Skin color and latinos with disabilities: Expanding what we know about colorism in the United States

Abstract

With the influx of Latinos increasing in many of the major and minor cities across the United States, cultural competency is vital. Contrary to other studies looking at Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) acceptance rates, race, and ethnicity, there is evidence that the proportions of White Americans and African Americans found eligible for VR services are significantly different. In summary, Latinos with disabilities who classified as White Latino or non-Latino (Note: most non-Latinos classified themselves as the White American race) are likely to be accepted for VR services when compared to Black Latinos with disabilities in the United States. The Black and White Latino results are similar to VR studies comparing African Americans and White Americans with disabilities. Evidence suggests that there is a high correlation between VR and general outcomes of people with a darker hue. Correlating colorism with people with disabilities (i.e., Black and White Latinos) is a very exciting line of research that we hope will continue to grow as resources become more available to produce more knowledge in this area. © 2008 Springer-Verlag New York.