Foundational Information:
Demographic Data and Important Terms
The Five "Cultural Terms"
1) Cultural Competence - The ability to understand, appreciate and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one's own (In Search of Cultural Competence, n.d.)
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2) Cultural Humility - An approach to understanding and respecting the cultural identities of individuals and communities. Unlike cultural competence, which often implies a mastery of knowledge about different cultures, cultural humility focuses on a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique. It encourages individuals to recognize their own biases, power dynamics, and the limitations of their cultural knowledge while fostering open and respectful relationships with people from diverse backgrounds (Cultural Humility - Definition and Explanation, n.d.)
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3) Cultural Sensitivity - Awareness and appreciation of the values, norms, and beliefs characteristic of a cultural, ethnic, racial, or other group that is not one's own, accompanied by a willingness to adapt one's behavior accordingly (APA Dictionary of Psychology, n.d.)
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4) Cultural Intelligence - One's ability to adapt when confronted with problems arising in interactions with people or artifacts of cultures other than one's own (Sternberg et al., 2022)
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5) Cultural Responsiveness - An approach that acknowledges the importance of cultural diversity and seeks to integrate this understanding into policies, practices, and interactions. It goes beyond mere tolerance of differences; it involves actively engaging with diverse cultural perspectives and ensuring that all individuals feel valued and included (Cultural Responsiveness - Definition and Explanation, n.d.)
Other Terms to be Familiar With
- Intellectual Disability (ID) - A condition that limits intelligence and disrupts abilities necessary for living independently. Signs of this lifelong condition appear during childhood. Most people with this will need some degree of assistance throughout their lives. Support programs and educational offerings can help with managing symptoms and effects (Intellectual Disability, n.d.)
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- Developmental Disability (DD) - A group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas. These conditions begin during a child's developmental period, may impact day-to-day functioning, and usually last throughout a person's lifetime. Most developmental disabilities beging before a baby is born, but some can happen after birth because of injury, infection, or other factors (CDC, 2025)
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- Adaptive Skills / Adaptive Behavior - The collection of conceptual, social, and practical skills that all people learn in order to function in their daily lives, including Conceptual Skills (literacy, self-direction, and concepts of numbers, money, and time), Social Skills (interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility, naïveté, social problem solving, following rules, obeying laws, and avoiding being victimized), and Practical Skills (activities of daily living/personal care, occupational skills, use of money, safety, health care, travel/transportation, schedules/routines, and use of the telephone) (Adaptive Behavior, n.d.)
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- Neurodiversity - The idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one "right" way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits. The word "neurodiversity" refers to the diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD or learning disabilities (MEd & MD, 2021)
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- Person-First Language and Identity-First Language - Person-first language emphasizes the person before the disability, for example "person who is blind" or "people with spinal cord injuries." Identity-first language puts the disability first in the description, e.g., "disabled" or "autistic." Person-first or identity-first language is equally appropriate depending on personal preference. When in doubt, ask the person which they prefer (Person-First and Identity-First Language, n.d.)
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- Ableism - A set of beliefs or practices that devalue and discriminate against people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities and often rests on the assumption that disabled people need to be "fixed" in one form or the other (#Ableism – Center for Disability Rights, n.d.)
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- Accessibility - Accessibility ensures that all people - regardless of ability - can interact with the information or services you provide. The following definition used to appear on the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights website - sadly, it no longer exists on that website... "Accessible means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability. Although this might not result in identical ease of use compared to that of persons without disabilities, it still must ensure equal opportunity to the educational benefits and opportunities afforded by the technology and equal treatment in the use of such technology." (What Is Accessibility? | Digital Accessibility, n.d.)
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- Inclusion - The act of creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate. An inclusive and welcoming climate embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people. It is important to note that while an inclusive group is by definition diverse, a diverse group isn't always inclusive (“Definitions of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - Worcester State,” n.d.)
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- Accommodations - Adjustments that are made to how a person learns something. They are not learning a different subject or curriculum than their peers, but are instead provided tools to overcome barriers in the general education setting. For example, a student with auditory processing disorder might receive noise-reducing headphones, allowing them to focus in class without experiencing discomfort (Shinn, 2022)
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- Self-Advocacy - The ability to speak up for yourself and the things that are important to you. For individuals with intellectual disabilities, self-advocacy means that you can explain what you need and why with confidence (Understanding Self-Advocacy – Learning Disabilities Association of America, n.d.)
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- Supported Decision-Making - Allows individuals with disabilities to make choices about their own lives with support from a team of people they choose. Individuals with disabilities choose people they know and trust to be part of a support network to help with decision-making (“About Supported Decision-Making,” n.d.)
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- Universal Design - The design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability (Universal Design - What Is It?, n.d.)
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- Plain Language - A way of talking and writing more simply. Using plain language helps make sure that as many people as possible can understand what you are trying to say. Plain language makes information easier for people to read and to understand. It improves accessibility for everyone, but especially for people who have trouble reading, who have a cognitive or intellectual disability, or for those whose main language is not English (Gibson, n.d.)
Demographic Data
There were 8.38 million people with an intellectual or developmental disability in the United States in 2020. Of those, 20% of children and 44% of adults were known to their state developmental disabilities agency (Larson et al., 2001). The infographic to the right was created using the data from the previously cited Larson study (RISP Infographics | People with IDD in the United States, n.d.).
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Statistics below are provided from the National Center for Health Statistics (Data Brief No. 473, published July 2023).
- During 2019-2021, the prevalence of any diagnosed developmental disability in chidren aged 3-17 years increased from 7.40% to 8.56%.
- The prevalence of any developmental disability was lowest in non-Hispanic Asian children compared with other race and Hispanic-origin groups.
- The prevalence of intellectual disability increased with age, while the prevalence of other developmental delay decreased with age.
- Boys (4.66%) were more than three times as likely as girls (1.50%) to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Source: (Zablotsky et al., 2023)
