Description:
Hilary Weaver, DSW (Lakota), is a Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Social Work, University at Buffalo (State University of New York). Her work focuses on cultural issues in the helping process with an emphasis on Indigenous populations.
Take-home messages:
- The cultural context can influence how disability is defined and experienced.
- The colonial context shapes both perceptions and services.
- There are substantial parallels between how Native Americans and people with disabilities have been perceived and treated.
- Decolonization and empowerment can make a difference.
Learning Outcomes
How Native American cultural contexts influence perceptions of disabilities
Information on disability prevalence in Native American populations
Possible explanations for disability disparities including the impact of the societal context
How the federal trust responsibility defines relationships between the US and Native American tribes and shapes health services
How sovereignty and decolonization influence beliefs and services