Previous Article / Next Article
Many individuals with disabilities contend that they represent a distinctive cultural group based on the shared experience of disability. Just as strategies can be developed by health care providers to ensure competence in addressing ethnic and linguistic differences, so strategies can be developed to enhance cultural competence in relation to disability. The following is an example of ways to start applying cultural competence to disability culture:
| Strategy | Ethnic/Linguistic | Disability |
|---|---|---|
| Hire interpreters | Hire bilingual interpreters knowledgeable about health care terminology | Hire staff trained in American Sign Language, familiar with technology-based communication, knowledgeable about health care terminology |
| Create a culturally-friendly atmosphere | Have signs in multiple languages, hire culturally-diverse staff, have cross-cultural and multi-lingual reading material in waiting areas | Configure service counters for wheel-chair approach at eye level; hire staff with disabilities; have disability publications, and large format and Braille reading material, in waiting areas |
Contributed by Erin Simunds, Project Staff, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. She may be reached at 612/624-5042 or esimunds@axishealth.com.
Previous Article / Next
Article
__________
Retrieved from the Web site of the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota (http://ici.umn.edu). Citation: Gaylord, V., Abery, B., Cady, R., Simunds, E., & Palsbo, S. (Eds.) (2005). Impact: Feature Issue on Enhancing Quality and Coordination of Health Care for Persons with Chronic Illness and/or Disabilities 18(1). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration. Available at http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/181/default.html.
__________
Hard copies of Impact are available from the Publications Office of the Institute on Community Integration. The first copy of this issue is free; additional copies are $4 each. You can request copies by phone at 612/624-4512 or e-mail at icipub@umn.edu, or you can fax or mail us an order form. See our listing of other issues of Impact for more information.
The PDF version of this Impact, with photos and graphics, is also online at http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/181/default.html.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator.