Diversity Fellowship at the Westchester Institute for Human DevelopmentDiversity Fellows: Asad Ahmed, BA; Allison Elwell, BA

Project Director: Jenean Castillo, PhD 

The Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD), a part of the Administration on Community Living (ACL), awarded National Training Initiative grants to 14 University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) to develop diversity fellowship programs to support recruitment and retention of diverse trainees, and build cultural and linguistic competence within their Centers.

Goals

To support fellow from diverse backgrounds (as defined by AIDD) to increase their knowledge, skills and values related to individual and institutional cultural and linguistic competency, fellow/workforce diversity, and community collaborations

Objectives Become familiar with issues and strategies related to diversity,

disparities, institutional and individual cultural competence, systems change, and leadership skills to promote systems change

Develop a paper reflecting key aspects of their self-study Partner with community–based organizations in diverse

communities to carry out projects in response to the needs and values of the community

Enhance/promote cultural and linguistic competency at WIHD Share and disseminate your efforts and completed projects.

BackgroundWestchester County Department of Social Services (DSS) provides an array of services to Westchester residents in need of help, including the areas of child support, food, housing, medical services and home energy costs. It also provides protective and preventative services for vulnerable children and adults. DSS hopes to better educate the staff of the on the importance of implementing diversity/inclusion in campaigns, events, policies, procedures and hiring practices. The Diversity Fellows worked with DSS to implement a diversity awareness campaign that seeks to educate 1,100 Department of Social Services staff members on areas of cultural and linguistic competence. The campaign involved creating a poster and visuals to address critical Westchester County demographic information and the importance of diversity and inclusion awareness.

Open Door Family Medical Centers (ODFMC) is an expert in all aspects of health, with a broad focus on building healthier communities. ODFMC’s primary mission is to keep the people of Westchester and Putnam Counties healthy and strong, regardless of their ability to pay. The ODFMC leadership team expressed an interest in furthering the linguistic and cultural competency of its employees in order to provide the most effective healthcare possible. The organization expressed an interest in learning more about social determinants of health and how they influence a patient’s engagement in a treatment plan. The Diversity Fellows from WIHD developed a plan of action to further the stated goals of the ODFMC. This plan of action involved creating a PowerPoint learning module in which issues such as cultural and linguistic competency, healthcare disparities, and cultural self-awareness were presented.

Project Descriptions