Celebrating Haitian Heritage Month

This is a special post written by Charles Warren, Curriculum Developer at Triangle. Charlie is also a member of Triangle’s Racial Equity Committee. As part of our commitment to the work of our Racial Equity Committee, we will be sharing more information with you on subjects related to racial equity and disability justice. This post continues our series dedicated to calling attention to the contributions of people with disabilities to American history.

Did you know that May is Haitian Heritage Month? This month, Triangle’s Racial Equity Committee (REC) is celebrating Haitian Americans who are focused on increasing awareness and empowerment for people with disabilities. The REC’s posts strive to honor intersectionality and highlight people of color with disabilities whose lives cross over multiple identities and issues ALL at the same time.

Haitian Americans United for Progress

Haitian Americans United for Progress (HAUP) is a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering and serving the Haitian and Caribbean communities in New York City and the surrounding area since 1975. HAUP provides a broad array of programs to support access to education, training, culture, networking, and other support services for all community members and has specific programs that recognize and respond to the unique challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. These programs are deeply important to people that access them, their families, and their communities.

HAUP runs an after-school program for students with developmental delays and Autistic people ages 6 – 21 during the school year that includes transportation services for families. They have a community habilitation program designed for individuals who live at home, offering specialized training in activities of daily living, communication, and community access skills.  Another program provides twice-weekly opportunities for recreation in the community in a variety of settings, including cultural events.  They also have a respite program which offers support to families adjusting with and meeting the needs of children with disabilities.  Additionally, HAUP’s immigration services have experience in disability-related immigration issues.

These programs are funded in part by the New York Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and Medicaid. Research shows there is an underutilization of social and healthcare services among racial and ethnic minorities, which is one reason that HAUP has expanded their efforts over the years to create and offer culturally responsive programming and reduce barriers to access.