May 6 - 8, 2002
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Providing Culturally Competent Disability Services
to Persons Born in other Countries May 6 - 8, 2002 |
Bridging the cultural gaps in services for Haitians with disabilities
Raphael, R.
Haitian American Public Health Initiative
Mattapan, Massachusetts USA
raphaelrenald@haphi.org
Abstract
How to address the needs of Haitians with disabilities, and those of their families, within the US service system, will be examined from the perspective of the Haitian Family Support Program at the Haitian American Public Health Initiative (HAPHI ). HAPHI is a community-based organization, founded in 1989 as a health service agency. Its primary focus is to bridge the gaps in access to services in the health care system for non-English speaking and the low-income Haitia n population. In 1994, HAPHI's focus expanded to include people with disabilities at all levels. In this presentation, participants will be provided an overview of the services and programs offered to the Haitian community and gain an u nderstanding of cross-cultural issues as they relate to service delivery and outreach to the disability community. In addition, we will explore lessons HAPHI has learned throughout this process, as we attempt to provide culturally competent disability ser vices.