DISABILITY RIGHTS CALIFORNIA

We look to California's rich diversity and our vision of creating a barrier free inclusive society which values diversity, culture and each individual as the foundation of our diversity efforts. Our Board of Directors recognizes that achieving diversity and becoming a more disability and culturally competent organization is a long-term commitment. Our immediate goals are:

The creation of equal opportunities for people with disabilities and persons of color; The removal of barriers to achieving a diverse work force; and

The development and implementation of programs and incentives designed to retain our most valued assets, our staff.

Our Board of Directors and staff are committed to the principle that in order to effectively serve Californians with disabilities, our staff should reflect California. Diversity comes from qualities of the staff themselves such as disability, language and ethnic identity, gender, age, race, culture, sexual orientation, and life experiences.

As a disability advocacy organization, we are committed to implementing the principles it advocates in its workplace including:

Employing people with disabilities; Implementing model employment practices including reasonable accommodations and accessibility throughout the workplace; and

Involving people with disabilities in decision making at all levels of the organization.

Our staff speak 15 languages and reflect the disability and ethnic diversity of California. Over 57% of our staff are from communities of color and 51% of its staff who work in its federally funded programs are persons with disabilities.

Our goal is to effectively serve individuals with disabilities from ethnically diverse and language distinct communities. To accomplish this goal, we have a comprehensive outreach program designed to ensure that our services are accessible to people with disabilities from traditionally underserved communities. We utilize a variety of approaches to best serve the diverse group of Californians with disabilities by:

Valuing different perspectives; Appreciating different learning styles; and

Recognizing language and cultural issues.