Office on Disability

Minding the Gap: Access, Availability, and Services
by
Dr. M. Gerlene Ross

Overview

• Disability Research
• Access Challenges
• Disparity Issues
• Cultural Sensitivity
• Cultural Competency

Disability Research

• Shift in ethnic, racial and cultural composition of the U.S.
• Must be a shift in vocational rehabilitation and other service delivery programs
• Service delivery contrast between White Americans vs. Non-White

Minority Disability Rate

Barriers Impacting Racial/Ethnic Women with Disabilities

Attitudes

• Services Provided
• Resources Employed
• Outcomes

Disparity Issues

• Fifty-three million Americans have either a severe or a non severe disability
• Disparities in rates of disability are pronounced for diverse groups
• African Americans 20.0% second only to Hispanics
• African Americans have the highest rate of severe disability of all racial groups

Disparity Issues

• Rates of disability are disproportionate in terms of gender
• Women represent more than half of persons with disabilities
• African American women (21.7) are second to Hispanic women (21.8) in disability rate.
• African American women have more multiple disabling conditions

Disparity Issues Cont

• Persons with disabilities are less likely to be meaningfully employed
• Severity of Disability impacts employment status as well as quality of employment
• Women are least likely to have employment regardless of disability
• Women with disabilities are at higher risk for unemployment

Cultural Sensitivity

• Respect
• Reasonable Accommodations

Cultural Sensitivity

• Persons with disabilities are people-treat them with respect
• Having a disability is only one aspect of a person's life

Cultural Sensitivity

• Be careful with the language that you use
• Talk directly to the person
• When in doubt ask

Reasonable Accommodations Mobility Disability

• True accessibility
• True accessible parking
• Access Ramps

Reasonable Accommodations Hearing Disabilities

• Utilizing TDD- Telecommunication Device for the Deaf
• Be familiar with telecommunication abbreviations
• Utilizing an interpreter

Reasonable Accommodations Visual Disabilities

• Offer materials in Braille
• Use screen readers, speech synthesizers, scanner systems, TeleBraille, and large format displays.
• Ask if they want assistance
• Do not pet or talk to service animals without permission

Reasonable Accommodations Communication Disabilities

• Take time to listen to the person
• Solicit and provide feedback
• Reduce or eliminate background noise

Cultural Competence

• Individual-The ability to communicate effectively with individuals representing diverse racial and ethnic heritages
• Organization-The ability to be responsive to diverse cultural, ethnic, or linguistic clientele.
• Research- notes changing demographics, consumer-centered services, and validation as key for increasing cultural competence

Research Needs

• Cultural Competence
• Employment
• Community Participation
• Resources

Recommendations & Research Questions-Cultural Competence

• Most frequently cited
• Need for Cultural Competence training
• Cultural Competence in service delivery
• Cultural Competence professional prep
• Examine the awareness of cultural factors
• Examine pertinent correlations
• Apply information to racial identity development

Recommendations & Research Questions-Employment

• Survey employer awareness of ADA
• Survey attitudes towards PWD's in underserved comm.
• Expand employers for PWD's from underserved comm.
• Enhance employment opportunities in underserved comm.
• Identify strategies that promote and sustain employment

Recommendations & Research Questions-Community Participation

• Evaluate accessibility in private and public sector
• Educational services for youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system.
• Effects of lack of education on service provision.
• Research the impact collaboration on community participation.

Recommendations & Research Questions-Resources

• Research the effectiveness of skills development models of research and PAR
• Examine how community-based research methods provide insight
• Identify partnership models that can be developed to facilitate knowledge transfer