A Word From the Director 

Effective Outreach to Diverse Groups

Americans represent a rich diversity of characteristics and conditions. It seems that more is known about Americans today than ever before. For example, information is available today that suggests how many of us live in rural versus urban settings, how many of us are financially richer and how many are poorer, and so on.

Debates continue concerning how many of us are disabled, however. Depending on the criteria used, estimates vary from a low of about 36.1 million (LaPlante, 1992) to about 54 million (NCD, 1997). No matter how you identify and count Americans with disabilities, however, this segment of the population is also rich in its diversity of characteristics. While this diversity is obvious, it can present some interesting challenges to those conducting research addressing disability issues.

Common sense tells us that "one size does not fit all" when it comes to research outcomes. Many times, dissemination practices tend to suggest that the outcomes of disability researchers can be equally utilized, and are equally beneficial regardless of one’s ethnic, cultural, social, economic, demographic, linguistic, or other characteristics. Just as research designs must be carefully constructed and implemented, reports of research outcomes must also be carefully expressed in order to clarify how the research results might most appropriately be used.

Dissemination strategies should also be carefully considered and targeted to facilitate utilization by designated audiences. These strategies should not promote over-generalization of research findings. The diversity of Americans with disabilities should influence not only how research activities are conducted but also how we plan and implement effective dissemination and utilization strategies in an increasingly diverse world. Our challenge is magnified by understanding that in the real world Americans with disabilities do not make up a homogenous population.

This issue of the NCDDR’s Research Exchange continues a review of the literature relevant to dissemination, disability, and diversity. Clearly, no simple formula exists to dictate dissemination strategies that will be successful with all audiences. NIDRR grantees should be aware of many factors and options that affect our effectiveness in achieving utilization across diverse groups of Americans.

John D. Westbrook, Ph.D.
Director, NCDDR

LaPlante, M. (1992, December).How many Americans have a disability? Disability Statistics Abstracts, No. 5. San Francisco: Disability Statistics RRTC. Retrieved June 24, 1999 from the World Wide Web:

National Council on Disability (NCD).(1997, September). NCD Bulletin. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved June 24, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/bulletins/b0997.html

---

Top