Theme: Personnel and Trainees
Theme: Personnel and Trainees
Objective: Recruit and retain a diverse trainee pool.
Recruiting and retaining a diverse pool of trainees has been widely recognized as improving workforce diversity and improving services, especially in the health care field. The CLAS Standards (pp. 15-16) highlight "an increased need for health and health care professionals and organizations to provide effective, high-quality care that is responsive to the diverse cultural and linguistic needs of individuals served. The need for culturally and linguistically appropriate care is particularly great since similar demographic changes have not occurred in the health and health care workforce (e.g., Genao et al, 2003; Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2004; Sullivan & Mittman, 2010. Given the important role that culture plays in health and health behaviors (Kleinman, Eisenberg, & Good, 1978; Tseng & Streltzer, 2008), the lack of workforce diversity is significant since it widens the cultural gap that already exists between health and health care professionals and consumers, which subsequently contributes to the persistence of health disparities (Brach & Fraser, 2000; Genao et al., 2003). The provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services can help to bridge this gap".
The Toolkit builds on current work within the AUCD network. Carmen, Christensen, Clarke, and Perry (2014) described the need for a diverse training pool in a poster presentation stating, "Network members are responsible for training leaders so they are better positioned to impact the lives of individuals with disabilities….There is compelling research that health care providers of diverse backgrounds are more likely to work in underserved communities. Therefore, with the nation's growing diverse population and the persistent racial and ethnic disparities that exist, it is essential that the disability workforce resemble and be skilled in addressing the unique needs of underserved populations".
Related Real-World Examples
Strategies
Centers for Independent Living:Strategy P: Partner with Centers for Independent Living to explore higher education needs and opportunities for youth with disabilities.
Partner with Centers for Independent Living to explore higher education needs and opportunities for youth with disabilities.
Collaborative Partnerships:Strategy L: Identify colleges within Universities that succeed in recruiting diverse student populations, and develop collaborative partnerships and strategies.
Identify colleges within Universities that succeed in recruiting diverse student populations, and develop collaborative partnerships and strategies.
Cross-List Courses:Strategy O: Cross-list disability and other culture-related courses with other departments. For example, list with Liberal Studies if the University requires liberal studies courses for students to graduate.
Cross-list disability and other culture-related courses with other departments. For example, list with Liberal Studies if the University requires liberal studies courses for students to graduate. Align courses with what students have to take as part of their requirements.
Diverse People with Disabilities:Strategy T: Include diverse people with disabilities as trainees, faculty, and program partners.
Include diverse people with disabilities as trainees, faculty, and program partners.
Empowering Students:Strategy R: Get involved, and encourage trainees to get involved in national conversations related to empowering students.
Get involved, and encourage trainees to get involved in national conversations related to empowering students.
Engage Student Groups:Strategy M: Recruit trainees and provide disability acceptance and action information (moving beyond disability awareness) at student clubs, including various cultural clubs, fraternities, and sororities.
Recruit trainees and provide disability acceptance and action information (moving beyond disability awareness) at student clubs, including various cultural clubs, fraternities, and sororities.
Examine Curricula:Strategy V: Ensure curricula for trainees address resiliencies, disparities, and inequities across communities, populations, and cultures.
Ensure curricula for trainees address resiliencies, disparities, and inequities across communities, populations, and cultures.
Family-Centered Care:Strategy U: Infuse principles of family-centered care and shared decision-making within the training program.
Infuse principles of family-centered care and shared decision-making within the training program.
First Generation Students:Strategy S: Connect with campus groups supporting non-traditional and first generation students to learn the experiences of those students, share information, and get their feedback on UCEDD/LEND training program offerings.
Connect with campus groups supporting non-traditional and first generation students to learn the experiences of those students, share information, and get their feedback on UCEDD/LEND training program offerings.
Former Trainees:Strategy Q: Encourage previous trainees or service recipients to be a significant part of recruitment efforts.
Encourage previous trainees or service recipients to be a significant part of recruitment efforts.
Incentivise MSI Partnership 1:Strategy C: Provide incentives to UCEDDs/LENDs for partnering with Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and other settings serving students who are underrepresented in graduate level training.
Provide incentives to UCEDDs/LENDs for partnering with Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and other settings serving students who are underrepresented in graduate level training. Create a clearinghouse of scholarships and fellowships that would allow trainees to engage in research related to diversity, inclusion, and cultural and linguistic competence. Set goal for increasing diversity of families involved in UCEDD/LEND who provide family training experiences to trainees.
Incentivise MSI Partnership 2:Strategy D: Provide incentives to UCEDDs/LENDs for partnering with Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and other settings serving students who are underrepresented in graduate level training.
Provide incentives to UCEDDs/LENDs for partnering with Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and other settings serving students who are underrepresented in graduate level training. Create a clearinghouse of scholarships and fellowships that would allow trainees to engage in research related to diversity, inclusion, and cultural and linguistic competence. Set goal for increasing diversity of families involved in UCEDD/LEND who provide family training experiences to trainees.
Incorporate Cultural and Linguistic Competency:Strategy J: Incorporate cultural and linguistic competence into every class, workshop, and other training, preferably in the beginning of the program, so that knowledge and skills can be implemented and developed throughout the year.
Incorporate cultural and linguistic competence into every class, workshop, and other training, preferably in the beginning of the program, so that knowledge and skills can be implemented and developed throughout the year. (See resources in objectives addressing safe spaces, and training)
Internship Opportunities:Strategy A: Work with Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and high schools in under-resourced communities to set up mutually-beneficial internships, volunteer opportunities, course credits, service learning, work study, apprenticeships, and other opportunities for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students interested in learning about disabilities.
Work with Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and high schools in under-resourced communities to set up mutually-beneficial internships, volunteer opportunities, course credits, service learning, work study, apprenticeships, and other opportunities for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students interested in learning about disabilities. Promote opportunities heavily to underrepresented students.
MSI Associations:Strategy E: Partner with national associations of Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and other settings serving students who are underrepresented in graduate level training.
Partner with national associations of Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and other settings serving students who are underrepresented in graduate level training. Invest early by reaching out to high school, community college, and undergraduate students in underrepresented communities with a focus on providing internships, assistantships, mentorships, and other engaging opportunities to underrepresented groups. Recognize that the return on investment is not immediate or definite.
National Conversations:Strategy F: Get involved, and encourage trainees to get involved, in national conversations related to empowering students.
Get involved, and encourage trainees to get involved, in national conversations related to empowering students. Partner with Minority Serving Institutions to develop collaborative opportunities for trainees.
Network Connections:Strategy G: Help trainees feel vested in and connected to network by representing Center/Program in career fairs and other student recruitment efforts, and by funding travel to Disability Policy Seminar and AUCD conference.
Help trainees feel vested in and connected to network by representing Center/Program in career fairs and other student recruitment efforts, and by funding travel to Disability Policy Seminar and AUCD conference.
Provide technical assistance and training on the family component, including family faculty and family trainees.
Quote: "A family-centered approach is critical, especially given that many communities of color, and immigrants/first generation peoples tend to be family- and multi-generational oriented. Linda Sandman, my mentor and Director of Clinical Services and Training Director at the Developmental Disabilities Family Clinic at the Institute on Disability and Human Development in Chicago, a clinic serving primarily Black/African American, and Latino/a families, has made it clear that her work must be a family approach, because a traditional/psychology/Western/hegemonic/capitalist individual approach would not work." -Rebekah Moras, PhD, Research Professional, Center for Human Development (AK)
Professional Development:Strategy N: Ensure interdisciplinary training programs incorporate leadership development, mentorship, life skills, work/life balance, and such.
Ensure interdisciplinary training programs incorporate leadership development, mentorship, life skills, work/life balance, and such. Consider each trainee as a whole person, and consider the lives that non-traditional, disabled, first-generation, or immigrant students may lead and put in place supports to aid retention.
Recruitment Flyers:Strategy H: Partner with faculty in University and Colleges to include a culturally appropriate, plain language recruitment flyer in multiple modes for accessibility
Partner with faculty in University and Colleges to include a culturally appropriate, plain language recruitment flyer in multiple modes for accessibility (i.e., Braille, digital, translated into needed languages) in student welcome packets, at high school college fairs, and anywhere else young students will have access.
Respect Beliefs:Strategy I: Encourage and support culturally relevant scholarly activities that acknowledge and respect systems of beliefs and practices in I/DD
Encourage and support culturally relevant scholarly activities that acknowledge and respect systems of beliefs and practices in I/DD (intellectual and developmental disabilities) decision-making, care, support, healing, education and advocacy that emerge from different cultures and communities where diverse populations live, and are led by people from those cultures and/or scholarly allies who understand those traditions and systems
Scholarships:Strategy K: Partner with families, foundations, other investors who might have interest in funding scholarships or an endowment fund for trainees from marginalized communities.
Partner with families, foundations, other investors who might have interest in funding scholarships or an endowment fund for trainees from marginalized communities.
Trainee Recruitment Materials:Strategy B: Develop products that all UCEDDs/LENDs can use to recruit trainees through building awareness of the network, opportunities for career paths in the disability field and AUCD network, organizational structure and resources within Universities, and opportunities for graduate student training.
Develop products that all UCEDDs/LENDs can use to recruit trainees through building awareness of the network, opportunities for career paths in the disability field and AUCD network, organizational structure and resources within Universities, and opportunities for graduate student training. Fund trainee partnerships between UCEDDs/LENDs and Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and other settings serving students who are underrepresented in graduate level training.