CULTURAL DIVERSITY INSERVICE

Although we are all unique humans, we are also influenced by multicultural factors. It is vital that we as service providers develop awareness of how issues such as language, gender, ethnicity/race, spirituality, sexual orientation, age, physical or emotional issues, socioeconomic situation, and experience with trauma affect the way you and your clients construct meaning in the world.

Cultural Diversity - refers to the unique characteristics that all of us possess that distinguish us as individuals and identify us as belonging to a group or groups. Diversity transcends concepts of race, ethnicity, socio-economic, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability and age. Diversity offers strength and richness to the whole (Hastings Institute).

According to Cathy Chamberlain, diversity is “otherness,” or those human qualities that are different from our own and outside the groups to which we belong, yet are present in other individuals and groups. It is important to distinguish between the primary and secondary dimensions of diversity.

Diversity - Strength is not only in the similarities, but also in the differences.

Disability Culture - People with disabilities have forged a group identity. We share a common history of oppression and a common bond of resilience. We generate art, music, literature, and other expressions of our lives and our culture, infused from our experience of disability. Most importantly, we are proud of ourselves as people with disabilities. We claim our disabilities with pride as part of our identity. We are who we are: we are people with disabilities. (Steven E. Brown, Ph. D., Co-Founder, Institute on Disability Culture)

As Steven E. Brown, Ph. D., Co-Founder, Institute on Disability Culture writes, for years we have discussed integration like it was our business to