by Amanda Ong
“There’s no right way to live. There are wrong ways to live, but there are many, many, many right ways to live, and you can’t find those insights by looking inward — just looking within your own culture for insights. The wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented, it’s [clear] all around us if we’re willing to pay attention.”
Continue reading National Geographic Photographer Kiliii Yuyan Captures Indigenous Storiesby Kamna Shastri
How do you navigate a support system for people with disabilities when you don’t know English? The compounding circumstances of having a disability, or caring for a loved one with a disability, while also struggling to master an American standard of English creates a unique need for multicultural families. As it is, the reams of paperwork, bureaucracy, and agencies that make up the maze of social services are already convoluted even if one knows English and has few barriers to access.
Open Doors for Multicultural Families (ODMF) has been dedicated to filling this service gap through a cultural brokerage model and systems-change approach. The organization was founded in 2009 by Ginger Kwan, whose vision was to see all “culturally and linguistically diverse individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities and their families thrive in an inclusive society of their own design.” Since its founding, ODMF has helped connect over a thousand individuals and families with tailored support and language access. Kwan now serves as the organization’s executive director.
Continue reading It Takes a Village: The Multicultural Care Network of ODMF
