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Bridging Uncharted Waters in Georgia: Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta Outreach to Latino/a Families
Author(s) -
Martorell Susan J.,
Martorell Gabriela A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-006-9055-2
Subject(s) - atlanta , outreach , health psychology , population , immigration , bridging (networking) , public health , gerontology , psychology , medicine , environmental health , political science , nursing , metropolitan area , pathology , law , computer network , computer science
Receiving the news that your newborn child has Down syndrome is difficult for most parents; difficulties which are compounded by language and cultural barriers for immigrant Latino/a families. The metro Atlanta area has shown a large increase in this population in the last 10 years, and increasing numbers of Latino/a parents with children with Down syndrome are coming in contact with the health care system. Experiences and observations regarding the formation of a Latino/a support group for parents of children with Down syndrome in Atlanta are described. In addition, efforts to integrate these Latino/a parents into a parent education conference sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta are also recounted. Finally, reflections upon the lessons learned and individual and organizational changes that occurred as a result of the process are discussed.