NJ summit spotlights challenges for Black people with disabilities

Group seeks to break barriers on opportunities

By: gene Myers
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

NEW BRUNSWICK - Black children with disabilities are less likely to be put into general classrooms than white children. They are also likely to drop out of high school and face more suspensions and school-related arrests than kids of other races, according to Rutgers' Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies.
..... Such disparities drew Black cultural leaders and disability advocates to Rutgers last week [06/06/2024] to focus on the barriers they need to work together to overcome.
..... "We're here not just to talk but to create a road map for real change. It's about dismantling the barriers that prevent Black New Jerseyans with disambiguates from accessing the opportunities they deserve," organizer LeDereick Horne, who co-hosts a podcast called "Black dyslexic," said at Thursday's [06/06/2024] day-long event.
..... "We are making history today," added Bill Davis, who along with Horne won funding for the forum form the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disability.
..... About 75 people gathered at the instation-only event, dubbed the Black Impact Summit. Discussion focused on the inequities Black people with disabilities face in education, employment, social services, law enforcement and legal services, family and self-advocacy and health care.
..... "Our intention is to make sure we cum up with some recommendations, that hopefully the council, the state Legislature and different agencies will be able to implement so that the lives of Black people with disabilities will get better," said Davis, a consultant with the Boggs Center on Development Disabilities at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical school.
..... among the obstacles cited by researchers with Rutgers' Cornwall Center, which studies urban communities: African Americans with disabilities experience higher poverty levels and greeter reliance on public benefits like Medicaid yet also have a harder time accessing heal care. They often face discrimination in medical settings, have inadequate health insurance, and higher rate of chronic health conditions that are poorly managed, the audience was told.
..... "The summit was born out of a necessity," said event coordinator Atonia Worley.
..... Professor Twara Goode, the event's keynote speaker form Georgetown University, kicked the day off with a presentation on cultural competence - the need for organizations to understand and respect cultural backgrounds.
..... The summit drew representatives from a variety of advocacy groups and government agencies, including ARC of New Jersey, the Black consortium, the state Division of Development Disabilities, the Advocacy Action Center, NJ STEPS, disability Rights NJ, Salvation and Social Justice, the center for Independent living and Autism New Jersey. Educators and law enforcement officials attend as well, as did Paul Aronsohn, the state's disability ombudsman.
..... Suggestions from the day were collected and will be given back to the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities. Among them: better mental health screening and resources for people touched by the criminal justice system.
..... "I thought it was a great conversation and it was particularly a well-represented group, people with diverse experiences, both from organizations and families and schools," said Michael Steinbruck, a senior training and consultation specialist at the Boggs Center.

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