User:Sotnikweiss

Paula Sotnik has over twenty years of experience working as a director, curriculum developer, trainer, and diversity and disability specialist. She oversees the National Service Inclusion Project, the national training and technical assistance center on accessibility and disability issues funded by the Corporation for Community and National Service. She also coordinates the Community Capacity Building team, which houses federal and state projects designed to support diverse ethnic, cultural, and linguistic community organizations and individuals at ICI. Ms. Sotnik has served as a lead training consultant and author on culture brokering for the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Prior to this project, she coordinated several capacity-building projects with grassroots community organizations and worked on projects examining the experiences of diverse cultures in employment for persons with HIV/AIDS, person centered planning, and the use of assistive technology. She was responsible for the person centered planning and cultural diversity components of the Supported Employment Systems Change Grant through the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. She also developed and directed several federally funded assistive technology projects serving Latino, Southeast Asian, Haitian, Portuguese, Azorean, and Cape Verdean populations. Ms. Sotnik has provided consultation to a variety of organizations including the Florida Assistive Technology Center, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, the University at Buffalo (SUNY), and the Rhode Island Technology Assistance Program on outreach and provision of services to people from diverse cultural backgrounds. She has conducted presentations and published on topics related to diversity and disability, responsive outreach strategies, and developing the capacity of faith- and community-based organizations.