America's Diversity Guide
Chapter 5: Culturally & Linguistically Competent Services
- Capacity Building Tools: Raising Awareness
- Diversity and Community Partnership
- Language Access Tools
- Access and Diversity Guidelines
- Examples of Access and Diversity Plans
- Additional Information
"Community can be defined in several different ways. It can refer to the people
who live within a geographic boundary. It can refer to those who are served by
a certain agency or program. It can also refer to a group of people who have
similar beliefs, a similar culture, or shared identity and experiences."
— U.S. Administration on Aging, Achieving Cultural Competence: A
Guidebook of Services to Older Americans and Their Families, 2001
Capacity Building Tools: Raising Awareness
- Common Ground: Ethnic Relations Moderator's Guide (Southern Institute
for Education and Research, Tulane University, 1995) - Curriculum Module on Aging & Ethnicity (A.E. Scharlach, et al, University
of California, Berkeley, 2002) - Enhancing Cross-Cultural Communication by Telling Patients' Stories
(The Commonwealth Fund - includes video clips) - The New Americans: Immigration Myths & Realities Quiz (Independent
Lens/PBS) - Olmstead and Community: A Three Course Self Study Series on
Community Integration for Persons with Disabilities (Independent Living
Research Utilization, 2005) - Race - The Power of an Illusion (California Newsreel/PBS)
- Ready? Set. Grow! A Starter's Guide for Becoming Culturally Competent
(Chicago Jobs Council, Cultural Competency and Employment
Initiative, n.d.) - Toward a More Perfect Union in an Age of Diversity: Working on
Common Cross-cultural Communication Challenges (A More Perfect
Union, 1997) - UNESCO Declaration of Principles on Tolerance (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 1995) - Who Are We? The Many Faces of America (A More Perfect Union, 1997)
Diversity and Community Partnership
- Building the New American Community: A Collaborative Project on
Integration (Migration Policy Institute and National Conference of State
Legislatures, 2004) - Beyond Tokenism: Partnering with Diverse Abilities on Consumer
Advisor Boards Best Practice Guide (University of New Mexico, Center
for Development and Disability, 2004) - Involving People with Disabilities as Members of Advisory Groups
(University of Montana Rural Institute, Research and Training Center on
Disability in Rural Communities, 2004) - Legal Services Corporation Diversity Initiatives and Projects (LSC
Resource Library, n.d.)
- Working with Diverse Cultures (Ohio State University Extension Fact
Sheet, n.d.)
Language Access Tools
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Multilanguage
Publications - Culture Clues (University of Washington Medical Center)
- Eldercare Locator National Resource Center
- Health Information Translations (Ohio State University Medical Center,
et al) - Interpreter Services Language Access Poster (Massachusetts Legal
Services Diversity Coalition) - I Speak Cards (California Department of Social Services)
- Links to Federal Resources in Other Languages (Federal Citizen
Information Center) - National Institute on Aging Spanish Language Materials
- Social Security Multilanguage Gateway
- Social Security Free Interpreter Service
- Social Security "If You Need an Interpreter" Poster
- Bright Ideas--ESL for Elders (Coalition of Limited-English Speaking Elderly, n.d.)
Access and Diversity Guidelines
- Communicating With and About People with Disabilities (U.S.
Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, 2002) - Cultural Diversity at the End of Life: Issues and Guidelines for Family
Physicians (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2005)
- Developing and Maintaining a Successful Legal Referral Hotline for
Immigrant Communities: A How To Handbook (Asian Pacific American
Legal Resource Center, 2003) - Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (United
States Department of Justice, 2001) - Guidelines for Culturally Competent Organizations (Minnesota
Department of Human Services) - How to Incorporate Diversity into Your Organization (Association
Forum of Chicagoland) - Interpretation and Translation (Limited English Proficiency)
- Information and Guidance for Federal Agencies on Language Access
to Federal Programs and Activities (Limited English Proficiency) - Information and Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funds on Language
Access to Federally Assisted Programs and Activities (U.S. Department of Justice) - Making Web Sites More Accessible for Users Who Are Older and/or
Have a Disability (ADRC Resource Center Technical Assistance
Exchange) - Meaningful Access for People Who Are Limited English Proficient
(Federal Interagency Working Group on Limited English Proficiency)
- Multilingual Web Site Design
- National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
(U.S. Office of Minority Health) - Opening Our Doors to Language-Minority Clients (Community Legal
Services of Philadelphia Language Access Project, 2003) - Recommended Policies and Guidelines for Federal Public Websites
- Strategy Brief: Ombudsman Program Responses to Diversity (National
Association of State Units on Aging/National Long Term Care
Ombudsman Resource Center, 2005)
Examples of Access and Diversity Plans
- California Department of Social Services' Deaf Access Program
- Legal Services Corporation Action Agenda for Diversity
- Massachusetts Legal Services Diversity Action Plan
- Minnesota Department of Human Services - Information and Resources
for Working with Persons with Limited English Proficiency - New York Legal Services Statewide Diversity Coalition: Ten Action Steps
You Can Take to Diversify Your Legal Services Community - Social Security's Plan for Providing Access to Benefits and Services for
Persons with Limited English Proficiency
Additional Information
- Ensuring Safety: Informed Consent for Patients with Limited Health
Literacy (The Commonwealth Fund) - National Coalition Building Institute
- Patients' Attitudes Toward Health Care Providers Collecting Information
About Their Race and Ethnicity (Commonwealth Fund, 2006) - Perceptions of Elderly Affect Care They Receive (American Psychiatric
Association, 2005) - Providing Language Interpretation Services in Health Care Settings: Examples
from the Field (National Health Law Program, May 2002)
