LATINO COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Who We Are
In 2015, the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) in the School of Public Health at Georgia State set out to address the complex needs of Spanish-speaking families with children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), in the state of Georgia.
In the first two years, the LCPR led by convening the Latino Community of Practice: Supporting Families with Children and Youth with Disabilities, and brought together over 150 Latino-serving diverse, multi-sector professionals, family advocates, and partners from metro Atlanta and beyond. We created a robust network (Community of Practice) that continues to work collaboratively in many meaningful and relevant initiatives.
Since 2018, we shifted our focus to work directly for and with Spanish-speaking families with children and youth with IDD and ASD.
We design and enhance innovative bilingual and culturally and linguistically competent programming that includes informal and formal advocacy, community-based outreach, psycho-educational sessions, social media marketing, professional and technical interpreting and translation, and a dedicated Spanish track in both our signature Autism Conference & Expo, and Positive Behavior Parent Academy.
In addition, the LCPR continues to invest in developing family- and community-based leaders through a participatory action research (PAR) model and engages families in co-creating and co-implementing the cadre of services, opportunities, and supports they need the most.
Under the auspices of the LCPR, we also deliver - through our bilingual certified trainers/educators - the Spanish and English Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainings from the internationally recognized Mental Health First Aid of USA curriculum.
In tandem, we have co-developed the Latinx Mentoring Pipeline in partnership with colleagues at Georgia State’s College of Education & Human Development. This initiative allows for Hispanic/Latinx undergraduate and graduate students at Georgia State to intern at the CLD and work towards learning how to best serve Spanish-speaking communities in public health and educational spheres.
What We Do
We are a diverse, multi-sector network of professionals, family advocates and allies across the state of Georgia that engage in capacity- and community-building and development at the intersection of intellectual and developmental disabilities and educational and health equity.
Moreover, we provide bilingual, and monolingual (Spanish), technical assistance and training to local, state-wide, regional, and national partners on how to best serve new comer and immigrant Spanish-speaking families in a wide-range area of expertise.
Here is a report of the LCPR’s 2016 Activities. This document details numbers, impact, influences, and goals.
Impact
Ana Soler, BSW, MPH - Seso, Inc. (Interpretation/Translation Services)
Mayira Bunting - YMCA of Greater Atlanta
Luisa Fernanda Cardona, Esq. - City of Atlanta/Office of Immigration Affairs/Welcoming Atlanta
Jennifer Zubler, MD - Good Samaritan Health Center/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Viviana Fernandez - Advisory Member, Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities / Bilingual National Content Manager for Cox Media
Contact Us
Address
Center for Leadership in Disability
75 Piedmont Avenue NE
Suite 514
Atlanta, GA 30303