Cultural Competence, Family Support, and Disability

The GaDOE Cultural Competence Project: Family Support, Culture and Disability was initiated approximately five years ago by the Georgia Department of Education, Division of Special Education and Services and the Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University. . The cultural competence project followed the Family Support, Culture, and Disability curriculum developed out of Denver, CO The curriculum is highly interactive and is driven by participant interaction. Project participants reported gaining an understanding of the perspectives of many of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and their families. This understanding led to a self-reported increase in empathy among project participants. Participants in this presentation will experience parts of the 8-hour Family Support, Culture, and Disability curriculum and will leave the presentation with positive attitudes about disability, and understanding about the family perceptions of disability, the impact of culture on services, supports and attitudinal change relative to disability