An ongoing work with ADOPT, to increase access to resources for persons with disabilities in Chicago.

1. Generang Systems Change for Asian Americans with Disabilies
through Vocaonal Rehabilitaon in Illinois Proposal Idenficaon Number : 322-p
Co-Presenter(s) and Co-Authors : Samuel B. Kim, MPH!, Alireza Karduni, MUPP!, and Rooshey Hasnain,EdD!
Co-Authors only : John Capua!, Ashmeet Oberoi,PhD!, and Fredrik Langi!
Co-Partners : Francisco Alvarado, MD,MS3, Jamie Taradash5, and Jing Zhang, PhD7
$University of Illinois at Chicago and ADOPT, Chicago, IL, USA
+Department of Human Services - Division of Rehabilitaon Services, Chicago, IL, USA
,Chinese Mutual Aid Associaon, Chicago, IL, USA
-Asian Human Services, Chicago, IL, USA
Illinois Department of Human Services
ASIAN HUMAN SERVICES
Asians Americans with Disabilies (AAWD):
A Diverse and Underserved Community
 Asian Americans are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the
United States. They comprise 5.25% of the overall
populaon, and 5.8% of them live in the greater Chicago
area, many of whom (approximately 15%) have disabilies
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2010).
 LiBle research has been done on the needs and capacies of
AAWDs and employment from a VR perspecve. Even less
is known of the numbers of AAWDs and the impact their
disabilies have on their immigraon experience.
 To address these issues, ADOPT has partnered with over 50
local mul-cultural agencies, minority businesses, and key
city-based stakeholders to create a unique outreach
framework.
ADOPT is an outreach project that is based in communies,
collaborave, and informed by research. Its mission is to connect
working-age Asians, immigrants, and refugees who have disabilies to
culturally and linguiscally appropriate VR supports and services so that
they can gain access to gainful employment.
Barriers to VR and Employment
 Recent demographic reports indicate that Asian Americans
with disabilies (AAWDs) in Illinois are increasing in
number and diversity, thus posing new cultural and
language challenges for the state VR system.
 There is alarming evidence that AAWDs do not use public
services and supports effecvely, especially VR services.
 Compared to other ethnic and racial minories with
disabilies, AAWDs are underrepresented in the public and
federal VR system.
Methods for Idenfying Effecve
Strategies for Outreach
Illinois Employment/VR Disparity
In Illinois in June 2012, only 33.2% of working-age people with
disabilies were working, while 76.7% of non-disabled adults were
employed.
Impact of Geographic Informaon Systems (GIS ) Mapping
Ethnic/Racial VR Trends Analysis
 These charts show the breakdown of ethnic/racial
characteriscs and the increase in new VR clients from diverse
cultural and linguisc backgrounds from 2004 to 2012.
ADOPT's outreach efforts have resulted in an overall increase
across all ethnic and racial groups, including Asians.
Percent of Last Case Visits for Asian
Per Year in Total Populaon
Percent of Last Case Visits Among Total Asians
Race/Ethnicity Percent
American Indian/Alaskan Native 0.2
Asian 0.99
Black/African American 30.64
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.12
Hispanic/Latino 7.72
Multiracial 1.51
White 58.83
Percent of Last Case Visits
Among Each Race Total
Percent of Asian Speakers who are Limited in English Proficiency
A Success Story
Arabic:
Other Pacific Island languages:
Tagalog:
Other Asian languages:
Vietnamese:
Laotian:
Thai:
Hmong:
Mon-Khmer, Cambodian:
Korean:
Japanese:
Chinese:
Other Indic languages:
Urdu:
Hindi:
Gujarati:
 For 18 years, a Bhutanese refugee with a significant hearing impairment lived in
a refugee camp in Nepal. In August of 2009, she reseBled in Chicago with her
brothers. ADOPT connected with her, discovering that she was not aware of
DRS or of the opon of working in this country.
 Through ADOPT's outreach efforts, she was connected to a VR office and
counselor who worked with her, her family, and a community agency. As a
result, a major hotel gave her a job-training evaluaon, and she is now looking
for a job and learning about transportaon opons with the help of ADOPT and
an Asian-oriented job-placement agency.
Aim
A detailed literature review was conducted on outreach strategies and
models to improve VR access.
 We developed an outreach framework comprised of 10 broad based
approaches that individually and collecvely improve access to VR
services and employment.
 This framework helps us to bridge the gap between Asian American
communies and the state VR system through process-oriented
outreach acvies, strategies, and capacity-building.
0.99%
Illinois
G e o g ra p h i c i nfo r m a o n syste m ( G I S ) m a ps h e l p to h i g h l i g ht t h e et h n i c , ra c i a l , a n d l a n g u a ge d i ve rs i t y o f va r i o u s n e i g h b o r h o o d s i n C h i ca go
New Office
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
Persian:
Chicago city, Illinois % LEP Cook County, Illinois % LEP Illinois % LEP
Only 0.99% of AAWDs are
served by the state VR system.
These numbers are alarmingly
low, given that as many as
about 4% of working-age
Asians in Illinois have
disabilies (ACS, 2012).
Building Community
Collaboraon and
Partnerships
Strengthening
Language and
Linguisc Capacies
Ethnic Media
Outreach
Data Collecon,
Research, and
Evaluaon
Promong
Advocacy/
Empowerment
Incorporate Cultural and
Linguisc Service
Delivery
Mobilize
Coalions and
Task Forces
Develop
Grassroots
Leadership
Recruitment and
Workforce
Diversity
Cultural
Brokering Training/
Professional Development
Disability-Friendly Employers
Within Chicago Neighborhoods
English Proficiency of Asian Language
Speakers within Chicago Neighborhoods