CULTURAL DIVERSITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON DISABILITY FACT SHEET
(Created March 2003; Text Version Revised October 2006)

The Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee (CDAC) for the National Council on Disability (NCD) consists of not more than 12 members experienced in various aspects of disability, diversity, and related factors. Members provide advice and make committee recommendations to NCD. CDAC members bring considerable experiences, knowledge, and perspectives and focus on a broad array of issues affecting unserved and underserved people living with disabilities grounded in diverse racial and ethnic groups. NCD established CDAC to support increased inclusion efforts and to obtain direct perspectives on agency policy priorities. CDAC symbolizes the changing United States demographics and practices self-determination and self-empowerment among all people with disabilities. CDAC was chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act on January 16, 2001. CDAC is charged to: identify issues; expand outreach; raise consumer awareness about federal protections, programs and services; infuse grassroots participation in decision-making; and elevate the status of unserved and underserved people with disabilities in ways that help federal policy makers address unmet needs and advance civil and human rights in meaningful ways. Through advice to NCD, members of CDAC contribute to the creation of a more sensitive, responsive, and barrier-free environment where people with disabilities of different racial and ethnic groups are valued and afforded opportunities to participate fully in all aspects of life.

What value does CDAC give to cultural and linguistic competency? Aware that various definitions are used without widespread agreement on one, CDAC recommended NCD's adoption of an operational definition that is described in federal law (the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000) as follows. The term "culturally competent - used with respect to services, supports, or other assistance, means services, supports, or other assistance that is conducted or provided in a manner that is responsive to the beliefs, interpersonal styles, attitudes, language, and behaviors of individuals who are receiving the services, supports, or other assistance, and in a manner that has the greatest likelihood of ensuring their maximum participation in the program involved." ¹ Based on U.S. changing demographics such as increasing population groups whose first language is other than English, including people with disabilities from diverse cultures, CDAC added to this fact sheet a clarifying description of linguistic competence as follows. Linguistic competency requires organizational and provider capacity to respond effectively to the health, literacy [and other related] needs of populations served. The organization must have policy, structures, practices, procedures and dedicated resources to support this capacity.² CDAC's mission and vision statements also embrace these key terms with respect to full inclusion of all people with disabilities in society.³

What does evidence based data lend to CDAC's purpose, mission and vision? Despite some data reporting concerns,⁴ the available information reveals unmet education,⁵ healthcare and economic status needs alone or in combination. For example:

• Poverty has emerged as one predictor of disability; employed people with disabilities who are from diverse cultures experience poverty rates that are more than twice the rates for other workers. (Fujiura, 1999; 2001);
• School dropout rates for youth from diverse cultures who also have disabilities are twice the dropout rates of other students (NCD 2000a; 2003);
• Incarcerated youth with disabilities from diverse cultures are three to five times more likely than their peers not to have education and related service needs met prior to confinement. (NCD1998; 2000b).
• Institutional barriers combined with education and juvenile justice system failures to raise common concerns among broader civil rights and the disability community about healthcare, education/training, workplace, and attitudinal reform needs. (AAPD/NCD 2005)
• Employment findings are bleak for diverse racial and ethnic groups [e.g., disproportionate unemployment rates for people with disabilities are African Americans 72% and Hispanics 51.9% (ODEP/DOL, 2006)].

What recommendations have been made? A key recommendation to NCD encouraged collaboration with and among civil and human rights groups and federal partners. In turn, NCD has supported dialogue opportunities to identify common issues, build or strengthen coalitions and plan actions around unmet needs. NCD has recommended that the President and Congress continue to encourage and support empowerment of all people to benefit from federal laws, programs and services through: (1) effective enforcement of existing laws; (2) increased access to culturally appropriate information about rights, protections, outreach & training; (3) inclusive planning, implementation, and interpretation of research findings; and (4) improved Federal, state, sovereign tribal and local agency coordination of policies and programs. Recommendations are ongoing as issues emerge.

What can you do? Suggestions include, but might not be limited to considerations that lead you to:

• Assess how your organization, agency or community includes disability and diversity in its policy agenda and action plans.
• Share information and background data with the public about documented needs, laws, rights and protections.
• Dialogue and engage in meaningful actions with public and private entities on issues affecting people with disabilities from unserved/underserved groups, including people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds for direct input.
• Share information about effective outcomes regarding outreach to diverse cultures (i.e., promising practices).
• Communicate with NCD about advice on connecting with national level groups for collaboration on common matters.
• Contact NCD/CDAC, become a part of the E-mailing list, or share relevant information at: Cultural-Diversity@ncd.gov

References

American Association of People with Disabilities and National Council on Disability (2005). Same Struggle, Different Difference: Civil Rights and Disability Rights Policy Forum – Summary Paper, March 29, 2006. Washington, DC: http://www.aapd-dc.org/News/disability/civilrightsforum.html
 
American Indian Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (2003). An Analysis of Disability and Employment Outcome Date for American Indians and Alaska Natives. http://www.nau.edu/ihd/airrtc/R-48.htm
 
Centers for Disease Control (1986). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 28, 1986 / 35(8)109-12. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000688.htm

Fujiura, Glenn T. (1999). The Implications of Emerging Demographics: A Commentary on the Meaning of Race and Income Inequity to Disability Policy.  http://www.mswitzer.org/sem99/papers/fujiura.html     
 
Fujiura, G., &  Rutkowski-Kmitta, V. (2001).  Counting Disability, in Albrecht, G. L., Seelman, K. G., & Bury, M. (Eds.), Handbookof Disability Studies. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
 
National Council on Disability (1998). Grassroots experience with government programs and disability policy.  Washington, DC:  Author.  http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/louisiana.html
 
National Council on Disability (1999). Lift Every Voice: Modernizing Disability Policies and Programs to Serve a Diverse Nation. Washington, DC:  Author.  http://www/ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/lift_report.html
 
National Council on Disability (2000a). Transcending the Barriers and Gaining Entry:  A Culturally Competent Realm of Community Integration for Americans with Disabilities.  Washington, DC:  Author. http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/advisory/cultural/barriers_rev051800.html
 
National Council on Disability (2000b). Carrying On The Good Fight: Summary Paper From Think Tank 2000--Advancing The Civil And Human Rights Of People With Disabilities From Diverse Cultures. Washington, DC: Author.
http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/think2000.html  
 
National Council on Disability (2003a). Outreach for All Forum Summary Paper. Paths to Support Individual Empowerment of People with Disabilities from Diverse Cultures. Washington, DC: Author. http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/advisory/cultural/forum_summary.htm
 
National Council on Disability (2003b). People with Disabilities on Tribal Lands: Education, Health Care, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Independent Living. Washington, DC: Author.  http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2003/tribal_lands.htm

National Council on Disability (2005). Same Struggle, Different Difference: Civil Rights and Disability Rights Policy Forum Notes From Topical Group Reports - March 29, 2005. Washington, DC: Author. http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/advisory/cultural/group_notes.htm  
 
U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services. (2001). Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity—A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/cre/ 

U.S. Department of Labor (2006). Disability and Cultural Diversity. U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy. Washington, DC: http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek98/disabili.htm

¹Title I, Subtitle A, SEC. 102. <<NOTE: 42 USC 15002.>> DEFINITIONS.,  [[Page 114 STAT. 1683]] http://www.mtcdd.org/pdf_files/pl106402.pdf  

²Goode & Jones (modified 2004). National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc/foundations/frameworks.html

³http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/advisory/cultural/2006/cultural_06-01-06.htm

⁴As one example, data collected by public health and human services agencies about American Indians and Alaska Natives are fraught with omissions; the existing body of data is of such questionable quality that statistics based on these data cannot be used with confidence.  Therefore, special efforts are needed to design and implement research that not only includes but also specifically focuses on American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIRRTC 2003).

⁵Under counting of people from various diverse racial and ethnic groups also compounds the issues that can influence public policy making. Problems continue to be associated with widely used and often inconsistent disability data. This extends to Census 2000 data, including issues surrounding the collection and analysis of relevant and reliable statistical data on America's population with disabilities. The accuracy of the data is critically important in an era of evidence-based policy because misleading information can lead to misguided/ premature public policy decisions. In FY 2006, NCD began a study to address some of the issues. Progress on the work in this area is anticipated in FY 2007.