Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. https://archive.org/details/americanrehabili1996unse AMERICAN REHABILITATION Cultural Diversity Part 1 of 2 Wm . k M. YV M \L Jr7If s.-'-'j - i • ■ f '\N * ( i if J J/iPW'ir 1 fl 1L v II f*1 1r /rfj* i 4 -v, N ’Vs J/Tff rifw/Jy/I; Ms V\ | fit j \ \ Vi/ / flip / /iff #?« RSA's Capacity Building Project T he Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) has initiated its Capacity Building Project with the award¬ ing of grants through a cooperative agreement to 17 educational institutions and nonprofit service agencies. The Capacity Building Project is one of the major compo¬ nents of the Cultural Diversity Initiative which grew out of the implementation of Section 21 of the 1992 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 21, which is entitled, "Traditionally Underserved Populations," charges RSA with the responsibility for de¬ veloping interventions which will increase the number of minority professionals working within the public rehabil¬ itation program. One of the strategies called for in the leg¬ islation is to build the capacity of minority educational institutions, minority owned businesses, and organiza¬ tions serving individuals with disabilities from minority population groups to successfully compete for and manage RSA, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Re¬ search (NIDRR), and other federal grants, contracts, and co¬ operative agreements. This effort is intended to increase mi¬ nority participation in the field, thus leading to better service delivery and higher quality outcomes for minority individuals with disabilities. Fredric K. Schroeder, Commissioner, RSA RSA's Project Officer for this effort is Ellen Chesley, who will be working with Dan Hopkins of Dan Hopkins & As¬ will meet with officials from RSA, NIDRR, and the Office sociates to provide the management and oversight for the of Special Education (OSEP) to design an implementation project. Mr. Hopkins will serve as the national coordinator plan for this 3-year project. This plan will guide the Ca¬ and will be involved in the project's day-to-day opera¬ pacity Building Project as it attempts to reach the widest tion. Mr. Hopkins previously served on the faculty of the possible audience. It strives to improve the opportunities Region VI Regional Rehabilitation Continuing Education for interested parties to acquire rehabilitation funding and Program (RRCEP) at the University of Arkansas. He was build the capacity of the public rehabilitation program coordinator of the Rehabilitation Cultural Diversity Ini¬ through the increased participation of minority profes¬ tiative for that region and has a long and distinguished sionals and improved service delivery to all individuals record in the areas of cultural diversity, community de¬ with disabilities. velopment, program planning, proposal development, management, and leadership. He will work with Ms. Ches¬ The projects which are funded under the Capacity Build¬ ley and the directors of each of the funded projects to en¬ ing Project umbrella represent a broad cross section of or¬ sure that a strong and well coordinated national effort is ganizational activity and expertise. The grantees are: planned and implemented. The directors of each project Continued on page 35 AMERICAN REHABILITATION Volume 22, Number 1 Spring 1996 The weakest ink is better than the strongest memory. 2 Asian Pacific Americans and Section 21 Paul Leung, Ph.D. of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 7 Providing Outreach and Andrew M. O'Brien, MS, CRC Rehabilitation Counseling Services to Gary W. Rhoades, JD Non-English Speaking Persons 10 Latino Access to Rehabilitation Services: Anna M. Santiago, Ph.D. Evidence from Michigan Francisco Villarruel, Ph.D. Michael J. Leahy, Ph.D. 18 Ron Bourgea: An Appreciation Frank Romano 20 American Indian Vocational Gerard Giordano, Ph.D. Rehabilitation Services: A Unique Project Bruno D'Alonzo, Ph.D. Wayne Oyenque, L.M.S.W. 27 The Howard University Research and Sylvia Walker, Ed.D. Training Center: A Unique Resource Orlean Brown, B.Ed. 34 Closing the Shop: Conversion from Judith E. Heumann Sheltered to Integrated Work a book review DEPARTMENTS 36 New Publications and Films Cover Photo: "Teaching Wounded Eagles to Fly/' by Joseph Locust, Tucson, AZ. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Richard W. Riley, Secretary OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES Judith E. Heumann, Assistant Secretary REHABILITATION SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Fredric K. Schroeder, Commissioner Frank Romano, Editor American Rehabilitation (USPS 463-610) is the Opinions expressed are those of the authors Paid subscriptions are accepted ($9.00 domes¬ official publication of the Rehabilitation Ser¬ and do not necessarily reflect the views of the De¬ tic, $11.25 foreign; single copies are $3.75 do¬ vices Administration (RSA), 330 C Street S.W., partment of Education, the Office of Special Ed¬ mestic and $4.69 foreign). See back cover for Washington, DC 20202-2531, with four issues ucation and Rehabilitative Services, the Rehabil¬ order blank. Correspondence concerning paid published each year (Winter, Spring, Summer, itation Services Administration, or the editor. subscriptions should be sent to Superintendent of and Autumn). Use of funds for printing was Manuscript and article suggestions are welcome. Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, approved by the Office of Management and Write to: Editor, American Rehabilitation, Rehabil¬ Washington, DC 20402. POSTMASTER: Send Budget on June 23, 1975. Second-class postage itation Services Administration, Room 3212 MES, address changes to American Rehabilitation, 330 paid at Washington, DC, and additional mailing 330 C Street S.W., Washington, DC 20202-2531. C Street S.W., Washington, DC 20202-2531. offices. Telephone: (202) 205-8296. FAX: (202) 205-9874. y\sicm Pacif ic Americans cmd Section 2i of fKe T^eKobi li+afiom y\cf y\memdmemfs of "1992 Paul Leung, Ph.D. the Asian Pacific population (Yang, et T al., 1994). While prevailing opinion and evidence seem to suggest lower inci¬ he reauthorization of the Reha¬ dence and prevalence (McNeil, 1994) The Rehabilitation bilitation Act included what has of disabilities among the Asian Pacific become commonly known as Sec¬ Cultural Diversity American population, the fact that dis¬ tion 21. Essentially, Section 21 mandates abilities are linked to poverty status Initiative includes outreach and inclusion of persons from and occupation would also suggest that Asian Pacific minority ethnic groups into the state- some Asian Pacific American ethnic federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) Americans as a target groups, because of their higher rates program and was due in part to con¬ of poverty and representation in ser¬ group, yet little is gressional findings as well as other data vice occupations, may have higher in¬ known about the suggesting differential participation of cidence and prevalence rates than the minority ethnic populations in the VR incidence and majority population. program (Ross & Biggi, 1986; Dziekan & These variances can be traced in part prevalence of disability Okocha, 1993; GAO, 1993). Bobbie to the fact that the category, "Asian Pa¬ among Asian Pacific Atkins, Ph.D., coordinator of a consor¬ cific Islander," was an artificial classi¬ tium of Rehabilitation Continuing Ed¬ Americans and, thus, fication put into effect by Office of ucation Programs (RCEP's) working on Management and Budget Statistical little is known about Section 21 efforts, describes the goals Directive 15 in 1977 (Wright, 1994). In their rehabilitation of Section 21 as to "provide and en¬ reality, there is no one group or person needs. This article hance equal access to quality services that is Asian Pacific American, as op¬ and outcomes within the public reha¬ posed to Korean American, Samoan provides a brief bilitation programs for individuals rep¬ American, or Vietnamese American, overview of the many resenting cultural diversity" and to "ex¬ which have their basis with a particular groups which have pand career development for individ¬ country or nation of origin. Because of uals in rehabilitation representing cul¬ the many ethnic groups categorized as been included under tural diversity." Dr. Atkins points out Asian Pacific under Directive 15 and the rubric of Asian that the target groups "include Afro- the usual practice of lumping all of Pacific American. In Americans, Hispanic Americans, Na¬ them into an aggregate category, sig¬ tive Americans, Asian Americans, and nificant differences may be masked. addition, it attempts to Pacific Islanders" (1994). These include differences not only re¬ dispel some myths, lated to each of the particular ethnic provide some insight Why are Asian Pacific groups but to differences related to how Americans Included? long an individual has been in the into their culture and United States, as well as other accul¬ values, and offer a few "Asian Pacific Americans" were in¬ turation variables. suggestions related to cluded in the language of the amend¬ ments although specific rationale for Who are Asian Pacific their involvement in their inclusion was not provided. In Americans? the vocational part, this is because very little data have rehabilitation program. been available regarding disability Asian Pacific Americans are the within the Asian Pacific American pop¬ fastest growing population in the ulation. Current estimates probably do United States today, with the primary not accurately reflect the reality of dis¬ growth of the last decade due to im¬ ability incidence or prevalence among migration. From approximately 1.5 per- AMERICAN REHABILITATION