Tuscarawas County Board of Developmental Disabilities Engages Hispanic and Latino Community

DODD talked with Nate Kamban, Superintendent of the Tuscarawas County Board of Developmental Disabilities (TuscBDD) and Kerri Silverthorn, Community Relations at TuscBDD, about unique ways they have been reaching Hispanic and Latino populations in their community.

"How does the county board engage with the Hispanic and Latino community to understand their specific needs?"

Nate Kamban: "We started working with a nonprofit in our county called Puentes, which in Spanish means "bridges." And it's just an amazing group of non-Hispanic/Latino individuals who just care an awful lot about this population. And one of the first things we did is we asked Puentes if they could find some representatives from this community to come and speak to our staff at an all staff in service. And it was one of the coolest things that I can remember we've done in terms of learning.

We had two ladies come in from Guatemala and they shared a little bit about their culture, why they're here, where they came from, and it was life changing. And it was just incredibly eye opening and developed an empathy for these folks amongst our staff that there are a lot like us just, you know, oftentimes parents who care an awful lot about their family and want to give their families the best life they can."

"What measures does the county board take to ensure that language barriers do not prevent people served from accessing services?"

Kerri Silverthorn: "One of the things that we've worked on is the accessibility of our website. People access information on the Internet frequently, so we added a Google plugin to our website, so it can be translated into any language that a person may need. We have also been working diligently on updating our documents and making sure print materials are in Spanish as well."

Nate Kamban: "Another thing that we've done is we've just been working really diligently on as we move forward and update many of our documents that we're doing those in Spanish as well. I would also mention that as part of this specific project that we received a grant from DODD, we've been increasing our own Spanish language acquisition among staff by offering online courses to learn Spanish. And then we also offered that program to the providers in our county to also increase their Spanish, their Spanish language abilities."

"What collaborations are happening in the community because of your work?"

Nate Kamban: "I think one of the cool things that's happening here and this was made possible by a grant from DODD ARPA funding awarded earlier this year; a part of that money that could be utilized to increase services for people who don't speak English as their native language. And like many DD service entities where we really struggle is finding frontline staff to support people with disabilities, those direct support professional. And so I began looking at untapped work force and the Latino population really came to mind as a potential, you know, resource that we could tap into to help to help our providers remain fully staffed.

And so we began talking to Puentas and meeting with some of these individuals from the Latino community. And what was really interesting, although they didn't know the term direct support professionals or have a lot of understanding of the DD system as to what it is here in the states, they did understand the concept of caregiving from their culture, very communal, very family oriented. And so when we talked about this population, they understood that concept and what it would mean to be a direct support professional.

We began advertising the position that various providers to folks in this community, primarily women were interested because the hours are similar to a school day at a day service provider. We quickly got a lot of interest. We used the grant to host some lunches to just explain the work, gather some interest. We found two providers who wanted to hire folks from this population, and we then requested waivers from the state. A waiver is needed to hire a DSP if somebody doesn't speak English, so you have to show to DODD that you know you will put safeguards in place to allow this person to be successful and safely serve somebody with a disability.

We began hiring the first set of individuals in June, and it was incredible how this took off. The one day they were learning Guatemalan cultural dances, and then it was just so exciting because the people that we serve, unfortunately, are perhaps a bit sheltered to the greater world, the greater, you know, different cultures, languages and so they were getting a front row seat to better understand Guatemala, Cuba and some of the other folks in our community and the lack of barriers between the two was just incredible.

"What challenges have you faced reaching out to the Latino and Hispanic communities and how have you overcome them?"

Nate Kamban: "One thing I think is a challenge, but really speaks to the cultural complexity of this population. Again, not being super well versed in Guatemala and those types of areas, you just kind of assume this person speaks Spanish well. Guatemala is an incredibly, linguistically and culturally diverse nation where there are several ethnic groups within Guatemala. Again, from this Mayan descent. So you can have individuals coming from Guatemala here, whose first language is Ixil or another Mayan language and Spanish, is something they only learned as an adult. Spanish language fluency isn't always the answer, because somebody still may struggle in communication and written in Spanish and reading Spanish. So that meant we had to be a little bit more creative and not just rely on written, written communication in Spanish.

And I think two, just building trust with the community. I mean there is fear and so it takes a bit of time to establish a relationship and letting somebody know that, yes, I'm from the government, but I just want to help you."

"Can you share any success stories or examples of people or families who've benefited from these new services?"

Nate Kamban: "One of the ladies that we serve, she's got tons of personality. A lot of fun. She was so excited to start working with these ladies from Guatemala and Cuba. She recently went to the library with her provider and the first thing she said was I need a book on Guatemala. I need to better understand this country so I can better talk with Alicia and understand where she came from. She was B lining it for the international section at the library.

Also a parent was talking to us the other day or to the providers, saying, my gosh, my daughter just keeps talking about Guatemala all the time. She has this new interest like, you know, what's going on. And so we were able to share this project and but what I think is also cool is the provider advocates for success.

One of the providers that hire these folks have a really strong organizational culture, and so they're very welcoming to Alicia and Yaritza these two women who joined their staff and Alicia's father died in Guatemala recently, and the staff rallied around her. They texted her throughout the day, checking in on her made food for her and her family, and she was so overwhelmed with the kindness she'd not experienced a work environment like that."

Kerri Silverthorn: "Another example that comes to mind has to do with two adults that we serve that are Latino and don't use verbal language. When their mother was alive, she was their sole caretaker and spoke only Spanish. These individuals spend a lot of days at an adult day-hab program, and it happens to be one that we are working with on this outreach program. This provider has hired two Latino women who speak Spanish, and they have formed a great relationship with the individuals because they can speak to them in their language and understand their culture. It's nice to be able to see that kind of relationship form for the people we serve and the employees as well. It benefits everyone."

"What advice would you give to other counties looking to support diverse populations in their own community?"

Nate Kamban: "It really comes down to a relationship. So, I'd encourage you to get to know some of the immigrant communities in your county. Just going beyond any kind of stereotypes that you may have to really get to know a beautiful culture of that is here that can only complement what you do, make you better. We could help them to where it's a mutually beneficial relationship, not charity and just making us stronger."

Kerri Silverthorn: "I would say if you're going to do something like this, don't give up easily because there are a lot of challenges and roadblocks and questions. There are more questions than answers at times. Keep going because eventually you will get there, and it is amazing what happens."

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