WELCOME

This toolkit will serve as a foundation for a national effort that will enhance diversity, inclusion, and cultural and linguistic competence; cultivate partnerships; respond to increasingly diverse communities across the country; and develop strategies for continuing efforts to better serve diverse populations.

The primary focus is on three audiences in the disability community:

1. Federal funders, including the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB);
2. National organizations, including the Association of University Centers on Disabilities; and
   
3. University-based centers and programs, including University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD) and Leadership in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs.
   

The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (administered by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities or AIDD), the Division of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Workforce Development Strategic Plan for 2012-2020, and the 2015-2016 Strategic Map for the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) all address elements of diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural competence. This Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit provides concrete objectives, strategies, and resources to help these audiences realize their goals in this area. It also provides a foundation for future efforts, including developing a blueprint for AUCD's network to collectively make progress in diversity, inclusion, and cultural and linguistic competence.

Message from AUCD Executive Director Andrew J. Imparato

 As a national network of federally-funded university-based centers working to improve the quality of life of children and adults with disabilities, we have a responsibility to champion and model diversity, equity and inclusion in all that we do.  I am confident that the tools and strategies incorporated into this website will be a useful resource for our network and our partners as we seek to increase our diversity at all levels; integrate cultural, linguistic and cross-disability competence across all activities; and engage with underrepresented communities to reduce disparities in access, outcomes and quality.  Let’s all use and add to this resource as we take affirmative steps to better reflect, connect with, and listen to our diverse stakeholders.

RECENTLY ADDED RESOURCES

The Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit is a living, collaborative document and we look forward to sharing and learning together. New resources are added monthly. If you have resources you would like us to consider including, please email them to ImplementDiversity@aucd.org

August 2017 Updates:

• Assessing Change: Evaluating Cultural Competence Education and Training
• Association of American Medical Colleges: Diversity and Inclusion Mission
• Reflections on Diversity and Inclusion in Academic Medicine: Commemorating Dr. Herbert W. Nickens' Legacy
• Increasing Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce: Actions for Improving Evidence
• Advancing Best Practices in Behavioral Health for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Boys and Men
• Developing Culturally Responsive Approaches to Serving Diverse Populations: A Resource Guide for Community-Based Organizations
• Introduction to Inclusive Talent Acquisition
• A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Medicaid
• 2GEN TOOLS TO HELP CHILDREN & FAMILIES THRIVE: A Resource for Staff Implementing Federal, State, and Local Programs Serving Children and Families
• US Census Bureau: Data tool. My Tribal Area
  

July 2017 Updates:

• Diversity and Health Equity in the Maternal and Child Health Workforce: A Resource Guide to Key Strategies and Actions for MCH Training Programs
• ACL Public Access Plan
• Embedding Cultural Diversity and Cultural and Linguistic Competence: A Guide for UCEDD Curricula and Training Activities
• Guidelines: How to Write and Report About People with Disabilities
• Civic Engagement Toolbox for Self-Advocates
• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities: Reaching People in Multiple Languages
• Washington State Coalition for Language Access: Tools for Health Resources
  

CASE STUDY

From the Desk (more like the kitchen table) of a Bilingual, Multicultural Advocate, Cultural Broker, Interpreter and Translator: A Lifetime of Passion Mashed in a Pilón* (Mortar)

Image: Pilónes on fireplace mantle

In April of 2014, within a year living in Georgia, Brenda Liz (Bren) Muñoz met Stacey Ramirez, former Director for Individual and Family Support Services at the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD), School of Public Health a Georgia, and currently the new State Director for The ARC of Georgia. It was a powerful kindred connection, and two weeks later they were working on a medical textbook chapter on cultural and linguistic competence and life span services, opportunities and supports for individuals, families and communities living with intellectual and developmental disabilities edited by renowned author and developmental pediatrician Dr. Leslie Rubin and et al.