Disability, Diversity, and Intersectionality: An American Journey for CILs (1.5 hours)

Training Source: 
ILRU
Presenter(s): 
Stanley A. Holbrook
Jesse Bethke Gomez
Susan Dooha
Beginning Date: 
07/10/2018
End Date: 
07/10/2018
Type of Training: 
On-demand

About the Training

This first webinar in a series will begin sharing the findings of the Disability, Diversity, and Intersectionality in CILs study conducted by Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU). The study named nine centers for independent living, chosen from several dozen nominated by their peers, as making progress in how they are designing, implementing, and evaluating culturally and linguistically competent policies and practices to improve services, programs, and outreach. 

Leaders at each of the nine CILs are quick to say that they do not consider themselves experts. They recognize that we’re all learning together—but they are eager to share what they have learned with other centers and to continue learning in return.

Communities are made up of a mixture of people with varying characteristics including race, color, ethnicity, disabilities, and many other factors. These characteristics should be reflected in the make-up of CIL boards, staffs, and consumers. Accomplishing broad and meaningful inclusion in CILs is a journey. It’s a similar journey to the one that many individuals and organizations in our nation are taking to examine ourselves, our values, and our level of commitment to accomplishing inclusivity. Are we crafting mission statements that make it clear what our universe of service and social change is? Are we establishing policies and procedures that define what we require to be a part of our staffs and boards and who we serve and advocate for? Do our brochures and materials make it clear to all groups of people in our communities that they would be welcome and safe to be involved with our organizations? When people visit our organizations do they meet people who look like themselves?

To learn more about the Disability, Diversity, and Intersectionality in CILs project, check out the website. 

Target Audience

CIL board members, executive directors, program managers, and IL services and advocacy staff.

Learning Objectives

What You Will Learn:

  • The purpose and framework of the Disability, Diversity, and Intersectionality (DDI) research project and its importance to centers for independent living.
  • Overarching findings of the DDI research study that spotlight how nine centers for independent living are improving services, programs and outreach for racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse groups.

  • The intersectionality of disability and diversity as the disability rights movement began and has grown.

  • Elements of dynamic, vibrant organizational cultures that promote conversations around affinities, connectedness, unconscious bias, and positive change.

View the Training (01:26:36)

Transcript and Resources

Other Training and Publications on Inclusion and Diversity