Open Doors for Multicultural Families

Multicultural individuals with disabilities often do not have access to adaptive devices that enable essential day to day functions. The Assistive Technology Lending Library is designed to help families try out devices while receiving training from professionals.

This program is open to individuals and families of all ages and disabilities. We can help provide tools, equipment, and resources in the areas of activities of daily living, sensory processing, low vision/hearing, communication, play, computer access, school, work, and switches. A.T Program also provides training and workshops for individuals, young adults, parents and caregivers on Assistive Technology topics.

This program is designed to help families in South King County experiencing a crisis get back to self-sufficiency with intensive case management and limited financial assistance. This program is not a rental assistance program; it is to serve families who are typically in a stable housing situation, but are in crisis and are at imminent risk for homelessness.

Parent Support Groups and Trainings:
Our multicultural staff host culture and language-specific Parent Support Groups so parents can connect with each other in their native language with those who share their culture. Parents may invite guest speakers to share information that helps them support their children with disabilities. In Parent Education Workshops, we gather families from multiple cultures to learn about resources together. Past featured topics include: IEP 101, Principles of Functional Communication, and resources to promote housing stability.

Cultural Navigation:
We connect families to staff who share their language and culture. Staff serve as a bridge between families and systems that can provide support. These systems include Special Education, Developmental Disabilities Administration, and transportation. Our staff meet with families to learn what support families need and connect them to services, provide information, plan for meetings, and help fill out applications.

We want to increase young people’s capacity to secure well-paying and personally fulfilling careers while also helping them develop hard and soft skills to become more self-reliant. Our Case Managers work with "at-risk" youth ages 16-24 to develop an Individual Support Plan (ISP) that outlines short- and long-term objectives and aligns the IEP and 504 plan goals.
We connect youth and families with outside service providers such as the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Disabilities Administration, and post-secondary education. We also connect youth with ODMF programs, where young people make professional connections, learn how to build their resume, and develop social-emotional and independent living skills.
Our program objectives include: return and graduate from high school, continues education, and obtain employment opportunities.

The Aging and Disability Services program connects adults with disabilities and their non-paid caregivers to resources and support. The program provides information, assistance, consultation, person-centered option counseling/planning, caregiver support groups and training, as well as respite services.

We are a part of the Community Living Connections network, which provides information and assistance accessing community resources, individual consultation and help planning for long-term care needs, and access to family caregiver support services for individuals facing aging or disability issues.

Via funding from the U.S. Department of Education, we provide technical assistance to Parent Centers in Region D1. This project centers on providing culturally responsive information that supports youth who are transitioning from high school to post-secondary opportunities.
This project disseminates culturally responsive and youth-centered transition information in multiple formats and languages. We provide technical assistance to the Region D1 Professional Learning Community, hold a monthly Youth Leadership Council of self-advocates, distribute quarterly newsletters, and expect to launch the Transition Hub website.

Leadership training programs designed by and for multicultural advocates with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities and for multicultural parents and family members who have loved one with disabilities. Participants learn about systems, policies, and strategies for breaking down barriers to live happy and healthy lives.
Stipends and technical assistance available to reduce barriers for participation. Participants will receive ongoing coaching and civic engagement opportunities to apply the strategies that they learned to effect systems change. Graduates have contributed to local, county and state level movements around mental health, special education and statewide policy change for language access in WA state schools.
Priority is given to King County residents. Applications outside of King County and out-of-state reviewed on a case-by-case basis

Early Learning Inclusive Playgroup: We offer monthly play-based learning for preschoolers with embedded parent coaching and language support. Playgroup provides a community setting where parents and children enjoy socialization time and receive embedded skill building support. Parents have the opportunity to speak with UW graduate students and staff about their child’s development.

Parent Training: Families of young children may attend monthly education sessions on a series of topics relevant to concerns and challenges identified through surveys and parent feedback.

Help Me Grow: resource and referral linkage system that guides families through a web of services to connect them to appropriate community supports. Through Help Me Grow, parents and caregivers can easily access the resources they need from staff who can speak their languages, when they need them. Our staff support families and collaborate with communities to identify resources and think creatively about how to make the

A community-designed program focused on relationship building and community connections via the arts, story-telling, and music. Based on participant request, Growing Together is delivered primarily via virtual sessions with limited in-person gatherings.

Sessions equip participants with tools for self-expression via music therapy, arts, storytelling, group discussion, and cultural learning. We partner with Bridge of Promise to provide regular music therapy sessions. The program is designed to create a safe space for sharing, learning, and community building.