Community norms and culture

Local language and norms

Before reaching out, it is valuable to understand what the local norms and customs are in your rural service area. Navigating local language and cultural norms can be tricky! It is important to have cultural humility when approaching partners whose backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences are different from yours. There can be norms within a community such as those that wear business clothing are known as “outsiders” right away. Or perhaps you do not have the same accent or use different slang. It’s important to also consider the norms and culture of those you are attempting to reach as you go out into the community and set yourself up for success, such as wearing a t-shirt in support of the local college football team.

Questions for connecting

Here are some questions to think about to help you be more prepared to respectfully connect with others.

• What are some common experiences that connect or divide community members to each other, such as farming, festivals, and religion?
• Are there deeply rooted traditions or cultural norms around community living experiences, such as what food is appropriate or certain behaviors like smoking?
• What kinds of geographic or environmental barriers to participation exist? Are there travel difficulties or weather conditions to be aware of?
• How difficult has it been to recruit local professionals related to community living?
• Who are the “hard-to-reach” local populations? For example, are there migrant farmworkers in the community? What is the harvest schedule?
• How do community members view certain professions such as doctors or government officials?

Know your audience

Regardless of how much you learn about a community ahead of time, it is still important to enter those first engagements with a high level of curiosity and openness.

Put in the time to know your audience and gain awareness of your region’s culture, so that your mannerisms and approach match what is appropriate for the community you are trying to serve.

Importance of language

Consider the importance of language. Work to understand how power dynamics and the history of disability culture can help you to speak respectfully and in an empowering way. For example, what are beliefs about person-first language (e.g. person with a disability) vs. identity-first language (e.g. disabled person)? Also, consider if your community uses a non-English language or a dialect, and prepare to be accompanied by a translator or translation app in order to not ask others to change their language for you.