VMRC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Philosophy Statement
VMRC recognizes that the disability rights movement is inseparable from the human rights movements for racial, economic, and gender equity. We recognize that people with developmental & intellectual disabilities must be at the forefront of any successful fight for justice. Our work is rooted in the firm belief that all people deserve respect, dignity, and self-determination.
VMRC understands that all types of oppression are interlocking and that prejudices which harm people with disabilities are compounded based on race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. We value collaboration across movements as key to dismantling ableism, racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, and transphobia within our organization, the disability rights movement, and the community that we serve.
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
We commit to centering the priorities of people with disabilities with diverse backgrounds and identities and acknowledge multiply-marginalized groups have historically been under-represented in the disability rights movement.
VMRC’s work will be informed by the following principles:
- People with developmental disabilities, including from low income backgrounds, diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, immigration status and all other marginalized backgrounds must be able to participate and lead a diverse disability rights movement.
- People with disabilities have the right to make decisions about their bodies and lives, including family planning.
- People with disabilities have the right to fully access and participate in public life.
- People with disabilities deserve to create, be represented in, and access all forms of media, regardless of communication needs or technology requirements.
- People with disabilities have a right to fair and equal opportunities to advance economically.
- People with disabilities have the right to personal safety, freedom from abuse, and effective response to crisis.
These guiding principles are not and may never be exhaustive. We choose to openly engage in an ongoing process of active learning and growth.
Legacy
Valley Mountain Regional Center’s diversity and equity outreach is an effort to expand our responsiveness and affinity for our diverse sectors of our developmental disabilities community within our valley and mountain regions. We achieve this by reaching out and participating in the public square whenever and wherever it’s engaged, helping to build connections and agency, and strengthening the advocacy of individuals with developmental disabilities. Finally, and inline with the famous quote by Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, we have an internal group called the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee that is busy working ensure all employees feel they can bring their full selves to the workplace so we all benefit from the richness of our diversity and that VMRC truly is a place where everyone belongs. Our internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is lead by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager, Mark Crear.
Valley Mountain Regional Center, A Place Where Everyone Belongs.
Valley Mountain Regional Center’s diversity and equity outreach is an effort to expand our responsiveness and affinity for our diverse sectors of our developmental disabilities community within our valley and mountain regions. We achieve this by reaching out and participating in the public square whenever and wherever it’s engaged, helping to build connections and agency, and strengthening the advocacy of individuals with developmental disabilities. Finally, and inline with the famous quote by Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, we have an internal group called the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee that is busy working ensure all employees feel they can bring their full selves to the workplace so we all benefit from the richness of our diversity and that VMRC truly is a place where everyone belongs.
2021 Purchase of Services (POS) Expenditures Meetings
To view the March 25, 2021 VMRC Purchase of Services (POS) Expenditures Meeting held in English, click here.
- For the Power Point Presentation in English, click here.
To view the March 29, 2021 VMRC Purchase of Services (POS) Expenditures Meeting held in Spanish, click here.
- For the Power Point Presentation in Spanish, click here.
- Report to the Department of Developmental Services on the 2021 Data Report public hearings: report page
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Our Work So Far)
Since 2017 we have been on a journey at VMRC to get a better understanding from our fastest growing segment of our community, namely Hispanic children and young adults and young families.
We learned that many felt unwelcome and there was a feeling of mistrust that we didn’t even realize we played a role in causing.
As we brought in various trainers to help us be more responsive to our community, we then started to learn that some of our very own staff were not feeling welcomed at work and while we weren’t doing anything to cause this the fact that we weren’t doing anything to prevent this meant that we were allowing inequities and exclusion to spread.
In 2019 we began working with Georgetown University to develop our first Cultural Competence Committee and as we learned and evolved, we created our first ever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. This is when we were introduced to great work in this space by the University of Pacific.
In working with UOP we created an enterprise-wide DEI program touching every one of our 425 employees. We are currently hiring our first ever DEI manager and by March we will be mapping out our next steps and direction.
We’ve learned that Cultural Competence and Cultural Humility are not permanent states. We are all learning and evolving all the time, making mistakes, and doing right by each other on any given day.
Employee Networks Holiday Recognitions: (attached)
Purchase of Service (POS) Disparity Presentation August 2020
Presentacion Disperidades August 2020
2019 Cultural Fair
Our 3rd Annual Cultural Fair was held on Saturday, October 5th at our Stockton office. The event was attended by over 1300 people and over 80 vendors. To see local media coverage on the event, click the links below.
The Record article on the Cultural Fair
Good Day Sacramento on the Cultural Fair
2019 Cultural Fair Facebook Videos
2019 Cultural Fair Photo Album
VMRC Purchase of Service (POS) Disparity Minutes, March 2019
VMRC Purchase of Service (POS) Disparity Presentation, English
VMRC Purchase of Service (POS) Disparity Presentation, Spanish
June 20, 2019 – Update
The Department of Developmental Services recently made four reports about what they are doing to reduce Disparities in using services. Each one is written in English and Spanish.
1. Background and Process for Developing Disparity Measures(PDF)
2. List of Disparity Measures (PDF)
3. Disparity Measures (with How-To-Read) (PDF)
4. Appendix (PDF)
El propósito de las medidas es permitir que el departamento, los consumidores y las familias, y otras partes interesadas, hagan un seguimiento del progreso en la reducción de las disparidades.
1. Antecedentes y Proceso para Desarrollar Medidas de Disparidad(PDF)
2. Lista de Medidas de Disparidad (PDF)
3. Medidas de Disparidad (con Instrucciones para Leer) (PDF)
4. Apéndice (PDF)