Open Doors for Multicultural Families

Open Doors for Multicultural Families (Open Doors or ODMF) provides culturally and linguistically relevant information, services, and programming to culturally and linguistically diverse families of persons with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The families we serve are often immigrants, refugees, and/or people of color. We accomplish this using a “cultural brokering” model. Our staff come from the same culture and speak the same language as the families they serve, and so are able to communicate with the family in their own language, and in a way that will make sense within their cultural context. Additionally, these staffs are knowledgeable of disability services, Special Education, and other mainstream social services, and to bridge the gap between the families we serve and the services they need. As of 2020, our bilingual/bicultural Family Support Staff provide language support in English (with cultural support for African American families), Spanish, Somali, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Amharic, and Tigrinya.