Culture and Disability: Providing Culturally Competent Services

One in ten persons living in the United States was born in another country, and in many areas this percentage is much higher. Minority groups are currently underrepresented in the rehabilitation professions; consequently many persons with disabilities are served by professionals from a culture that may be very different than their own. Culture and Disabilty provides information about views of disability in other cultures and ways in which rehabilitation professionals may improve services for persons from other cultures, especially recent immigrants.

Culture and Disabilty includes chapters with descriptions of the interaction of culture and disability. A model on "Culture Brokering" provides a framework for addressing conflicts that often arise between service providers and clients from differing cultures. Seven chapters discuss the cultural perspectives of China, Jamaica, Korea, Haiti, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Vietnam, focusing on how disability is understood in these cultures. Each of these chapters includes a discussion of the history of immigration to the United States, the role of the family and the community in rehabilitation, as well as recommendations for service providers on working with persons from each culture.

Culture and Disabilty is a unique and timely text for students and instructors in disability-related programs. It is also a vital resource for service providers who work in cross-cultural environments.

Dr. Stone (Ph.D., Education (Instructional Design and Development) Florida State University, 1976) directs the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange at the University at Buffalo. He is also Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science at the university. In addition to teaching a wide range of graduate courses in the area of rehabilitation, many with an emphasis on diversity, he also coordinates the international activities of the Department of Occupational Therapy.