The Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research (CCBMDR) seeks to increase the capacity of State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies (VR) and community-based organizations (CBOs like Centers for Independent Living and/or other agencies serving minorities with disabilities) to document the impact of their programs and develop culturally competent services. This effort is conducted in order to promote positive rehabilitation outcomes for minority individuals with disabilities. We propose to develop long-term relationships with agencies, conduct participatory research and evaluations and demonstration projects, engage in active dissemination efforts, and provide state-of-the art training and technical assistance to professionals and researchers in the field.
The Center is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).
Research Activities
1. A participatory process for building agency capacity for conducting program evaluation and improve consumer services. Agencies will receive technical assistance and support services from Center staff to conduct participatory evaluations of their programs. Contact Person: Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar (
[email protected]).
2. Racial identity and cultural mistrust as psycho-cultural correlates of rehabilitation success for minorities with disabilities. Center staff will work with Vocational Rehabilitation counselors and African American consumers to identify positive rehabilitation outcomes for minorities with disabilities. Contact Person: Reginald Alston (
[email protected]).
3. Investigating the Intersection of Disability and Race in Self Views of Latinos and African Americans with Disabilities. Center staff will work with minority individuals with disabilities to understand the intersection of disability and race in their self views. Contact Person: Carol Gill (
[email protected]).
4. Disability determination and provision of vocational rehabilitation services: How good are the tools that are used? Center staff will review tools that are used in Vocational Rehabilitation to determine if individuals are eligible for services. Contact Person: Brigida Hernandez (
[email protected]).
5. Developing standards for research that is culturally competent and appropriate. Center staff will review the literature to analyze the current status and gaps in the methodologies used in research on minorities and disability. Contact Person: Glenn Fujiura (
[email protected]).
Dissemination Activities
1. Standards for culturally competent and linguistically appropriate research with minorities with disabilities. Topics include getting entry into community settings, sampling, research designs, and data collection methodologies
2. Researchers' and practitioners' guides for effective outreach to minority with disabilities
3. Researchers' guide for dissemination of relevant information to minority consumers with disabilities
4. Practitioners' guides for providing culturally competent services to minorities with disabilities
Contact Information:
312-413-1806 (voice)
312-413-1804 (Fax)
312-413-0453 (TDD)
Website: www.uic.edu/orgs/empower
