Spring 2024
Wishing Caitlin all the best!!!
“Without inner change, there can be no outer change. Without collective change, no change matters.” – Rev. angel Kyodo williams
In her role as Bilingual Training & Organizational Development Specialist, Caitlin Yunis embodied this quote. With her transition from Extension in May, we want to express our gratitude by lifting up just a few of the ways her work profoundly impacted our Division.
With the first cohort kicking off in the fall of 2021, Caitlin was the inaugural leader of Extension’s Learning Community for Inclusive Organizational Citizenship. She created, implemented, and evolved a professional development curriculum that helped increase colleagues’ awareness of fundamental equity topics like identity, power, and privilege. Cohort participants explored how these concepts shape us—as individuals, as an institution, as educators seeking to build relationships in our communities—and also shape how others may or may not feel comfortable engaging with us.
The Learning Community curriculum demonstrates the breadth and depth of Caitlin’s experience as a transformative educator. From content to format to facilitation methods, she incorporated varied frameworks and approaches to cultivate meaningful educational spaces. With self-reflection at the core of the learning experience, facilitation of safe spaces for shared exploration and dialogue about challenging content was also key. Colleagues reported that participation in this cohort-based learning opportunity increased both their personal sense of belonging within Extension as well as their confidence in using the skills they practiced to build relationships and create spaces where their programming participants will feel welcome.
Within and beyond the Learning Community, Caitlin has mentored, coached, and challenged us on how to bring an equity lens to our divisional work; not as an add on, but as an essential component of valuing each other’s humanity and building trusting relationships. She has done this as well through her intercultural competency work, supporting the new language proficiency assessment process, and numerous additional roles as a part of OAIC. In both her personal and professional life, Caitlin fosters community; and does so in ways that actively seek to understand, prevent, mitigate, and/or repair potential harm. The impact of Caitlin’s work is deeply felt, with ripple effects too far reaching to quantify (though watch this space for future evaluation data from the initial Learning Community cohorts!).
We will miss Caitlin’s brilliance and compassion and know that she will continue sharing her gifts and incredible work!
FAQs about Hiring and Retaining Bilingual Staff
The Office of Access, Inclusion, and Compliance is developing new materials and training opportunities to inform colleagues about Extension’s process for hiring, credentialing, and retaining bilingual staff members. In the meantime, we want to share answers to some frequently asked questions to support you in your efforts. While these FAQs are focused on new hires, we will also be including information on credentialing current staff in our new materials.
What is the role of bilingual Extension staff?
Bilingual staff are essential to the mission and vision of Extension. Bilingual staff carry out their job duties (as specified in their position description and plan of work) in English, and/or in HMoob or Spanish. (HMoob and Spanish are considered “high need” languages because of the number of Wisconsin residents who speak each language and their geographic distribution across the state.)
Bilingual staff are not interpreters or translators, unless this is written into their position description. While they might create target language content for their programming, they don’t create target language content for others’ programming. Their assets are valuable in many ways, including expanding access through outreach, programming, and evaluation, and contributing to the overall wisdom and direction of our Institution.
I’m considering posting a position as bilingual required or bilingual preferred. When should I reach out to OAIC for support?
If you want support in determining whether the position should be “bilingual required” or “bilingual preferred”, reach out to OAIC before submitting your Request to Fill. OAIC can support you with:
- Determining whether the position should be bilingual required or bilingual preferred
- Developing position description language reflecting its status as a bilingual required or bilingual preferred position
- Sharing information about the Bilingual Scope of Position
If you don’t need support at the beginning stages of writing your position description, as soon as you submit a Request to Fill you will be prompted to fill out a service request form for OAIC. Here’s what OAIC will support you with at this point in the process:
- Making sure your outreach efforts position you to get a diverse pool of applicants
- Making sure the pieces are in place to provide a Language Proficiency Assessment during your interview process
Even if the only support you’re looking for is the Language Proficiency Assessment, it’s important to contact OAIC as soon as you know you’d like to recruit bilingual candidates so we can plan for your interviews.
How can I make sure I have a strong applicant pool for my bilingual positions?
To help get the word out to diverse communities, we recommend sharing your job posting with:
- Local service providers, including libraries, schools, and community centers
- Other community hubs
- Our contacts who have relationships within diverse communities
- Extension staff in your area who are providing programming or have relationships within diverse communities
- Inclusive media sources
What does the Language Proficiency Assessment look like?
When you meet with OAIC for support, we will walk you through the details. Here is an overview:
- The OAIC Language Access Team will coordinate with you to schedule Language Proficiency Assessments during the interviews
- Towards the end of the interview, the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) designate from the Language Access Team will ask 3-5 questions in the target language (HMoob or Spanish).
- The OPI designate will share their “summative determination” form after the interview, which indicates whether or not the candidate is recommended for a bilingual title.
Once hired, how can I support my bilingual colleagues?
It’s important for all staff to be aware of the scope of responsibilities for bilingual staff. While bilingual staff are encouraged to say no to requests that fall outside of their duties, this can be challenging, especially with their commitment to accessible programming for all. Unfortunately, there can be a high burnout and turnover rate among bilingual staff because they are often tasked with duties outside of their scope. Do your best to learn what is within, and what is beyond, the scope of your bilingual colleagues’ responsibilities, and try not to ask them to do things outside of their scope. Support your bilingual colleagues to set boundaries and develop a healthy work-life balance. If you notice your bilingual colleagues are taking on more work than their non-bilingual peers, find ways to alleviate some of their responsibilities when possible (and with their agreement), and advocate for additional bilingual staff in your Institute or program area.
If you are a bilingual staff member, remember that your assets are valuable, and sometimes avoiding burnout later, means saying no now. Please reach out to OAIC if you need support managing your responsibilities and requests.
Resources:
Shifting Perspectives: The Importance of the Social Model of Disability
Compliance: The Medical Model of Disability
The Office of Access, Inclusion, and Compliance is charged with upholding numerous civil rights laws and policies, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Almost all trainings, around or about disability, start with the definition of disability. Because of OAIC's role in the Division of Extension, the focus is on the definition of disability as outlined in the ADA. For legal purposes, it’s necessary to have a definition so that we can consider how to prevent discrimination and provide equal access. However, the definition is focused only on the individual and their limitations or impairments in major life activities and is the medical model of disability.
The medical model of disability focuses on the individual, primarily about what the individual cannot do. Disability is viewed as the problem residing in the individual that must be fixed or corrected, and it is their medical condition or impairment alone that leads to an inability to fully participate in society. As a result, the remedy becomes focused on the individual and what the individual must do or have done to them to repair what is not working in their body/mind. The medical model isn’t questioning the need for medical care and the power of having a clear diagnosis; access to medical care is incredibly important to increase comfort, manage symptoms, and save lives. However, the focus on pathology overly simplifies the complexity of disability and the interaction between people and the environment.
Equity and Inclusion: The Social Model of Disability
If we want to go beyond equal access, and move closer to equity, then it's important to think about disability from another lens, another perspective, or another model. The social model of disability views disability as something that is created by the interaction between the individual and their environment. Disability is created by societal structures, systems, and attitudes that marginalize and exclude people with disabilities. Under this model, disability is not an inherent flaw within an individual; it is not a problem for an individual to figure out. Instead of seeing barriers and limitations as a personal problem, we are encouraged to identify other sources that exclude someone from full participation. The focus shifts to how we can change the environment to reduce barriers for the individual, whether that is physical access, attitude, and even social norm and expectation. The social model doesn’t shy away from the fact that physical, sensory or cognitive difference is present. The impairments are viewed as functional limitations that are a natural and common part of being human.
The power of the social model of disability comes from the fact that it was developed by disability rights activists in the 1970s and 80s. By shifting the focus from impairment to societal barriers, the social model of disability validates experiences of disabled people, fostering a sense of identity and belonging within a broader social context. When we recognize disability as a social construct, self-advocacy and collective activism to challenge discriminatory practices is encouraged. In her book “Rhetorics of Mental Disability and Academic Life,” Margaret Price (2011) explains the social model of disability “shifts the ‘problem’ of disability away from individuals and toward institutions and attitudes” (p. 4).
Finally, the social model reframes disability as a social injustice rooted in systemic inequalities. It acknowledges the intersectionality of disability with other dimensions of identity, including race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. It recognizes that marginalized communities experience compounded forms of discrimination and oppression. By adopting an intersectional approach, the social model promotes social justice and equity for all individuals, irrespective of their identities and abilities. In changing how we talk about disability, perhaps we can change how we think about it and continue to take strides to proactively increase inclusion and reduce barriers.
Disability Inclusion in Racine County
By Maria Gaytan-Martinez
UW Extension Racine County was recently awarded the Sparks Grant from the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (WI-BPDD). The grant will be used to assist youth in planning and facilitating a community conversation on the topic of disability inclusion. Maria Gaytan-Martinez, Community Youth Development Educator in Racine County, sees this grant as an opportunity to intentionally reach an underserved audience of youth as well as an opportunity to learn directly from youth themselves about how we can make our programming efforts more accessible and engaging to all.
Youth with disabilities and youth of color with disabilities are often the most marginalized within the school system and for this reason may not feel a sense of belonging in their communities. According to 2019 data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 5.09% of students with disabilities in the Racine Unified District dropped out and 5.05% were suspended or expelled compared to 2.40% and 0.97% of students at the state level.
Oftentimes, youth with disabilities do not receive proper accommodations and behavioral support in school and face additional barriers that youth without disabilities don’t face. Unfortunately, these barriers are often heightened by the presence of biases and negative stereotypes towards youth with disabilities as well as youth of color with disabilities. Apart from being negatively impacted on an academic level, youth with disabilities may also experience social isolation and lack of opportunities for truly meaningful interactions with their nondisabled peers. They often feel left out of the fun every-day activities and social interactions that are so important for our mental health and overall wellbeing. It is clear that youth with disabilities in Racine County need further support from the community and it should be the youth most impacted by the issue who are at the forefront of driving change.
In order to ensure that this opportunity is truly inclusive, the CYD educator has been intentional in her outreach to a diverse range of schools and community organizations across the county. The goal is to recruit a committee of about twelve youth that represent a wide range of skills, strengths, experiences, and abilities. This planning committee of youth will be tasked with attending a total of five planning sessions in which they will learn more about disability inclusion, advocacy work, community awareness, and the power of using their voices for change. Thanks to the Sparks Grant, youth will be compensated for their work on this project.
During the planning meetings, youth will determine two central questions related to disability inclusion that they will pose to attendees of the community conversation event in September. Invitations to this event will be sent to local community organizations, schools, government officials, and community members, including other youth who may have important ideas to contribute. The goal is that this committee of youth will continue engaging in advocacy efforts related to community health after the community conversation event and work alongside the community organizations or individuals that attended the event to begin putting ideas into action using the Youth Advocates for Community Health framework.
The purpose of the Sparks Grant is to create more opportunities for meaningful connections for people with disabilities, help organizations understand how to create more inclusive programming, as well as improve attitudes towards people with disabilities. Although the grant is awarded for one year, the hope is that the grant helps kickstart ideas and projects that will endure in the long-term and create avenues for more inclusive opportunities in the future. To learn more about WI-BPDD’s work, visit their website.
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Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, language(s), background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
For inquiries related to this publication or if you would like to make a financial gift to support the OAIC’s work, please contact oaic@extension.wisc.edu.