Benefits Highlights

Technical Assistance on Native American Culture: Improving BPAO Services for Native American SSA Beneficiaries with Disabilities

Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach projects across the country provide critical services to Social Security Administration (SSA) disability program beneficiaries by better enabling them to make informed choices about work. In the course of their work many BPAO project personnel will find themselves working with American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian (Native American) SSA beneficiaries with disabilities.

AIDTAC’s Technical Assistance on Native American Culture project is designed to provide assistance to BPAO Benefits Specialists that will allow them to be more comfortable and more effective when interacting and collaborating with Native people. Part I of this issues brief will introduce the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian population. Part II will introduce the Tribal Disability Actualization Process (TDAP), Disability Actualization Process (DAP) and the Talking Circle. The talking circle will be the topic of a future teleconference.

Part I - Introducing the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian population: Culturally distinct people living in BPAO project service areas.

Part II - Talking Circles: A way for BPAO Benefits Specialists to build working relationships with Tribal communities and Native American SSA beneficiaries with disabilities.

The Technical Assistance on Native American Culture project, located at The University of Montana Rural Institute American Indian Disability Technical Assistance Center, provides technical assistance to BPAO programs. Technical Assistance includes the following:

• Communicating with Native American SSA beneficiaries with disabilities.
• Communicating on behalf of Native American SSA beneficiaries with disabilities.
• Providing guidance on effective outreach techniques for Native American SSA beneficiaries with disabilities.
• Providing liaison services between BPAO projects and Native American communities.

BPAO/P&A projects interested in technical assistance should complete and submit the following Form: BPAO/P&A Request for Technical Assistance.

For more information visit AIDTAC’s Technical Assistance on Native American Culture project website.