Taken literally, diversity means, "being comprised of many elements." Culture means those things that shape a person's sense of group identity. Though a family may share traits or customs with a particular group, every family has its own values, which are complex, unique, and important to honor. It is useful not to assume anything about yourself, or others. Take some time to figure out what it is that your family values in the way of achieving goals, finding or accepting support, and having a good quality of life.

The Arc of Prince Georges County
Phone: (301) 925-7050
Under a mini-grant through Family Net Works, The Arc of PG County has translated several documents such the Developmental Disabilities Application for Service and the Respite Care application into Spanish, and can provide assistance to Spanish speaking families in PG County.

Charles W. Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity
Phone: 301-942-4423
On September 8, 2001, Montgomery County's new Cultural Diversity Center opened its doors. Named for the late County Executive Charles W. Gilchrist, the Center offers a New American Welcome Center providing classes in English as a Second Language, Civics and Citizenship as well as basic legal assistance and information on services available throughout the county. In addition, the Center offers programs on small business development as well as an array of other services for residents who have come to Montgomery County from around the world. Located on Elkin Street in Wheaton, Maryland, the Center is staffed by volunteers who can offer translations in numerous languages.

Foundation for Child Development
(301) 469-6200
ChDfoundation@hotmail.com
Provides help to families with children who have autism within the Hispanic community.

Korean American Disabled People's Association
Phone: (410) 296-2272 Ext. 5164
Under a mini-grant through Family Net Works, KADPA provides local information, an e-mail group, and events.

La Hora del Café
Contact: Gloria Pedemonte (301) 220-0203
Or Zaylimar Bocanegra at the Arc of Prince George's County (301) 925-7050
This newly formed group for Latino parents who have children with special needs recently received a grant from the Family NET Works project. The group meets monthly and meetings are conducted in Spanish.

Parent-to-Parent of Prince George's County
Contact: Gail Johnson Anderson
(301) 925-4387
parentsofpgcounty@yahoo.com
Through a grant from Family NET Works, this group includes mentorship to train an ethnically and racially diverse core group veteran parents of children with disabilities and special health care needs to provide information, resources and support for novice parents.

University of Maryland Diversity Database
The University of Maryland's Diversity database provides a vast amount of information pertaining to various ethnic communities throughout the state and nation.

American Indian Disability Technical Assistance Center (AIDTAC)
Phone: (406) 243-4856
AIDTAC provides an information and technical assistance center to help Native American tribes and Alaskan Native villages assist members with disabilities.

Autism Online
This newly created site (November 2001) connects parents of newly diagnosed children with autism and professionals working with these children with critical resources, support and research information in their own language. Provides information about autism in 21 languages; Links parents to support, educational, research and product resources; and maintains a continuously updated database of conferences, seminars and workshops.

Beach Center on Families and Disability
Email: beach@dole.lsi.ukans.edu
The Beach Center has information for families, research, fact sheets, a newsletter, and many more resources. Here you will find in-depth information about honoring cultural diversity and providing family-centered services and supports.

Coalition for Asian-American Children and Families
Phone: (212) 809-4675
Advocates for social policies and programs which support Asian-American children and families, and gives service providers culturally sensitive training and resources.

Immigration and Naturalization Service
The Immigration and Naturalization Service is a Federal agency within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that administers the nation's immigration laws. This Home Page provides information on the services provided by the INS to applicants, petitioners, authorized representatives, community-based organizations, and the general public.

The Grassroots Consortium on Disabilities
Phone: (713) 734-5355
The Grassroots Consortium on Disabilities (GCD) is a national, multicultural alliance that, as a priority, supports community-based, parent-run programs that foster empowerment for families of children and young adults with disabilities in traditionally underserved communities.

The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY)
(800) 695-0285
NICHCY News Digest on Related Services available in Spanish, includes information on counseling, therapy and medical services. Other topics include Parenting a Child with Special Needs, The education of Children and Youth with Disabilities: What do the Laws Say, and Questions and Answers about IDEA. This free books is available online or by calling (800) 695-0285.

Social Security Administration
This site is completely in Spanish and lists the Social Security Administration's Publications that are available in Spanish. Introducción al Programa de Seguro Social.

World Association of Persons with disAbilities
Phone: (405) 672-4440
The WAPD provides a variety of services including a newsletter, chat room, an assistive device lab, and a link to a radio show devoted to disability issues.

Free Handbook for Parents of African American Children with Learning Disabilities
The National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities (NAEAACLD) has developed a new guide for parents entitled, One Child at a Time: A Parent Handbook and Resource Directory for African American Families with Children Who Learn Differently. This handbook is an informative and easy to read resource guide for African American families to better understand learning disabilities and special education. It provides guidance for parents in assisting their children to reach their fullest potential by exercising their rights and accessing services to which they are entitled. NAEAACLD and the handbook aim to empower African American parents to become advocates for their children and to improve the quality of education for all children by raising the level of awareness about learning differences. "One Child at a Time" includes information on the different types of learning disabilities, IDEA, special education services, private school education, and parent education and advocacy. The handbook is available online in PDF as a free download. The first print copy of this publication is available free of charge to any individual or organization by contacting NAEAACLD at (614) 237-6021, or visit: http://www.aacld.org

National Council on Disability
The purpose of NCD is to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability; and to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society. The following publication can be downloaded from their site.

• Lift Every Voice: Modernizing Disability Policies and Programs to Serve a Diverse Nation.

Resource Guide: Selected Early Childhood, Early Intervention Training Materials
Written, audio and video resources for early childhood providers and their families. Rich in multicultural and family-centered materials.

Paul H. Brookes Publishing
Brookes Publishing has a wide range of resources about people with developmental disabilities and living in the community. The following resources are available about multicultural issues.

• Your Values, My Values: Multicultural Services in Developmental Disabilities by Lilah Mortan Pengra
• Promoting Cultural Competence in Children's Mental Health Services. Edited by Mario Hernandez and Marease R. Issacs.