Center for Capacity Building on Minorities with Disabilities Research

Director: Fabricio Balcazar, Ph.D.Associate Director: Yolanda Suarez, Ph.D.Department of Disability and Human Development

And Department of Occupational TherapyUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Fabricio BalcazarPrincipal Investigator/Director

Project AYolanda Suarez PI

Yolanda SuarezAssociate Research Director

National Advisory Board

Project BReginald Alston, PI

Tina RitzlerProject Coordinator

Paul Leong Texas

Maria Restrepo-ToroMassachusetts

Kimberly HallCalifornia

Hank ScalpaneMontana

Christopher Keys

Illinois

Project CCarol Gill, PI

Project DBrigida Hernandez, PI

Project EGlen Fujiura, PI

Nahrain IsraelOffice Manager

TBATraining specialist

TBAGRA

Carlos DrazenGRA

TBAGRA

TBAGRA

TBAGRA

TBARAs

Project FFabricio Balcazar

TBAGRA

CENTER TEAM

Participatory Research Methods

Projects A & F

Organizational Capacity BuildingProject A

CulturallyCompetent

RehabilitationResearch &

Services

CulturalCompetente

Projects B, C, D, E & F

Figure 2 Conceptual Framework of the Research and Training Activities

PRIORITY THEME 1:

• Develop and implement a research partnership plan focused on research infrastructure and capacity building

RESEARCH PROJECT A:

A participatory process for building agency capacity for conducting program evaluation and improve consumer services (20 sites).PI: Yolanda SuárezUniversity of Illinois at Chicago

Figure 3. A Framework for the Process of Participatory Evaluation of Community Services and Programs

Developing logic model

(3)

Identifying evaluation

questions & methods

(4)

Documenting impact of

programs & services (5)

Interpret/report data

(6)

Framing the problem/goa

l(2)

Using data to improve services

(7)

Participatoryidentification of needs/concerns

(1)

TRAINING ACTIVITIES:

1. Training the regional coordinators on how to develop and implement the collaborations necessary to build agency capacity for participatory evaluation and research

2. Training VR agencies and CBOs to conduct participatory evaluations of programs and services

DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES:

1. Researchers’ guide for conducting effective participatory program evaluations with agencies serving minority populations

2. Service providers’ guide for conducting effective participatory program evaluations with minority populations

3. Presentations at relevant conferences and meetings4. Presentations at national state-of-the-science conference

sponsored by the center5. Publications in the conference proceedings6. Research publications7. Center’s web site for dissemination of instructional materials

and project findings using an interactive portal8. Articles published in the Centers´ Electronic newsletter

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:

1. Assistance to research practitioners, VR agencies, and CBOs regarding the implementation of participatory program evaluation to agencies serving minority populations

2. Online opportunities to allow participating agencies to address common concerns and e-publish their findings and contributions.

3. Smart newsgroup for questions and answers in a “frequently asked questions” database.

4. Telephone consultation (TTY too) to address questions from current and potential users

PRIORITY THEME 2

2. Research, develop, and evaluate strategies to assess the efficacy of existing research theories, methodologies, and measures for studying and describing underrepresented individuals with disabilities from minority racial and ethnic populations and their needs

Research Project B:

• Racial identity and cultural mistrust as psycho-cultural correlates of rehabilitation success for minorities with disabilities.

• PI: Dr. Reginald Alston, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Research Project C:

• Is Disability Identity a White Preoccupation? Investigating the Intersection of Disability and Race in Self Views of Latinos and African Americans with Disabilities.

• PI: Carol Gill, University of Illinois at Chicago;

TRAINING ACTIVITIES:

• 3. Training VR counselors, CIL and other CBO´s staff on best practices regarding racial identity issues and cultural mistrust with minorities with disabilities.

• 4. Training CBOs’ staff about issues of disability and cultural identity among minorities with physical disabilities

DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES:

9. Service providers guide to providing culturally appropriate services to minorities with disabilities

• Same as # 3, through 8

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:

5. Assistance to VR agencies regarding their service delivery to minorities with disabilities.

6. Assistance to CILs and other CBOs regarding their service delivery to minorities with disabilities.

7. Assistance to VR agencies and CBOs regarding issues of disability identity among minorities with physical disabilities.

PRIORITY THEME 3

• Research, identify and modify or develop, and evaluate scientifically valid measurement strategies and methodologies for research

Research Project D:

• Disability determination and provision of vocational rehabilitation services: How good are the tools that are used?

• PI: Brigida Hernandez, DePaul University

TRAINING ACTIVITIES:

5. Training VR counselors regarding state-of-the-science diagnostic procedures and instruments

DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES:

10. A practitioners guide for culturally appropriate diagnosis of minority individuals with disabilities

• Same as # 3, through 8

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:

8. Assistance to VR agencies regarding the adequacy of their diagnostic instruments

PRIORITY THEME 4

• Develop and evaluate research principles or standards for culturally appropriate and linguistically competent disability and rehabilitation research, and disseminate guidelines.

Research Project E:

• Standards for culturally competent and linguistically appropriate research.

• PI: Glen Fujiura• University of Illinois at Chicago

Cultural Competence

(4)

BetterRehabilitation Research &

Services

Cultural Awarenes

s(1)

CulturallySensitivity

(3)

Cultural Knowledge

(2)

Figure 1:Model for the Development of Culturally Competent Rehabilitation

Researchers and Service Providers

TRAINING ACTIVITIES:

6. Training researchers and practitioners in the field of disability and rehabilitation research on how to develop cultural competency services?? Programs??

DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES:

• 11. This project will generate several practitioners’ and researchers’ guides with the standards for culturally competent disability and rehabilitation research. Topics may include: getting entry, sampling, data collection, research designs, data collection methodologies,

• Same as # 3, through 8

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:

9. Assistance to researchers and practitioners interested in using the standards for culturally competent research via phone or e-mail

PRIORITY THEME 5

• Develop, implement, and evaluate approaches for disseminating research findings, information about best practices for research involving underrepresented minority race and ethnic populations, and information about research collaboration

Research Project F:

• Strategies for disseminating research findings and information regarding best practices for culturally competent research.

• PI: Fabricio Balcazar, • University of Illinois at Chicago

TRAINING ACTIVITIES:

7. Training VR counselors and CBO´s staff on effective strategies for outreaching to minority individuals with disabilities

DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES:

12. Researchers’ and practitioners´ guide for effective outreach and dissemination of relevant information to minority consumers with disabilities

• Same as # 3,through 8

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:

10. Assistance to research practitioners and service providers on how to disseminate research findings and other relevant information via phone or e-mail