Project Description:
The Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC), expanded the capacity of its Leadership Institute for Cultural Diversity and Cultural and Linguistic Competence. During 2016-2017 project year, the NCCC created and implemented a Disparities Leadership Academy designed to engage Developmental Disabilities Councils, University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, and Protection and Advocacy programs at the state/territorial/jurisdictional level to develop and put into practice the leadership skills necessary to engage in long-term collaborative system transformation that will be required in order to implement the targeted disparity goals and/or objectives in the 2017-2021 DD Council State Plan Template. While the targeted disparity requirement referred only to the DD Councils, the intent, scope, and impact of such an initiative is a shared responsibility of the three AIDD
-funded programs, and is consistent with the mandate in the DD Act for collaboration among these programs. A total of 24 participants from 6 states and one territory participated in the Disparities Leadership Academy including Arizona, Idaho, Michigan, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.
As a direct outcome of the Disparities Leadership Academy, the NCCC proposes to develop a set of resources focused on the importance of both individual and collaborative strategies to address disparities experienced by individuals with developmental disabilities and their families across the three AIDD-funded programs in the network. The resources are designed to:
1) Provide rationales to address disparities experienced by individuals with developmental disabilities, including but not limited to data on the occurrence of such across cultural and linguistic groups.
2) Offer key definitions and conceptual frameworks for addressing disparities, including the role of cultural and linguistic competence.
3) Provide a checklist as a structure to spur discussion and self-examination, engage stakeholders, and plan individually and collaboratively across AIDD-funded programs to address disparities as defined as priority areas within the state, territory, or jurisdiction.
The set of resources will offer content on specific aspects of addressing disparities experienced by individuals with developmental disabilities and their families that includes, but is not limited to the role of leadership, engaging diverse communities, measuring and reporting outcomes, and confronting the impact of bias, stereotyping, discrimination, and the isms. One resource guide will focus on collaborative activities across the three-AIDD funded programs (UCEDDs, P&As, DD Councils) and the others will focus on each individual program.
The resource will be publicly available PDF documents and meet all web-based accessibility requirements. The NCCC will convene three advisory groups (no more than 2-3 members) representing AUCD, NACDD, and NDRN to provide input on the development of the individual resource guides. The NCCC will also solicit videotapes of personal narratives representing perspectives individuals with developmental disabilities and their families about the scope and impact of disparities. The NCCC will conduct a series of webinars in collaboration with AUCD, NACDD, and NDRN to introduce the resources to their respective network, post the resources including links to the AUCD, NACDD, and NDRN technical assistance centers for each association on the NCCC website.
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Legislators/Policy Makers
