Maccabi Victoria’s All Abilities program aims to provide Jewish people with disabilities with greater opportunities to participate in sport and recreation, with a focus on individualised and person-centred approaches.

Maccabi Victoria’s All Abilities program has come a long way from its humble beginnings almost 20 years ago. It is now a firmly established Maccabi Victoria program, cementing the importance Maccabi Victoria places on improving and enriching the lives of members of the Jewish community with a disability through sport.

In 2005, passionate and strong-willed group of mothers established a basketball team for their children with a disability. The Dolphins continue to train on a weekly basis – even briefly moving to online training sessions during Covid lockdowns – and a number of original players are still keen basketballers.

After several years the program was taken under the wing of Maccabi Victoria and quickly gained momentum thanks to the support of the Maccabi Victoria Board, dedicated volunteers, a partnership with Jewish Care, and the newly formed All Abilities Committee. Consisting of representatives from local council, organisations such as Access Inc., and parents of children with a disability, the committee served to support Maccabi Victoria and Jewish Care to deliver relevant and engaging programs.

In 2012 the All Abilities Needs Analysis was undertaken, providing the foundation for the next stage of program growth. The study examined the demographics and experiences of people with disabilities in the Jewish community.

2014 saw a program launch, featuring keynote speaker Richard Bernstein (USA). Blind from birth, Richard shared his life-long inspiring stories of success within the sporting space and as a lawyer. 2014 also saw the employment of the first paid program officer, a key recommendation from the Needs Analysis which brought about massive changes and improvements to the All Abilities Program.

Particular highlights since the coordinator role has been established have been:

• Growing All Abilities membership.
• Offering a huge range of inclusive programs and integrated opportunities for sport and active recreation.
• Introducing volunteer and paid work opportunities for members.
• Working to increase the inclusivity of Junior Carnival for participants, youth leaders and volunteers.
• Roll out of the Maccabi Australia Member Protection Policy, including a Disability Inclusion policy.
• Stronger collaboration with other Jewish Disability service providers and peak sporting bodies.
• Improved marketing and promotion strategies, via website, newsletter and Facebook.

The program continues to grow, with hundreds of attendances each year at programs and events, including:

• basketball
• swimming
• st/roll walking group
• tenpin bowling
• footy
• soccer
• lawn bowls
• sailing
• cricket
• Junior Carnival

We look forward to seeing what comes next for Maccabi All Abilities.

Thank you

Over the years many people have helped to grow the All Abilities program into what it is today. We extend a huge thank you to our volunteers, coaches, committee members, advocates, partners, donors, supporters and the Maccabi Victoria Board and Clubs.

There are many ways to keep up to date with Maccabi Victoria All Abilities:

• Keep checking the updated news articles on our website.
• ‘LIKE’ the Maccabi Victoria All Abilities Facebook page
• Contact the All Abilities Inclusion Coordinator on allabilities@macvic.com.au or 9563 5885.