Dating and Domestic Violence

Recognizing Mental Health Concerns Co-occurring With DVSA

This webinar will untangle the connection between the trauma of domestic and sexual violence and mental health disabilities while providing practical answers to supporting survivors with mental health concerns. We will focus on the impacts of mental health disabilities alone,...

<< Back

Recognizing Mental Health Concerns Co-occurring With DVSA

There is a deep and tangled connection between the trauma of domestic and sexual violence and mental health disabilities. In this webinar, we will untangle this connection while providing practical answers to supporting survivors with mental health concerns. We will focus on the impacts of mental health disabilities alone, and then take a closer look at the impact of trauma on these disabilities. Together we will discuss how to adapt trauma-informed practices to meet the needs of survivors with mental health disabilities.

Join this exciting webinar, presented by MeLisa Dennis, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor with extensive experience providing mental health and domestic violence services.
Preparing to Host Accessible Domestic Violence Awareness Month Events

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Ensuring that your events and outreach materials are inclusive of people with disabilities and Deaf people is a key opportunity to reach potential …
Continue reading "Preparing to Host...

<< Back

Preparing to Host Accessible Domestic Violence Awareness Month Events

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Ensuring that your events and outreach materials are inclusive of people with disabilities and Deaf people is a key opportunity to reach potential survivors.

As organizations prepare to engage communities across the United States, join Activating Change for this informative virtual event. This webinar will explore strategies for ensuring your in-person and online events are accessible, welcoming, and inclusive.
Supporting Black Deaf Survivors

Black deaf survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence often have to navigate a web of barriers to accessing healing services: programs designed to respond to domestic and sexual violence, for …
Continue reading "Supporting Black Deaf...

<< Back

Supporting Black Deaf Survivors

Black deaf survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence often have to navigate a web of barriers to accessing healing services: programs designed to respond to domestic and sexual violence, for instance, may not have the knowledge or resources to address the needs of Deaf survivors while Deaf programs may not have the knowledge or experience to address survivorship. However, the Deaf community has been working to address this gap in services by developing programs specifically at this intersection. This webinar featured one of those programs, DAWN, which was formed inn 1999 in the Washington metropolitan area and has been providing direct support services to women and their families in the Deaf community. Listen to a conversation between Roberta Eaton, DAWN’s Executive Director, and Raven Sutton, Senior Survivor Resource Specialist, as they discuss DAWN’s unique approach to meeting the needs of Black deaf survivors.
Promising Practices for Serving Domestic Violence Survivors with Disabilities

This webinar featured a panel of experts who explored the unique barriers that people with disabilities have to navigate when seeking healing and the strategies that advocates employ to proactively …
Continue reading "Promising Practices for...

<< Back

Promising Practices for Serving Domestic Violence Survivors with Disabilities

This webinar featured a panel of experts who explored the unique barriers that people with disabilities have to navigate when seeking healing and the strategies that advocates employ to proactively remove those barriers. Specifically, they explored the civil-legal needs of survivors with disabilities, the needs of survivors who acquire a disability through domestic violence, and the unique needs of Deaf survivors.
Centering Survivors with Disabilities in Your Organizational Policies

When survivors with disabilities and Deaf survivors engage with your victim service organization or disability program, they are necessarily engaging with the policies that guide the delivery of your services. …
Continue reading "Centering Survivors with...

<< Back

Centering Survivors with Disabilities in Your Organizational Policies

When survivors with disabilities and Deaf survivors engage with your victim service organization or disability program, they are necessarily engaging with the policies that guide the delivery of your services. Regardless of they type of organization, failure to account for the lived experiences of survivors with disabilities in your organizational polices results in delays in service provision, confusion among staff about what is allowed, safety concerns among survivors, the provision of inadequate or unsafe services, or the denial of services completely.

This two-part webinar series examined key policies that victim service and disability organizations should have in place to account for unique circumstances in the lives of survivors with disabilities, including personal care attendants, service animals and guardianship.
What’s Happening for Deaf Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence?

Deaf domestic and sexual violence programs are few and far between in comparison to hearing programs. There are only 20 “for Deaf, by Deaf” programs compared to approximately 3,000 programs …
Continue reading "What’s Happening for...

<< Back

What’s Happening for Deaf Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence?

Deaf domestic and sexual violence programs are few and far between in comparison to hearing programs. There are only 20 “for Deaf, by Deaf” programs compared to approximately 3,000 programs designed for hearing survivors. What does this mean for Deaf survivors of domestic and sexual violence trying to heal from violence and abuse? A panel of advocates from Deaf domestic and sexual violence programs discussed the state of Deaf services. These boots-on-ground advocates shared information about their programs, including about the National Deaf Hotline, the barriers Deaf survivors experience when trying to access services from hearing programs, the disparities Deaf survivors of color experience, and why understanding what’s happening, and the resources available to Deaf survivors of domestic and sexual violence, is critical.
Meeting the Needs of Immigrant Survivors with Disabilities

Survivors with disabilities who have immigrated to the United States face challenges in reporting victimization and receiving services. Language barriers, a lack of a support network in the United States, …
Continue reading "Meeting the Needs...

<< Back

Meeting the Needs of Immigrant Survivors with Disabilities

Survivors with disabilities who have immigrated to the United States face challenges in reporting victimization and receiving services. Language barriers, a lack of a support network in the United States, difficulties accessing services, and lack of knowledge of the criminal justice system or services available will pose barriers for immigrant survivors. When the survivor also has a disability, they face additional challenges to services and healing. This webinar reviews some best practices for service providers working with immigrant survivors with disabilities.

Vera Institute of Justice
How Safe are Americans with Disabilities?

While people with disabilities make up nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population, they remain largely invisible to society at large, and victim response systems in particular. And despite growing public …
Continue reading "How Safe are...

<< Back

How Safe are Americans with Disabilities?

While people with disabilities make up nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population, they remain largely invisible to society at large, and victim response systems in particular. And despite growing public awareness of violent victimization, it excludes the victimization of people with disabilities, who are at particular risk of serious violent crime, including rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. As victims, people with disabilities face formidable barriers to getting related support.

This brief provides basic information on disability in the United States. It explores what is known about violent victimization of people with disabilities and the factors that contribute to their higher risk of experiencing violent crime. It also explains the obstacles people with disabilities encounter when seeking access to the services and supports they need to heal. Finally, it stresses the limits of existing victim-service, human-service, and criminal justice systems, policies, and practices in responding to violence against people with disabilities.

Vera Institute of Justice
Meeting the Needs of Autistic Survivors

Autistic people live in a society that was not designed for them: one in which they are often forced to conceal who they are and are unable to receive the …
Continue reading "Meeting the Needs...

<< Back

Meeting the Needs of Autistic Survivors

Autistic people live in a society that was not designed for them: one in which they are often forced to conceal who they are and are unable to receive the accommodations they need. When autistic people also experience victimization, they are more likely to experience barriers to accessing services, stigma, and a fundamental misunderstanding of their needs from the systems set up for justice and healing.

This webinar, featuring Max Barrows of Green Mountain Self-Advocates and Kaitlin Shetler of the Vera Institute of Justice, addresses the barriers autistic survivors face in seeking healing services following sexual and domestic violence and ways in which service providers can better meet their needs.

Vera Institute of Justice
Culture, Language, and Access: Serving Deaf Survivors

Recent research suggests that Deaf women experience higher rates of sexual and domestic violence than their hearing counterparts, but are often shut off from victim services and supports that are …
Continue reading "Culture, Language, and...

<< Back

Culture, Language, and Access: Serving Deaf Survivors

Recent research suggests that Deaf women experience higher rates of sexual and domestic violence than their hearing counterparts, but are often shut off from victim services and supports that are ill-equipped to respond to their unique needs. As a result, they are denied access to services that could help them safely flee from abuse, heal from trauma, and seek justice after they have been harmed. The Culture, Language, and Access: Key Considerations for Serving Deaf Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence policy brief offers practical suggestions for expanding and enhancing Deaf survivors’ access to victim services and other supports.

Vera Institute of Justice