Royal Walker
Institute for Disability Studies, University of Southern Mississippi
Barbara Wheeler
USC UCEDD
1

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Cultural competence requires that organizations:
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 have a defined set of values and principles, and demonstrate behaviors, attitudes, policies and structures that enable them to work effectively crossculturally. have the capacity to (1) value diversity, (2) conduct selfassessment, (3) manage the dynamics of difference, (4) acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge and (5) adapt to diversity and the cultural contexts of the communities they serve. incorporate the above in all aspects of policy making, administration, practice, service delivery and involve systematically consumers, key stakeholders and communities.
Cultural competence is a developmental process that evolves over an extended period. Both individuals and organizations are at various levels of awareness, knowledge and skills along the cultural competence continuum. (adapted from Cross et al.
, 1989

 Differences in race, ethnicity, language, nationality, religion, etc. among various groups within a community.
 A community is said to be culturally diverse if its residents include members of different groups.

Racial/cultural/linguistic
Disparities
 Refers to differences in outcomes due to:
 Race
 Culture
 Language

A quick overview of the evidence
5

Evidence of Health Disparities :
Racial and ethnic minorities are
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MORE likely to
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Die from breast cancer , despite similar mammography screening rates
Die from HIV/AIDS
Receive less desirable procedures , ie., lower limb amputations for diabetes
Be diagnosed with severe MH disorders , i.e., schizophrenia
LESS likely to
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Receive routine medical procedures
Undergo bypass surgery
Receive kidney dialysis or transplants
 Receive current Rx drugs for the same condition
IOM, 2002; Kendall & Hatton, 2002
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Educational Disparities: Brown v
Board of Education, 1954
• Separate is not equal
7

 While Latinos are not over-represented in special education in general, English-Language
Learners (ELL) are seriously over-represented in two categories of special education: (1) mental retardation and (2) speech ( LAS), especially at the secondary level.
 The problem worsens over time with overrepresentation of ELL students in special education emerging by grade five and increasingly visible by grade twelve
Artiles, Rueda, Salazar, & Higareda, in press
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 Even with documented economic gains for members of both majority and minority groups in the past 20 years, health disparities between races persist when SES is controlled for.
Institute of Medicine, 2002; Kendall & Jones, 2002
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Improving Cultural
Responsiveness of the System and Promoting Equity
The Role and Contribution of
UCEDDs
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
 W
States with 30% or more
Minority Populations

 W
California
Nevada

W

W
 W
W


Arizona
W

W
N
Hawaii

W
 W

W
Colorado
W

W

W
New Mexico

W
W
Texas
W


W
N

N

N

N
Illinois
 W
W

Missi ssippi
N
Louisiana

W
N

W
New York

W
N
N
W 

N

W
W

N

N



 W
W
Massachusetts
New
Jersey
Virginia
Maryland

North Carolina
N
W
South Carolina
Georgia

W
Florida
 Mission
N Nirs
W Website
Legend: Legend:
11

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8 UCEDDs have a cultural diversity coordinator
Targeting under-represented minorities into careers in MCH (Alabama St, and Civitan)
Cultural diversity training for EC professionals serving Latino families (Arkansas)
Multi-cultural education (monograph) (Rose
Kennedy Center)
Cross-cultural competence training for MH professionals (USC)
Navajo Nation Comprehensive System for
Personnel Development (New Mexico)
LEND programs with Cultural Competence information

 M-C perspectives on self-determination (Hawaii,
USC, Kansas)
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Barriers to health services for people IDD from immigrant communities (Minnesota ICI)
NIH Partners in Research —Barriers to participation in bio-medical autism Research for
Latino families (USC)
 Needs assessment of barriers to quality care for
Southeast Asians (UC Davis)
 Needs of families with internationally adopted young children from China (Connecticut UCEDD)

UCEDD Projects: Community
Services and TA
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Developing culturally appropriate vocation rehab. programs (NAU)
Growing in Beauty partnership —IDEA services to
Navajo communities (NAU)
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Building capacity of minority CBOs (USC)
Health Services project —Southeast Asian immigrants (UC Davis)
Project Bloom —developing CC services (JFK
Partners, Colorado)
 Colorado Family Support 360 (JFK Partners)
 Juniper Gardens Childrens Project (education, primary healthcare, counseling, arts) (Kansas)

UCEDD Projects: Community
Services and TA (con’t)
 Primeros Pasos —EC intervention in Latino
Community (Johns Hopkins)
 American Indian Disability TA Special Resource
Center (Montana)
 Indian Childrens Program Specialty Resources
(New Mexico)
 Cheyenne River Reservation/Pine Ridge
Reservation Dev. Clinics (South Dakota)
 Project Early Reading Intervention and Project
World vocabulary development (Texas A&M)
 Indian Childrens Program diagnostic and clinical services (Utah State)

UCEDD Projects: Community
Outreach and Education
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Culture competence training for State Employees
(Illinois IDHD)
Training for child care providers on serving culturally diverse children and families (Arkansas Partners for
Inclusive Communities)
Youth Development Training: Diversity and Assets
(Georgia UCEDD)
Transition training for American Indian educators and
Administrators (Minnesota ICI)
Training, Resources and Information for the
Advancement of Degrees for youth from underserved areas (U. of Southern Mississippi)
Camino Seguro West —bilingual online information and services database (Bolling Center, Tennessee)
Hispanic Disability Outreach program (Vanderbilt,
Tennessee)
Website in Spanish (Puerto Rico)

UCEDD Projects: Systems
Change
 National Center on Cultural
Competence (Georgetown)
 NJ Statewide Network on Cultural
Competence (Boggs Center)

Improving cultural responsiveness in the disability field
Where do we go from here?

Parallel Movements:
Finding the common ground