoy opportunities
for recreation and volunteering within The J as well as in the
community, Avodah has a greater emphasis on work-readiness
with the hopes that this will improve their progress towards
gainful employment opportunities.
The Taglit High School Summer Program and the Camp J
Inclusion Program are also experiencing growth. Camp J
Inclusion is excited to increase our enrollment for the upcoming
summer and begin serving some new families from within our
waitlists. Both summer programs will continue to collaborate
to provide volunteer experiences for the high school program
while the inclusion program enjoys activities led by Camp J.
Throughout the past year, the department has developed new
partnerships within the community such as Unscrewed Theatre,
Beads of Courage, and Hacienda at the River. We continue to
foster growth and provide the highest quality program to our
individuals that we serve.