DIVERSITY AND PRACTICE ERIC COLLINS FATIMA KING

“FORTUNATELY, THE TIME HAS LONG PASSED WHEN PEOPLE LIKED TO REGARD THE UNITED STATES AS SOME KIND OF MELTING POT, TAKING MEN AND WOMEN FROM EVERY PART OF THE WORLD AND CONVERTING THEM INTO STANDARDIZED, HOMOGENIZED AMERICANS. WE ARE, I THINK MUCH MORE MATURE AND WISE TODAY. JUST AS WE WELCOME A WORLD OF DIVERSITY, SO WE GLORY IN AN AMERICA OF DIVERSITY- IN AMERICA ALL THE RICHER FOR THE MANY DIFFERENT AND DISTINCTIVE STRANDS OF WHICH IT IS WOVEN.” -HUBERT HUMPHREY

VARIETY OF ETHNIC GROUPS IN THE UNITED STATES (STATISTICS) STATISTICS OF ETHNIC GROUPS IN U.S. OUT OF 284 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE U.S., 20% ARE ETHNIC MINORITIES. 1 IN 5 AMERICANS HAS A DISABILITY 1 IN 10 AMERICANS HAS A SEVERE DISABILITY ESTIMATES SHOW THAT BY THE YEAR 2030, 20% OF THE POPULATION WILL BE OVER 65. (A PORTION OF THESE CITIZENS MAY NEEDS TR SERVICES) THEREFORE, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT TR SPECIALISTS ADJUST THEIR PRACTICES IN ANY FORM NECESSARY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THEIR FUTURE CONSUMERS.

ISSUE AT HAND AMERICAS INCREASING CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND ISSUES OF RACE, ETHNICITY, SOCIAL ECONOMICAL STATUS, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AGE, RELIGION, PHYSICAL OR MENTAL DISABILITIES COMPLICATE THE ABILITY OF THERAPEUTIC RECREATION SPECIALIST TO DELIVER EFFECTIVE CLIENT-CENTERED CARE. IGNORANCE OF CULTURAL ISSUES LACK OF KNOWLEDGE LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES

WHAT HAS THE PROFESSION DONE IN RELATION TO DIVERSITY AND PRACTICE? PAST PRESENT FUTURE

WHAT HAS THE PROFESSION DONE IN RELATION TO DIVERSITY AND PRACTICE IN THE PAST

WHAT HAS THE PROFESSION DONE IN RELATION TO DIVERSITY AND PRACTICE TODAY EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE BY CREDENTIALING BODIES (TO ENSURE THAT TR PROFESSIONALS ARE CULTURALLY COMPETENT) E.G. ESTABLISHING ACCREDITATION AND CERTIFICATION STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES SPECIFIC TO MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING. PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS HAVE ALSO INITIATED PRACTICAL STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE THE CULTURAL COMPETENCE OF TR PROFESSIONALS (SUCH AS PUBLISHING DIVERSITY-RELATED MATERIALS AND RESOURCES FOR USE BY STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, AND PROFESSIONALS).

WHAT WILL THE PROFESSION IMPROVE IN RELATION TO DIVERSITY AND PRACTICE IN THE FUTURE AS U.S. SOCIETY BECOME MORE DIVERSE, THE RECREATION FIELD WILL NEED TO BETTER ADAPT TO THIS DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE. METHODS OF ADAPTATIONS: RECREATION EDUCATORS NEED TO INCLUDE MORE MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION ENHANCE UNIVERSALITY CORE CURRICULUM QUIT ASSUMING THAT MOST PEOPLE THEY WORK WITH LOOK, SOUND, AND SEE THE WORLD AS THEY DO PAGE 69

CULTURAL COMPETENCE WHAT IS CULTURAL COMPETENCE? UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL COMPETENCE STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING CULTURAL COMPETENCE SIGNIFICANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

WHAT IS CULTURAL COMPETENCE? A CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF PURSUING CULTURAL AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ENCOUNTERS, SENSITIVITY, AND LINKAGE AMONG SERVICES AND PEOPLE.

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE COMPETENCE DIVERSITY KNOWLEDGE HISTORICAL CULTURAL AWARENESS CROSS-CULTURAL SKILLS

STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING CULTURAL COMPETENCE WORKING IN MULTICULTURAL SETTING EXAMINING YOUR OWN BIAS LEARNING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY EXAMINING YOU LANGUAGE CONSIDERING THE INTERACTIONS OF FAMILIES LEARNING ABOUT INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVIDUALS DIFFERENCES

HOW IS CULTURAL COMPETENCE SIGNIFICANT TO INCLUSION IN ORGANIZATIONAL POLICY? RESPONDS TO CURRENT AND PROJECTED DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES IN THE US HELPS ELIMINATE LONG STANDING DISPARITIES IN THE HEALTH STATUS OF PEOPLE OF DIVERSE RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS. IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF SERVICES AND HEALTH OUTCOMES. MEET LEGISLATIVE, REGULATORY, AND ACCREDITATION MANDATES. GAIN A COMPETITIVE EDGE IN THE MARKET PLACE DECEASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF LIABILITY/MALPRACTICE CLAIMS

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES PERSONAL QUALITIES THAT REFLECT GENUINENESS, ACCURATE EMPATHY, AND THE CAPACITY TO RESPOND IN A FLEXIBLE MANNER TO A RANGE OF POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS IN CLIENTS TREATMENT AND CARE A PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT RACISM AND PREJUDICE CONTINUE TO EXIST, WHILE UNDERSTANDING THE BIAS OFTEN EQUATES TO INEQUALITY AMONG PEOPLE A PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE IMPACT OF CLASS AND ETHNICITY ON BEHAVIOR, ATTITUDES, AND VALUES KNOWLEDGE OF THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE, SPEECH PATTERNS, AND COMMUNICATION STYLES IN ETHNICALLY DISTINCT COMMUNITIES FAMILIARITY WITH THE RESOURCES (AGENCIES, PEOPLE INFORMAL HELPING NETWORKS, RESEARCH) THAT CAN BE USED ON BEHALF OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT RACIAL/ CULTURAL GROUPS THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE ACCURATE INFORMATION ON BEHALF OF ETHNIC PEOPLE AND THEIR COMMUNITIES THE ABILITY TO OPENLY DISCUSS RACIAL AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND ISSUES THE ABILITY TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN GENERAL STRESS AND STRESS ARISING FROM CULTURAL FACTORS

MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCY WHAT IS MULTICULTURALISM ? MULTICULTURAL TRAINING SIGNIFICANCE OF MULTICULTURALISM CONCEPT OF MULTICULTURALISM ISSUES

WHAT IS MULTICULTURALISM? IT IS A UNIQUE CATEGORY OF AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS THAT ENABLES A SYSTEM, AGENCY, OR PROFESSIONAL TO WORK EFFECTIVELY IN CROSS-CULTURAL SITUATIONS.

MULTICULTURAL TRAINING AWARENESS-BASED DIVERSITY TRAINING SKILL-BASED DIVERSITY TRAINING INTEGRATED-BASED DIVERSITY TRAINING

AWARENESS BASED TRAINING AWARENESS-BASED DIVERSITY TRAINING AIMS AT HEIGHTENING AWARENESS OF DIVERSITY ISSUES AND REVEALING WORKERS TENDENCIES TO STEREOTYPE. AWARENESS-BASED TRAINING IS DESIGNED TO PROMOTE FEELINGS OF UNITY, TOLERANCE, AND ACCEPTANCE WITHIN THE EXISTING ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND STRUCTURE IT UNCOVERS HIDDEN ASSUMPTIONS AND BIASES, ASSESS ATTITUDES AND VALUES, CORRECT MYTHS AND STEREOTYPES, AND FOSTER INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP SHARING

SKILL-BASED DIVERSITY TRAINING HOW FAR DOES SKILL-BASED DIVERSITY TRAINING GO? IT GOES BEYOND CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING; IT PROVIDES WORKERS WITH A SET OF SKILLS TO ENABLE THEM TO DEAL EFFECTIVELY WITH WORKPLACE DIVERSITY. IT FOCUSES DIRECTLY ON CHANGING JOB PERFORMANCE. PROGRAMS THAT HAVE THIS FOCUS EMPHASIZE SPECIFIC ACTIONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGING DIVERSITY SKILL-BASED DIVERSITY TRAINING HAS THREE IMPORTANT OBJECTIVES: (1) BUILDING NEW DIVERSITY-INTERACTION SKILLS, (2) REINFORCING EXISTING SKILLS, AND (3) INVENTORYING SKILL-BUILDING METHODOLOGIES IT EDUCATES EMPLOYEES ON SPECIFIC CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND HOW TO RESPOND TO DIFFERENCES IN THE WORKPLACE. THIS TYPE OF TRAINING ENCOURAGES MUTUAL LEARNING, ACCEPTANCE, AND IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN DIFFERENT CULTURAL GROUPS IN THE ORGANIZATION. THE SKILL-BASED TRAINING MAY BE DIRECTED TO MANAGERS, SUPERVISORS, OR OTHER TYPES OF EMPLOYEES. FOR EXAMPLE, TYPICAL SKILLS TAUGHT TO EMPLOYEES MAY INCLUDE COACHING, EMPOWERING, GIVING FEEDBACK TO DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS, INTERVIEWING, MENTORING, DELEGATING, AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION NOTED THAT SKILLS TRAINING REQUIRES PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT, CONTENT, AND USE OF THE SKILLS THEY LEARN. SIMONS ALSO SUGGESTED THAT TRAINEES MUST HAVE SUFFICIENT HANDS-ON PRACTICE TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE AND DEVELOP THE NEW SKILLS.

INTEGRATED-BASED DIVERSITY TRAINING INTEGRATION TAKES PLACE WHEN DIVERSITY CONCEPTS ARE IMPLEMENTED INTO TRAINING PROGRAMS THAT ALREADY EXIST WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION SUCH AS MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT, TEAM BUILDING, AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMS. THIS REQUIRES WORKING WITH ALL APPROPRIATE GROUPS TO MAKE SURE THE DIVERSITY CONTEXT IS INTEGRATED INTO THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT THE COMPANY OFFERS, ORIENTATION PROGRAMS FOR NEW RECRUITS, AND SUPERVISORY DEVELOPMENT.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MULTICULTURALISM? IN ORDER TO BE A PROFESSIONAL WITH MULTICULTURAL COMPETENCE, YOU MUST BE CAPABLE OF HELPING PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES MEET THEIR NEEDS AND ACHIEVE WELL BEING AS THEY UNDERSTAND IT.

THE CONCEPT OF MULTICULTURALISM ISSUES RACISM SEXISM ABLEISM ANTI-SEMITISM CLASSISM HETEROSEXISM HOMOPHOBIA

CROSS-CULTURAL COMPETENCY WHAT IS CROSS-CULTURAL COMPETENCE? SIGNIFICANCE OF CROSS-CULTURAL

WHAT IS CROSS CULTURAL COMPETENCY? CROSS CULTURAL COMPETENCE REFERS TO YOUR ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES AND ENGAGE WITH THEM EFFECTIVELY.

SIGNIFICANCE OF CROSS CULTURAL COMPETENCY BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE IN WORK WITH PEOPLE ACROSS CULTURES IS BECOMING MORE IMPORTANT BY THE DAY (IT ALLOWS YOU TO DEVELOP THE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING IN HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR ACHIEVING YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS). EXAMPLES: PEOPLE ARE TRAVELING, REACHING OUT, AND MIXING WITH DIFFERENT CULTURES LIKE NEVER BEFORE. PEOPLE DO IT FOR FUN, BUT THEY MUST ACCUSTOM THEMSELVES TO DOING IT FOR WORK AS WELL. IN EVERY CASE, SUCCESS REQUIRES DEVELOPING A RELATIONSHIP AND DOING THIS MEANS BRIDGING A CULTURAL DIVIDE.

ATRA STATEMENTS ON DIVERSITY AND PRACTICE “THE AMERICAN THERAPEUTIC RECREATION ASSOCIATION (ATRA) HAS AN ONGOING COMMITMENT TO ADVANCING DIVERSITY WITHIN THE FIELD OF RECREATION THERAPY WITH KNOWLEDGE THAT DIVERSITY INCLUDES ANY ASPECT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL THAT MAKES HIM/HER UNIQUE.” “FURTHER, THE ASSOCIATION WORKS TO EDUCATE ITS MEMBERS ABOUT THE DIVERSITY ISSUES, AND TO FOSTER AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ACKNOWLEDGES THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALL ITS MEMBERS.“ “WE VALUE THE ROLE THAT DIVERSITY PLAYS IN EVERY ASPECT OF SERVICE THAT WE BRING, RECOGNIZING THAT DIVERSITY IS VITAL TO ALL ELEMENTS OF RECREATIONAL THERAPY PRACTICE AND EDUCATION.”

ATRA’S BILL OF RIGHTS ENSURES THAT CLIENTS RECEIVE APPROPRIATE CARE THAT RESPECTS THEM AS A PERSON AND MAINTAINS THEIR DIGNITY REGARDLESS OF THEIR RACE, COLOR, CREED, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AGE, DISABILITY/DISEASE, SOCIAL AND FINANCIAL STATUS. RECEIVE INFORMATION IN UNDERSTANDABLE TERMS ABOUT THEIR STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS IDENTIFIED THROUGH ASSESSMENT PROCESS THAT IS SENSITIVE TO THEIR DEVELOPMENTAL, CULTURAL, AND INDIVIDUAL LIFESTYLE QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS.

ATRA SUGGESTIONS FOR INCREASING CULTURAL COMPETENCE ATTENDING CONFERENCES ON THE TOPIC SEEKING OUT INDIVIDUALS FROM BACKGROUNDS OTHER THAN YOUR OWN READING BOOKS WHICH ARE WRITTEN ABOUT A VARIETY OF CULTURES SEEKING OUT INFORMATION FROM THE PROFESSIONAL TR ORGANIZATIONS SEEKING DIVERSITY TRAINING AT WORK GOING TO THE LIBRARY TO CONDUCT RESEARCH UNDER THE TERMS: MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION, DIVERSITY EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CULTURE, MULTICULTURAL COUNSELING, AND TRANSCULTURAL NURSING

REMAINING ISSUES AND CONCERNS WITH CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN TR DESPITE THE ADVANCES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN TR BY ACCREDITATION AND CERTIFICATION AGENCIES, MANY QUESTIONS STILL REMAIN. THE MAIN QUESTION: “TO WHAT EXTENT ARE COURSES IN HISTORY, RACE RELATIONS, SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, AND OTHER TRADITIONAL COURSES INCORPORATING CONTENT THAT WILL PREPARE TR STUDENTS TO FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY IN AN INCREASINGLY DIVERSE SOCIETY AND WORK ENVIRONMENT?” NEED MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE CONTENT NEED MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON LENGTH OF COURSES BEING OFFERED BY THERAPEUTIC RECREATION EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND PROGRAMS

REMAINING ISSUES AND CONCERNS WITH CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN TR (CONTINUED) HOW ARE ACCREDITING AND CERTIFYING BODIES ASSESSING THE OUTCOMES OF EXISTING REQUIREMENTS SO THAT REVISED REQUIREMENTS MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE? HOW ARE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION ENSURING THAT EXPERIENCED TR PRACTITIONERS ARE INCLUDING AND PRESENTING UP TO DATE CULTURAL COMPETENCY TOPICS IN THEIR CONTINUING EDUCATION ACTIVITIES? HOW ARE ACCREDITING AGENCIES, PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ASSESSING THE IMPACTS OF THEIR CULTURAL DIVERSITY INITIATIVE? (CLASS, THERE ARE NO READILY AVAILABLE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS. HOWEVER, WE CANNOT MOVE FORWARD TO BECOMING CULTURALLY COMPETENT TRS’S IF WE ARE UNWILLING TO SEEK OUT THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS.)

CONCLUSION WHILE THERAPEUTIC PROFESSIONALS ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WITH REGARD TO CULTURAL COMPETENCE, THE FIELD STILL NEEDS TO MAKE ADDITIONAL PROGRESS. THE MORE CULTURALLY COMPETENT TR PROVIDERS THERE ARE IN OUR AGENCIES AND COMMUNITIES, THE BETTER THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WE CAN PROVIDE AND WE CAN EXPECT FOR OUR CLIENTS AND PATIENTS.

REFERENCES