Transparency
By Tre Keys, FNRC Public Information Officer
Susanville, CA — Season Goodpasture, a member of the Susanville Indian Rancheria and founder of Acorns to Oak Trees, is working to bridge critical gaps in services for Native American families with children facing developmental disabilities. The organization, inspired by her daughter Harley, who is on the autism spectrum, addresses the unique challenges tribal communities face when accessing support services.
“We were inspired because of our oldest, Harley, who’s on the spectrum,” Goodpasture explained. “We realized just how many families were just like us, struggling to get services for their child.”
Goodpasture and her husband have spent their lives working in Native American communities, and Harley’s diagnosis opened their eyes to the need for improved service access for Native American families, particularly those in remote areas. “I really had no idea how many families were just like us, struggling to get services for their child.”
One of the organization’s central goals is to address the high rates of intellectual and developmental disabilities among Native American communities. According to Goodpasture, Native Americans have the highest rates of these disabilities of any ethnic group in the nation.
While Goodpasture had previous experience working as the director of social services for a prominent tribe, her perspective changed when she had a child with disabilities. “I was really astonished at just how little I knew about the resources and services available and the level of need.” This realization pushed her to launch Acorns to Oak Trees, which aims to make sure no other families face the same struggles she did.
In addition to the organization’s advocacy, Goodpasture has identified several challenges that tribal families face when trying to access services. “Most of our tribes are in very rural areas. So it’s also really hard to get service providers to provide care out to those regions”. Cultural trust is also a significant barrier, as many Native American families prefer to seek help from Native service providers but often find themselves working with non-Native organizations. “Even the regional centers are not part of the state, and a lot of our families really only want to get services from Indian Health. Well, Indian Health doesn’t provide these types of services.”
Acorns to Oak Trees has partnered with Far Northern Regional Center to overcome these barriers. The partnership has enabled the organization to bring essential services to some of the most remote tribes in Northern California. “Far Northern really has been a phenomenal partner,” Goodpasture said. “They’ve allowed us to go out to some of the most rural tribes in far northern California to provide free developmental assessments.”
The collaboration also led to the establishment of mobile clinics in rural areas, providing more accessible services for families. “Now we have mobile clinics in Susanville and Lassen County one day a month. We go up, and our clinicians do eligibility intakes for early start.” These efforts have expanded as Acorns to Oak Trees is now providing autism assessment evaluations in addition to early start services.
Acorns to Oak Trees has a Community Navigator program that’s funded through a Service Access and Equity grant. “We’re providing a lot of follow up technical assistance. When we go and do these outreach events and we do these assessments. We have staff that are able to follow up and be a continued bridge of support between Far Northern Regional Center and the family,” Goodpasture said.
Goodpasture hopes that the success of this partnership will inspire other regional centers to adopt similar models. “I’m hoping that other regional centers will look to the work that Far Northern is doing to see how big of an impact it makes in terms of getting Native families aware of their services.”
One of the organization’s most successful strategies has been its outreach events, which often include direct services and follow-up support. “We get to hear from them about what they’re experiencing with their school districts or the regional center, and really it often comes down to just not enough service providers in the area.”
To incorporate cultural awareness into its programs, Acorns to Oak Trees uses Native American practices like storytelling and traditional therapies in its services. “We incorporate culture into our programming by way of different therapies… like drumming with gourds or rattles, and native songs.” This cultural sensitivity has made a profound impact on the families served by the organization, helping them feel more comfortable and supported.
Feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive. “The families are super grateful. To have somebody heading up an organization who understands their journey of having a child with a disability, that’s invaluable.”
Acorns to Oak Trees continues to grow, with Goodpasture identifying financial constraints as the primary barrier to expanding its services. “The things that have majorly helped us really have been the contracting opportunities with Far Northern. Financials are really the only thing holding us back.”
The organization is also seeking more community involvement. “Sharing information about the services we provide, inviting us out to do presentations or trainings, and donating to support getting free services to Native families, that’s how organizations can help us.”
For more information on how to support Acorns to Oak Trees, visit their website or reach out directly to Season Goodpasture.