How do we fully enable our community? How do we accommodate people with disabilities at our mosques and organizations? These were the questions that were answered at a training event aimed at educating the community on Islamic teachings regarding disability and how to accommodate those with special needs. On February 27, the girls youth group Sisters Steppin’ Up (SSU), hosted MUHSEN at Muslim Education Center, Morton Grove, for the event ‘Disability in Islam’. The speaker said individuals with special needs are indeed “People of Jannah” and we, the community, are the ones to benefit from the abundant blessings they bring into our lives and mosques.
Joohi Tahir, Muhsen’s Executive Director, started the event with using the Quran and Sunnah as reference to educate the audience on our responsibility of serving those with Special Needs with love, compassion and excellence. She mentioned that Muhsen also provides a nationwide certification for mosques which demonstrate inclusion and access to Disabled and Special Needs individuals. Insha’Allah, all Chicago area mosques will add this certification to their 2016 goals!
After a short prayer and snack break, the attendees broke into three groups led by Muhsen’s young professional volunteers. They led their teams in discussion and sensitivity training on best practices on interacting with individuals with disabilities. The event concluded with a Q&A session, positive attitude and motivation to serve our brethren with Special Needs.
MUHSEN is a non-profit organization serving the community to establish a more inclusive “Special Friendly” environment for our community members with disabilities. More information can be found at http://www.muhsen.org/
For more information on SSU or if you are interested in opening a girls youth group in your community, please send an email at at sisterssteppinup@gmail.com