The MultiCultural Development Center (MCDC)

co-sponsored with Cub Foods

is proud to present its MCDC Cultural Forum

Disability in the Context of Culture

Thursday, June 12, 2008
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.   _________________________________________________________________________

Forum Description:

Increasingly employees, customers and clients are seeing the value of bringing their “whole selves” into their relationships.  While we tend to think of identities such as race, gender and disability as independent of each other, the reality is that our many identities are intertwined in order to create one "whole self." 

During this Forum, we will examine two of the more common identities: culture and disability, and explore how these two variables interact. Attendees will gain a better understanding of how disability is viewed in different cultural contexts. You will gain insights to help you better interact with employees, to satisfy customer needs and to serve clients, while in the process learning more about your own identities.  Panelists from different cultural contexts will share their unique perspective on how different disabilities are viewed in their own culture. 

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Learning Objectives:

The content of this Forum will help participants to:

•  Gain knowledge and awareness of how culture matters when recognizing and accepting disabilities

•  Recognize how the meaning or value of medical treatment, health care, and health education may vary greatly among cultures

•  Understand how religion and other belief systems may influence families' responses to disability

•  Become aware of the cultural expectations that are unique to families of specific backgrounds while being served by organizations or social-service providers for people with disabilities

•  Understand how to address the needs of persons with disabilities from various cultural backgrounds in the areas of healthcare, employment and social services

•  Review organizational business objectives, goals, policies, and procedures to ensure principles, values and practices that promote cultural understanding and inclusion while working with disabled employees and clients from various cultural backgrounds

•  Acquire resources in the community that can be used by organizations for recruitment, referral, educational and service-delivery purposes

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Who should attend?

•  Participants who work in diverse environments

•  Human resource professionals who are working with diverse employees

•  Recruiters who are locating, interviewing and hiring diverse candidates

•  Employees, managers and supervisors who are in direct contact with other employees, or customers with various forms of disabilities

•  Private, non-profit and government social service organizations and agencies that are providing services and products to people with disabilities

•  Participants who want to increase their cultural competence

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Forum Outline:

Part I: The Executive Directors of the State Councils on Minority Affairs will discuss how culture matters in recognizing, understanding and accepting disabilities in their communities.

Participating in the discussion are:

Lester R. Collins - Council on Black Minnesotans

Rogelio L. Munoz Jr. - Chicano Latino Affairs Council

Kao Ly Ilean Her - Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans

Annamarie Hill-Kleinhans – Minnesota Indian Affairs Council

Joan Willshire - Minnesota State Council on Disability

Part II: Participants will break into facilitated groups to discuss how disabilities are really represented in their own cultures and how this affects the perceptions of others with disabilities.

Part III: A panel of diverse people will speak frankly about the perceptions of people within their community toward their disabilities. The panel includes:

• Rick Cardenas, Co-Director - Advocating Change Together (ACT)
• Steve Nelson, Advocate and Stroke Survivor
• Carol Eli, Community Program Specialist - Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota
• Dao Ngo, Employment Manager - Centre for Asian & Pacific Islanders
• Mahad Abdi, Executive Director - Disabled Immigrant Association

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Location:

Neighborhood House
(at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building )
179 Robie Street East
Saint Paul , MN 55107-2360

For driving directions, visit
http://www.neighb.org/default.asp?active_page_id=178

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Fees:

MCDC Members - $65 per person

Non-Members - $85 per person

Government/Non-profit/Educational Institutions - $75 per person

A limited number of scholarships for students are available for this event. If selected, the registration fee will be waived, courtesy of Carlson.
Contact MCDC at info@mcdc.org with inquiries.
Applications must be completed and submitted by Friday, June 6, 2008 at 4:30 p.m.
Selected scholarship recipients will be informed by Monday, June 9, 2008.

Scholarship application form.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.

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Pre-registration/cancellation for a full refund is required by
Monday, June 9, 2008.

Please direct all registration information to:
The MultiCultural Development Center (MCDC)
9633 Lyndale Avenue South
Bloomington , MN 55420

Inquiries and information call: (952)-881-6090

1. Register online and pay with credit card (MasterCard or Visa only)

2. Register by email and request invoice:
send name, organization, address, phone and attendee list to info@mcdc.org

3. Send a check, payable to MCDC, including the form below.

----------------------------------Registration Form-------------------------------------------

Disability in the Context of Culture on June 12, 2008.

Name: __________________________________________________________________

Organization: ____________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip Code: ______________________________________________________

Telephone: _____________________________ Fax: ____________________________

E-mail: _________________________________________________________________

To request an accommodation, contact MCDC.

info@mcdc.org
ph. 952.881.6090
fax 952.887.6099

Copyright 2008 MCDC, All Rights Reserved