AIDTAC: Improving Cross-cultural Communications: Awareness of Native American Culture

2008

The importance of encouraging the full participation of Native Americans with disabilities in the electoral process cannot be overemphasized. Historically, Native American involvement in voting is among the lowest of any ethnic group in this country. For Native Americans with disabilities, acquiring information about options to vote and gaining access to polling places can prove to be very challenging, especially for those who live in rural or outlying areas without transportation or exposure to public messages about local, state, and national elections. In many cases, people struggle to find the necessary support even to meet their own daily needs. Protection and Advocacy Systems help ensure the inclusion of people who tend to be left out of the electoral process by providing legally based services and securing voter registration, access to polling places, and voting. P&A representatives draw on their training and experience to provide these services. In essence, they help protect and empower people with disabilities. In order to best reach people with disabilities from different cultural backgrounds, however, it will be beneficial to understand and appreciate practical ways of connecting with individuals and communities from another culture in order to build partnerships and trust. Listening is integral to this effort, and it is through this process of reaching out to hear and understand that P&A representatives carry out this important work most effectively.

Reports and monographs

Professionals

Electronic (disc, CD, 508 compliant web posting)

N/A