SERVING CONSUMERS FROM A MULTICULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

Fabricio Balcazar, PhD
University Illinois Chicago

Celestine Willis, M.A.
University Illinois Chicago

Francisco Alvarado
Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Service

Gwenea Jackson-McDaniel (ADRS)
Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Service

Copyright © Department of Disability and Human Development University of Illinois at Chicago. Center for Capacity Building for Minorities with Disabilities Research. Project funded by the USA Department of Education. National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

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• Cultural Competence Defined, Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research (CCBMDR) Cultural Competence Model and Validation of CCBMDR Cultural Competence Model and Assessment Survey

• Overview of CCBMDR Cultural Competence Trainings

• Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Cultural Competence Trainings

• Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Service Cultural Competence Training

• Questions and Answers

Agenda

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• Cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.

• The word culture is used because it implies the integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values and institutions of a racial, ethnic, religious or social group. The word competence is used because it implies having the capacity to function effectively. (Cross et al, 1989)

Definition of Cultural Competence

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• The ability to respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures in a way that affirms and values cultural differences and protects/preserves the dignity of each individual. (Seattle King County Department of Public Health, 1994)

Definition of Cultural Competence

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At the individual level, this means an examination of one’s own attitude and values, and the acquisition of the values, knowledge, skills and attributes that will allow an individual to work appropriately in cross cultural situations.

At a systems, organizational or program level, Cultural competence requires a comprehensive and coordinated plan that includes interventions on levels of:

• • policy making;

  • infra-structure building;

  • program administration and evaluation;

  • the delivery of services and enabling supports; and

  • the individual.

(Denboba, MCHB, 1993)

Cultural Competence

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What Does It Mean

When You Become More Culturally Competent?

• You develop greater awareness of your own culture, personal identity, strengths and limitations.

• You develop greater awareness of the impact of your behaviors and attitudes about others.

• You acquire a world view that accepts and appreciates diversity.

• You become a better service provider.

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CCBMDR Cultural Competence Model

(CCBMDR) Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research

Fabricio E. Balcazar, Ph.D.

Professor & Director

Center on Capacity Building for Minorities with Disabilities Research

Department of Disability and Human Development

University of Illinois at Chicago

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Cultural Competence Models Review

• We identified 259 peer reviewed articles and/or book chapters.

• Two reviewers examined the abstracts and identified 42 publications that refer to cultural competence models.

• After reviewing the full manuscripts, 18 articles representing unique cultural competence models were identified.

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• We decided to propose a synthesis model, developed on the basis of the most common elements identified in the literature review.

• Our model initially had 4 main components.

  • The model assumes willingness of the organization and individual to engage in the process of seeking cultural competence.

Our Cultural Competence Model

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Cultural Competence Model

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Validation

Validation of our Cultural Competence
Model and Assessment Survey

Multiculturalism

Disability

Racism

Race

Ethnicity

Cultural Competence

Oppression

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Instrument

Review of literature on cultural competence

• Development & selection of instrument items (49)

• 25 items from existing scales (CCAG Assessment Tool for Cultural Competence by Arthur, et al., (2005)

• (4 items) Cultural Self-Efficacy Scale by Coffman, Shellman & Bernal, (2004)

• (4 items) Gamst et al., (2004)

• (3 items) LaFromoise et al., (1991)

• (6 items) Goode, (2004) environment checklist (3 items);

• (5 items) Sue, (2001) Multidimensional model of cultural competence

• Review by experts in the field and expert statistician

• Pilot testing with occupational therapy clinicians

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Sample and Data Analysis

Sample

• • 1,000 randomly generated names of OT professionals

  • 477 respondents from one mailing (47.7%)

Data Analysis (SPSS)

• • Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

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Demographic Data Respondents: N= 477

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Indices of Fit for All Three Confirmatory Factor Analysis Performed

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Cultural Competence Model

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Factor Loadings of the Perceived Cultural Competence

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Factor 1. Cultural Awareness/Knowledge (α = .76)

Items

1. I openly discuss with others issues I have in developing multicultural awareness (.67)

2. I learn about different ethnic cultures through educational methods and/or life experiences (.64)

3. I examine my own biases related to race and culture that may influence my behavior as a service provider (.63)

4. I actively strive for an atmosphere that promotes risk-taking and self-exploration (.61)

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Factor 1. Cultural Awareness/Knowledge (α = .76)

Items

5. I am sensitive to valuing and respecting differences between my cultural background and my clients’ cultural heritage (.59)

6. I feel that I can learn from my ethnic minority clients (.52)

7. It is difficult for me to accept that religious beliefs may influence how ethnic minorities respond to illness and disability (.52)

8. I do not consider the cultural backgrounds of my clients when food is involved (.41)

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Factor 2: Organizational Support (α = .81)

Items

9. Cultural competence is included in my work place’s mission statement, policies, and procedures (.73)

10. My organization does not provide ongoing training on cultural competence (.72)

11. My workplace does not support using resources to promote cultural competence (.67)

12. My work place does not support my participation in cultural celebrations of my clients (.61)

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Factor 2: Organizational Support (α = .81)

Items

13. At work, pictures, posters, printed materials and toys reflect the culture and ethnic backgrounds of ethnic minority clients (.60)

14. I receive feedback from supervisors on how to improve my practice skills with clients from different ethnic minority backgrounds (.57)

15. The way services are structured in my setting makes it difficult to identify the cultural values of my clients (.51)

16. I have opportunities to learn culturally responsive behaviors from peers (.50)

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Factor 3: Skills Development
(α = .81)

Items

17. I am effective in my verbal communication with clients whose culture is different from mine (.69)

18. I am effective in my nonverbal communication with clients whose culture is different from mine (.68)

19. I would find it easy to work competently with ethnic minority clients (.65)

20. I feel that I have limited experience working with ethnic minority clients (.60)

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Factor 3: Skills Development
(α = .81)

Items

21. It is difficult to practice skills related to cultural competence (.60)

22. I feel confident that I can learn about my clients’ cultural background* (.59)

23. It is hard adjusting my therapeutic strategies with ethnic minority clients (.56)

24. I do not feel that I have the skills to provide services to ethnic minority clients (.53)

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Figure 1. Measurement Model of Perceived Cultural Competence
(Numbers in parenthesis represent non-adjusted inter-factor correlations)

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• We conducted a sub-study with 223 disability service providers to assess the effects of social desirability on responses to the CCAI

• Results indicated no significant relationships between responses to the short form of the Marlowe-Crowne scale (Strahan & Gerbasi, 1972) and the CCAI factors:

  • Critical Awareness: r=-.15, p=.05

  • Cultural Skills: r=.13, p=.07

  • Organizational Support: r=.03, p=.73

CCAI Validation:
Effects of Social Desirability?

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Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research

Cultural Competence Training

Celestine Willis,
Director of Education and Training Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research

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• To increase awareness of participants and others cultural identity and Ethno-history, attitudes and values about cultural diversity,

• To increase participants knowledge of factors that determine cultural differences between African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans with disabilities,

• To help participants identify ways to create a more welcoming environment for consumers from various cultures, and

• To help participants plan specific actions to improve services to consumers from different cultures.

Purpose of the Trainings:

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• Examining our own cultural values, knowledge and attitudes

• Examining factors that impact cultural diversity:

  • Visible Disability, Age, Gender, Race, and Appearance

  • Family and Community Support

  • Oppression Experience

    • Knowledge of rights and services

    • Sense of Entitlement

Workshop Themes

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• • Socio-Economic Level

  • Religion

    • Beliefs and Values

  • Level of Education

  • Degree of Acculturation

    • Language and Social Identity

  • Immigration Status

  • Urbanicity

  • Planning steps to promote culturally appropriate services and outreach in your agency

Workshop Themes (cont.)

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Cultural Competence Trainings (Overall)

• 50 trainings between 2005 and 2009

• Trainings conducted in 8 states
  (AL, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, OR, WI)

• Over 1000 staff from 68 organizations participated

• Organizations included VR, CBOs, CILs

• Training structure and content:

  • 2 hours to 2 days

  • Lecture, activities, discussions

  • Goal setting:

    • Each organization was invited to set goals to increase some aspect of organizational cultural competence

    • We offered up to 6 months of monthly consultation and technical assistance

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Curriculum Development

• CCBMDR staff work with agencies to customize trainings.

  • Meeting with key staff to determine needs

  • Timeframe for trainings

    • One to two days

• CCBMDR staff can provide train the trainer workshops.

  • Facilitator Manual

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Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument (CCAI)

• CCBMDR staff administer CCAI per and post via online tool.

• CCBMDR staff provide report on individual cultural competence and organizational readiness for change

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Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities on Minorities Training State of IL

Francisco Alvarado, Assistant Director

Illinois Department of Human Services-Division of Rehabilitation Services

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Cultural Competence Trainings (DRS)

• Over 300* staff from DRS VR, Home Services, Blind Services and
  Brain Injury CBOs participated

• Training participants elected to participate in the research/evaluation

  • Individual assessments

    • 233 during the training

    • 54 after the training

  • Goal setting

    • 47 offices/organizations

• 10 2-day trainings

* Estimate based on sign in sheets

** 1-day training

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We collected the following measures:

1. Satisfaction with training

2. Cultural Knowledge Assessment

3. Physical Environment Assessment
   (Moffat & Tung, 2004)

4. Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument (CCAI-UIC)
   (Suarez-Balcazar et al., 2008)

5. Organizational Readiness for Change
   (TCU, 2003)

6. Follow up data on goal progress and accomplishment

Instruments

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Satisfaction with Training

436 surveys from 233 VR Providers, 8 2-day trainings

5=most useful, 1=least useful

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Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument (CCAI-UIC)

We are in the process of analyzing pre/post comparisons

(1-4 scale, where 1=never, 2=rarely, 3=occasionally and 4=frequently)

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Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument (CCAI-UIC)

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Organizational Readiness for Change- Staffing

We are in the process of analyzing pre/post comparisons

(1-4 scale, where 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=agree and 4=strongly agree)

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Organizational Readiness for Change- Staffing

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Organizational Readiness for Change- Climate

We are in the process of analyzing pre/post comparisons

(1-4 scale, where 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=agree and 4=strongly agree)

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Organizational Readiness for Change- Climate

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Goal Progress Accomplishment within VR Programs

• 37 VR offices and 10 VR-contracted CBOs contracted for BI participated in follow along telephone interviews

  • These 47 groups set a total of 98 goals

• 42 groups (92%) engaged in the follow-along process

  • Resulted in tracking of 95 goals (97%)

• Organizations set from 1 to 3 goals
  (Average: about 2)

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• Types of goals set

• Types of facilitators identified

• Types of barriers identified

• Levels of goal accomplishment noted during follow-up interviews

Measuring Goal Accomplishment

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To improve cultural competence in organizational practices
(n=68, 68%)

• Infuse cultural understanding into intake processes

• Provide better bilingual/LEP services

• Improve cultural elements of the physical environment

• Form a cultural competence committee

• Increase the diversity of the workforce

• Evaluate/improve the effectiveness of services

• Improve outreach and linkages of the organization in the community

Goals Set Example

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Types of Facilitators Identified

• People within the organization who provided specific assistance or supported the goal (e.g., staff, management)

• Other providers in the community to learn from or partner with (e.g., other social service agencies, churches, universities)

• Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research (e.g., training materials, staff consultation)

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• Lack of bilingual staff

• Lack of money

• Lack of time

• Lack of diversity among staff & management

• Reluctance to change among staff & management

• Negative community perceptions of organization (e.g., lack of trust in organization)

• Federal/State mandates that constrain options for making needed changes

Types of Barriers Identified

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Levels of Goal Accomplishment

• 52% of goals were in progress or better

• 35% of goals had been accomplished at follow up

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Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research Cultural Competence Training State of Alabama

Gwenea McDaniel, M.A., CRC

Diversity and Recruitment Specialist

Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS)

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Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services

Mission Statement

To enable Alabama’s children and adults with disabilities achieve their maximum potential

Vision

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services will promote a respectful, equitable and fair environment for staff; and provide services to consumers that recognize, accept and utilize the skills, knowledge, and abilities of diverse individuals

Values

We value all staff and their contributions in achieving our mission

We value the worth, dignity, and rights of people with disabilities

ADRS

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ADRS Diversity Plan

• To have agency leadership committed to formulating a diverse staff

• To have a staff that understand the meaning of diversity

• To have the diversity of staff reflect the diversity of the general population of the state

• To provide culturally competent services

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About 741* staff from ADRS VR, CRC, SAIL, and AEIS participated

Training participants elected to participate in the research/evaluation

• • Individual assessments

    • 404 prior to the training

15 1-day trainings

• • 06/3- 06/4/09: Montgomery, AL (79 Participants)

  • 10/19/09: Huntsville, AL (57 Participants)

  • 10/20/09: Decatur, AL (56 Participants)

  • 10/21-10/22/09: Anniston, AL (87 Participants)

  • 10/27-10/28-10/29/09: Homewood, AL (144 Participants)

  • 12/4/09: Tuscaloosa, AL (47 Participants)

  • 12/7-12/8/09: Montgomery, AL (63 Participants)

  • 12/9-12/10/09: Mobile, AL (115 Participants)

  • 12/11/09: Dothan, AL (37 Participants)

* Estimated based on sign in sheets

Cultural Competence Trainings

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We collected the following measures:

1. Satisfaction with training

2. Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument (CCAI-UIC)
   (Suarez-Balcazar et al., 2008)

3. Organizational Readiness for Change
   (TCU, 2003)

Instruments

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Satisfaction with Training

628 surveys, 15 Trainings

5=most useful, 1=least useful

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Cultural Competence Assessment Instrument

* These means only include the October data. The June data is currently being analyzed.

* Post Surveys have not yet been administered

* (1-6 scale, where 1=strongly disagree, 2= somewhat disagree, 3=disagree, 4= somewhat agree, 5 = agree, and 6 = strongly agree)

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Organizational Readiness for Change - Staffing

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Organizational Readiness for Change - Climate

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Comments & Questions

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Contact Information

For more information on the Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research Cultural Competence training please contact:

Celestine Willis

Email: willisc@uic.edu
(312) 413-8993

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THANK YOU!

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Toll-free: (866) 518-7750 [voice/tty]

Fax: (404) 541-9002

Web: 

My TACE Portal: 

Email: 

TACE Center: Region IV

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Education Credit: CRCC & CEU

DEADLINE: Tuesday, February 23, 2010

CRCC Credit (2.0)**

1. 1. Login to MyTACE Portal.

   2. Score 80% or better on Post Test within three attempts.

   3. Submit online CRCC Request Form.  

CEU Credit (0.2)

1. 1. Sign Participant List and complete CEU Form (on day of webinar from Site Coordinator, or after webinar login to MyTACE Portal.

   2. Submit Participant List and CEU form to TACE: Region IV
      by Fax (404) 541-9002.

MyTACE Portal: 

**For CRCC credit, you must reside in the 8 U.S. Southeast states served by the TACE Region IV [AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN]. If beyond TACE Region IV, you may apply for CEU credit.

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Disclaimer

This presentation was developed by the
TACE Center: Region IV ©2010 with funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) under the priority of Technical Assistance and Continuing Education Projects (TACE) – Grant #H264A080021. However, the contents of this presentation do not necessarily represent the policy of the RSA and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government [34 CFR 75.620 (b)].

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Copyright Information

Copyright © Department of Disability and Human Development University of Illinois at Chicago. Center for Capacity Building for Minorities with Disabilities Research. Project funded by the USA Department of Education. National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the authors. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the authors.

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Contact Information

Fabricio E. Balcazar, Ph.D.

Professor & Director

Center on Capacity Building for Minorities with Disabilities

Department of Disability and Human Development

University of Illinois (M/C 626)

1640 West Roosevelt Rd

Chicago, IL 60608

Tel: 312-413-1646 Fax: 312-413-1804

fabricio@uic.edu

Gwenea Jackson McDaniel

Diversity and Recruitment Specialist

AL Dept. of Rehabilitation Services

(205)290-4515(205)290-1029

Gwenea.McDaniel@rehab.alabama.gov

Francisco Alvarado, Assistant Director

Division of Rehabilitation Services

Illinois Department of Human Services

100 S Grand Ave East 1st floor

Springfield, IL 62762

217-558-0419

Francisco.Alvarado@illinois.gov

Celestine Willis, M.A.

Director of Training

Center for Capacity

Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research

University of Illinois at Chicago

1640 W Roosevelt Rd M/C 626

Chicago, IL 60608

312-413-8993 312-413-1804 Fax