Yad HaChazakah – The Jewish Disability Empowerment Center provides support, guidance, and advocacy for individuals with visible or hidden disabilities or ongoing health conditions. The organization was founded to address the lack of accessibility and inclusion within Jewish communal life. It is led by individuals who themselves experience these barriers, and it functions as a center “by and for” Jews with disabilities, grounded in Torah principles and self-advocacy.

Core services include individualized guidance and capacity-building for navigating Jewish communal life and independent living. Yad HaChazakah works directly with individuals and families to help them participate in shul, shiurim, dating, marriage, parenting, work, volunteering, and mitzvah observance. This includes one-on-one support for managing daily living, creating resource plans, and navigating social barriers within the frum world.

The organization also offers advocacy support and information to help individuals and communities identify and reduce accessibility challenges—whether physical, attitudinal, or systemic. It promotes inclusive design in buildings and programming and encourages more equitable matchmaking processes that prioritize personality and compatibility over disability status.