About Us
What is the goal of the OPWDD-Georgetown University NCCC Partnership for Systems Change?
The goal of the OPWDD-Georgetown University NCCC Partnership for Systems Change is to advance policies and practices of cultural and linguistic competence (CLC), diversity, equity, and inclusion in all components of the intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) system of New York State.
The project, established in October 2022, is funded by the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities through a three-year contract.
How is the OPWDD-GU NCCC Partnership Project structured?
This partnership has four primary components that will focus on (1) OPWDD staff, (2) persons IDD and their families, and (3) New York State’s IDD provider network. The fourth component, an OPWDD-administered grant program, is still under development and will be announced at a later date. A password protected section of this website, currently under construction, will soon be available for each constituency group to access relevant materials. The NCCC will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all activities to determine impact and inform ongoing and future efforts within OPWDD focused on cultural and linguistic competence, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
OPWDD Component
The NCCC will:
- Engage OPWDD in a process to create a CLC action plan.
- Conduct an audit of OPWDD’s policies and practices to determine the extent to which they advance CLC, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Conduct an assessment of the professional development interests and needs of designated OPWDD staff specifically focused on CLC, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Implement a series of custom-tailored professional development activities for designated OPWDD staff.
- Adapt and conduct the NCCC’s Leadership Academy for Cultural Diversity and Cultural and Linguistic Competence for designated OPWDD staff.
- Support OPWDD in developing standards, benchmarks, and metrics to assess CLC, diversity, equity, and inclusion within the New York State IDD system of supports and services.
- Provide ongoing technical assistance and consultation throughout the three-year project.
Persons with IDD and their Families Component
The NCCC will:
- Convene a series of virtual forums that engage persons with IDD and their families to define equity and what it means for their interests, needs, the communities in which they live, and the IDD system in New York State.
- Provide consultation to OPWDD to create a statewide leadership group composed of persons with IDD and their families across diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic groups to inform the work of CLC, diversity equity, inclusion, and system change.
- Conduct a Leadership Academy pilot for persons with IDD that emphasizes their essential role in advancing CLC, diversity, equity, and inclusion change efforts in the New York State IDD system of supports and services.
IDD Provider Network Component
The NCCC will:
- Engage the IDD provider network in a process to differentiate and define CLC, diversity, equity, and inclusion and what they mean for the IDD system of supports and services in New York State.
- Provide technical assistance to the New York State Community of Practice on Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Developmental Disabilities.
- Engage the provider network in a statewide process to assess existing strengths and areas of growth (quality improvement) to advance cultural and linguistic competence, diversity, equity, and inclusion in their respective organizations and in the IDD system of New York State.
- Develop a report of the findings of the statewide provider network assessment process on capacity for cultural and linguistic competence, diversity, equity, and inclusion in New York State.
- Provide consultation to the IDD provider network to develop CLC action plans, including how to plan for and manage organizational change.
- Conduct a series of webinars on key practices of CLC, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the context of IDD supports and services.
Contact Us
We welcome hearing from you. Please email us at:
OPWDD-NCCCpartnership@georgetown.edu
