The Arc of Massachusetts is pleased to announce that the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism has awarded it a $10,251 grant.
The funding will support The Arc’s Operation House Call (OHC) program, which is educating the next generation of medical professionals. The grant will specifically address how medical professionals can better understand the needs of and challenges facing people of color who have autism or an intellectual or developmental disability. Last year, OHC developed a Cultural Competency component, which has been extremely well-received. The Flutie Foundation grant will incorporate Cultural Competency into the OHC curriculum.
“We are so grateful to the Flutie Foundation for its support of OHC and the expansion of our Cultural Competency module,” said Maura Sullivan, Director of Operation House Call. “People with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is even more the case with people of color. Our program seeks to shift the implicit bias that can affect treatment and assessment in healthcare.”
The Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism, based in Framingham, MA, awards grants annually through a competitive application and review process. The signature grants that the Flutie Foundation distributed this year support traditionally under-served, under-funded, culturally diverse communities reflected in the Foundation’s areas of interest: providing a path for educational and vocational skills, supporting recreational and active lifestyles, and ensuring people with autism are safe, supported, and informed.
The Arc of Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization, was established more than 65 years ago to enhance the lives of the more than 200,000 people in Massachusetts who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, and their families. Together with our 17 regional chapters across the Commonwealth, we fulfill this through advocacy for community supports and services that foster social inclusion, self-determination, and equity across all aspects of society. Learn more about The Arc of Massachusetts at www.arcmass.org and OHC at www.arcmass.org/OHC.
