Bio
Elana Naftalin-Kelman has been working at the intersection of special education and Jewish education for over 20 years. She was inspired on this path by her time as a camper at Camp Ramah in Ojai, where she has been directing their Tikvah program for campers and young adults with disabilities for 15 years. These programs include a camper program, a vocational program for young adults, a camp for families that have children with disabilities and a year-round program for job support and placement in the Los Angeles area. Elana is an adjunct professor of Special Education at San Francisco State University where she teaches in the Special Education Department. She has consulted with multiple Jewish institutions to aid them in thinking about how to be more inclusive of Jews of all abilities. She has taught professional development courses in differentiated instruction, behavior management and teaching Hebrew. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband and three sons.