SECTION ONE - DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION 1. Describe the reservation in terms of geography, people1 language and government. The Cherokee Nation jurisdictional areas are located in northeastern Oklahoma. It comprises a 14 county area with approximately 7,600 square miles. The area is not defined as a reservation. The tribal members are integrated within mostly rural communities and one major city, Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Cherokee Tribe is governed by Chief Wilma Mankiller and the Tribal Council. The majority of the tribal population speak English with few members preserving the Cherol6ee language. 2. Describe the major health issues addressed by the rehabilitation and medical services on thF recsrvation. The major health issues addressed by rehabilitation would be diabetes and all of its secondary complications. The next issues would be substance and alcohol abuse. 3. Describe the employment/economyw educational system and the cultural kinship systems in place. The tribal population is integrated within each rural community and urban area. We have one large urban area, Tulsa, Oklahoma, in which the prospect of employment is good. Most communities are located within rural areas with little or no industry. There is one tribally controlled high school (boarding) within our jurisdictional area. Most students attend public school facilities and higher education. We have one major public university and several public vo-techs and colleges within our jurisdictional boundaries. 56 SECTION TWO - PROGRAM AND SERVICES 4. How is rehabilitation viewed by the community, culture, consumers, family and social structure? Rehabilitation is a new concept within our community, a well kept secret. Our particular culture has no real recognized individuals as having disabilities; therefore, services have rarely been sought. Indians are accepted for what they bring to this earth and for what they are. The person has generally been accepted as the challenged one. As consumers and families are educated on rehabilita- tion, they welcome it and are thankful for any assistance they receive. 5. How is rehabilitation different today from the practices five years ago? Twenty years ago? The Cherokee Tribe had no funds for rehabilitation, neither five nor twenty years ago. This is a very new concept. It was available through the State but tribal members rarely utilize State associated services. 6. What makes rehabilitation unique or exemplary on your reservation? We recognize the family as an important entity of the individual and their recovery. Our counselors take the time to listen to our peoples' needs, making them feel welcome and comfortable in our environment. You must build trust and take the time to talk, thus creating a bonding relationship. This is something that is voiced over and over by tribal members. State facilities are too busy and don't listen. Cultural mores are addressed in native language. 7. What are the characteristics of persons with disabilities on your reservation? The disability descriptions are numerous and I would say fairly evenly distributed, with the exception of diabetes, alcohol and substance abuse, and accident and injury. 8. What do you see as the needs and wants of individuals with disabilities on the reservations? what are the immediate concerns of persons with disabilities on your reservation? They need a chance to better educate themselves and the necessary funding available in which to accomplish this. They have been crippled through system dependency. A lot of the tribal members have no marketable skills and/or are greatly in need of pre-employment skills. They have not been successful with employment. They want to know where to find a job and how to go about getting one. They believe they are not hired for a job because of their physical disability, not realizing that they simply may not have communicated themselves appropriately as perceived by an Anglo agency. 9. What is the future of rehabilitation on your reservation, and from your perspective, for the Native American Nations? I view rehabilitation as one of the single most important programs ever funded for a tribe. The tribe does not presently recognize this and it has now become my goal within the next two years to educate them to this fact. This program can serve a multitude of people and bring change to the unbroken circle of unemployment and system dependency. 10. what role does technology play in the lives of individuals with disabilities on your reservation? Technology plays a very little role within our jurisdictional area. There is little funding available and few technology centers. We are currently working with an Independent Living Center recently awarded funds for technology assistance to set up office once a month within our facility. An l.L.C. counselor will be on site to work with CNVR counselors. 57 SECTION ONE - DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION 1. Describe the reservation in terms of geography, people, language and government. The Colville Indian Reservation is located in north central Washington state and is comprised of 1.4 million acres or 2,100 square miles (equivalent to the state of Connecticut) which covers parts of Ferry and Okanogan counties. It is bounded on the east and south by the Columbia River, on the west by the Okanogan River, and on the north by the line between township 34 and 35 north of the WillamettP Meridian baseline. The Reservation is comprised of forested mountains, steep canyons, rolling hills, lakes, streams and rivers. Land and water are among the most important resources of the Colville Indian Tribes. Current land use on the Reservation includes residential, irrigated and dryland farming, livestock, ranges, commercial forests, recreational areas, and mining sites. The Reservation is divided into four districts: Omak, Nespelem, Keller, and Inchelium. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation include the following: Okanogan, Lakes, Colville, San Poil, Nespelem, Methow, Entiat, Chelan, Wenatchee, Moses Columbia, Palouse, and the Nez Perce Joseph's Band). These tribes' traditional lands stretched from the Cascades east to the Rockies, north to the top of the Okanogan Valley and Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, and south to the Columbia Basin in the area which now is much of the states of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. There are approximately 7,800 members of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation with about 50ø/0 of them living on the reservation. 60 The twelve Plateau tribes can be classified by language family which is either Salish or Sahaptian, the majority of whose language are dialects of the Salish. The Nez Perce and parts of the Wenatchee bands speak Sahaptian. Use of the Native language is limited to an estimated 300 persons; however, the tribes have funded projects and received grants to rekindle the languages which are a critical component of the culture. The Tribal Government is composed of a 14-member Business Council. Each of the four prominent districts is represented on the legislative body. Elections are held annually with seven of the Business Council facing re-election. Representation is four from the Omak, Inchelium, and Nespelem Districts, and two from the Keller District. The Business Council is the primary legislative body of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation. 2. Describe the major health issues addressed by the rehabilitation and medical services on the reservation. The major health issues addressed by rehabilitation are alcoholism, substance abuse, and specific learning disorders. There are high incidents of rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic brain injury, and diabetes. Medical services available to the residents of the Reservation are provided, for outpatient services only, by the Indian Health Service. The main facility is located in Nespelem and outreach offices are located in Omak and Inchelium. 3. Describe the employment/economy, education system and the cultural kinship systems in place. Unemployment on the Reservation stands at about 500/o, although the Tribal Government and its enterprises hire at least 600 persons. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service employ approximately another 400 persons. Much of the employment on the reservation is seasonal and is largely centered in the lumber industry. The tribes' enterprise corporation includes businesses such as three Trading Post Grocery outlets, a houseboat enterprise, a pine lumber mill, and bingo. The Tribes are on the threshold of opening a casino and are also looking at a power generating plant. There are several school districts on or near the Colville Indian Reservation which serve students in each of the specific areas: Paschal Sherman Indian School (tribal owned and operated) serving 1st through 6th grades, Nespelem School serving 1st through 8th grade, the Grand Coulee and Omak Schools which serve pre-school through 12th grade, Keller serving 1st through 6th, Wilbur serving junior and high school students, and Inchelium which serves pre-school through 12th grade. In addition, there are three colleges which provide higher educational opportunities: Wenatchee Valley College North (WVCN), a two-year program, and Heritage College, a four-year program, in the Omak community. WVCN also provides outreach classes in the Nespelem area on a regular basis. Big Bend Community College, at Moses Lake, also provides outreach classes to the Coulee Dam/Grand Coulee area. It should be noted that Heritage College is a private college and the costs associated with attendance are high. Access to vocational-type training is limited and is an area which our Tribe will likely pursue in the near future. In terms of cultural kinships, from my understanding of this phrase, you're asking for information regarding familial support systems. Here on the Colville Indian Reservation, extended family is still alive and well. Our close family ties can be drawn on for support and, unfortunately at times, can also be a sabotaging mechanism. When we can entice positive family networking, it is used in the rehabilitation process. Families provide a stabilizing and influential component of any plan. Because we are somewhat of a closed community, the foundation given through familial linkages can make the difference between a successful or non- successful plan. SECTION TWO - PROGRAM AbID SERVItE5 4. How is rehabilitation viewed by the communityw culture1 consumers, hmily and social structures? Rehabilitation is viewed by the community as an additional resource for assisting persons with disabilities. There are times and occasions when vocational rehabilitation is seen as a market in which you enter with a shopping list. We attempt to bring a reality perspective to the community by stressing in our pamphlets and our interaction with the public that there are components which must be met and satisfied prior to provision of services. At times, I'm sure our clientele see these regulations as the "barrier" to their Dlans. Consumers, family, and social structures are generally quite receptive to the vocational rehabilitation program. This is, in part, due to the fact that the staff in vocational rehabilitation are part and parcel of the community. We are not coming into the community trying to "fix things.Xw We are a vested interest whose work is viewed as helping and positive. S. HOw is rehabilitation different today from the practices five years ago? Twenty years ago? Rehabilitation is different today from five years ago in that we're becoming more astute in the provision of services. We are able to serve many persons, in at least a limited way, through the vocational rehabilitation process. We are also becoming more sophisticated at accessing other resources to assist our clientele. Our ability to provide a "circle of caring" for our clients has greatly been enhanced. Whereas five years ago we likely attempted to be 61 all things to all people, we now are able to network with other programs like jOBS, Joint Training Partnership ACt, Adult Vocational Training, Higher Education, Child Care Block Grant, etc., to utilize first dollar resources before using vocational rehabilitation funds to provide service. We can stretch our resources further and we are annually imDroving the numbers of clientele served. Twenty years ago, vocational rehabilitation services were provided by the state to our reservation residents and these services were limited. Few, if any, tribal members were served by vocational rehabilitation under the state. 6. What makes rehabilitation unique or exemplary on your reservation? Rehabilitation is unique in our setting because we are challenged by a rural and isolated environment. Jobs are hard to come by and available work is many times seasonal. We serve a population that, if it werenwt for the Tribal program, would likely not pursue vocational rehabilitation. The gift of our traditional healing practices aids us in our planning and our rehabilitations. The extended family support systems can be a benefit to our client's successes. We use many of the contemporary tools and processes, but interwoven throughout our vocational rehabilitation process is the strong thread of history, culture, and traditions. 7. What are the characteristics of persons with disabilities on your reservation? Characteristics of our clientele: a. Most are between the ages of 33 and 45 (middle aged). b. The majority of clientele are men. c. The prominent disability is alcoholism or substance abuse. 8. What do you see as the needs and wants of individuals with disabilities on the reservations? What are the immediate concerns of persons with disabilities on your r^servation? The needs and wants of individuals with disabilities here are to become emDloved in a setting that is 62 comfortable for persons with disabilities. Our clientele desire to work in an environment that is accessible to them and allows them to grow within their own boundaries. Accessibility and how to fund accessible buildings and offices are an immediate concern of Dersons with disabilities here. 9. What is the future of rehabilitation on your reservation and, from your perspective, hr the Native vmerican Nations? The future looks good for rehabilitation on our reservation. As time goes on, we would anticipate that we will only improve in both our services to and for clients. However, with Section 130 funding as it is now legislated, we in Native American country are placed in a position of competing with one another for the same pot of money. This federal strategy might encourage an environment of adversity among Section 130 projects. We can combat this plan only by working with one another, supporting every program, and keeping our lines of com- munication open. We additionally may want to expend our energy toward concentrating our efforts upon obtaining the full funding levels allowable under the Section 130 legislation. 10. what role does technology play in the lives of individuals with disabilities on your reservation? Technology is an area which very much needs to be explored and amplified in use within the Colville Indian Reservation setting. We look to an expansion of our technological expertise in our plan development and performance. Access to technology resources is limited due to the rurality of our communities. We have incorporated technology in some areas of vocational rehabilitation assistance but certainly realize that more information, use, etc., is needed for our program to be more effective. NOTE: Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Indian Nation is reprinted as submitted. SECTION ONE - DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION 1. Describe the reservation in terms of geography, people, language and government. The 14 Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation are a federally recognized tribe with a reservation of 1.3 million acres and enrollment of 8,007 members. There are an estimated 7,000 non-Yakamas Indians of other tribes also living on the Yakama Indian Reservation which is located within south central Washington state. The rural area has limited access to services necessary for native people with disability. The transportation issues include the lack of rural bus service and the actual commute distance between each community. This is further compounded due to actual health services which are centered around the Indian Health Services clinic facilities and tribal government offices located in Toppenish, Washington. In the area of native language, our Yakama language is used within all our Longhouses which are the center of religious and cultural activities. Our language is currently being taught at the Tribal High School and Heritage College and is offered in the various community centers on the reservation. Perhaps, in this way and in similar efforts1 our language will be carried on for those that follow us. The strongest use of our language is in the sweatlodge services which are held throughout the ~