Vera Institute of Justice

Leveraging Worldwide Perspectives on Serving Survivors with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and other international laws provide an international framework for serving survivors with disabilities safely and accessibly. Anastasia Holoboff and her …
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Leveraging Worldwide Perspectives on Serving Survivors with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and other international laws provide an international framework for serving survivors with disabilities safely and accessibly. Anastasia Holoboff and her team studied the practices of programs around the world, including the United States, spoke to global experts at the intersection of violence and disability, and documented their findings in a groundbreaking report, Guidelines for Providing Rights-Based and Gender-Responsive Services to Address Gender-Based Violence and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. In this webinar, Ms. Holoboff will review the guidelines the team developed and highlight the lessons that agencies in the United States can learn from agencies around the world.

Vera Institute of Justice
Color Contrast: A Brief Introduction

In this video, we describe color contrast, and why it matters for disability access. We explain the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAGs) for using color and for color contrast. Finally, …
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Color Contrast: A Brief Introduction

In this video, we describe color contrast, and why it matters for disability access. We explain the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAGs) for using color and for color contrast. Finally, we demonstrate tools for determining color contrast ratios.

Vera Institute of Justice
Addressing Intersecting Identities in our Work to End Violence Against People with Disabilities

As we work to address domestic and sexual violence against people with disabilities, we should ensure that our work reaches all survivors with disabilities. By accounting for a variety of …
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Addressing Intersecting Identities in our Work to End Violence Against People with Disabilities

As we work to address domestic and sexual violence against people with disabilities, we should ensure that our work reaches all survivors with disabilities. By accounting for a variety of intersections of identities, we can ensure that all survivors are supported. This webinar will discuss the importance of centering racial equity in our work to respond to violence against people with disabilities, explore strategies for effectively doing so, and the impact such strategies can have on your work.

Vera Institute of Justice
Strategies and Tools for Serving Survivors with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Webinar for I/DD Service Providers

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are 7 times more likely to experience sexual assault than people without disabilities and are also more likely to experience domestic violence. It …
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Strategies and Tools for Serving Survivors with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Webinar for I/DD Service Providers

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are 7 times more likely to experience sexual assault than people without disabilities and are also more likely to experience domestic violence. It is important that service providers such as chapters of The Arc are prepared to address victimization that may occur. The Office on Violence Against Women’s Training and Services to End Violence Against Women with Disabilities Grant Program is one way in which chapters of The Arc can build the relationships and develop the tools that they need in order to serve survivors with I/DD. This webinar will provide chapters of The Arc with an overview of the problem as well as potential solutions. Two grantee chapters of The Arc, along with their collaborative partners, will be featured to discuss what they have learned about serving survivors with I/DD and the resources and relationships they have developed to strengthen their service provision.

Vera Institute of Justice
From Classroom to Dorm Room: Serving Survivors with Disabilities on Campus

In a recent study, 31.6% of undergraduate females with disabilities reported nonconsensual sexual contact compared to 18.4% of undergraduate females without a disability (Association of American Universities Campus Climate Survey …
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From Classroom to Dorm Room: Serving Survivors with Disabilities on Campus

In a recent study, 31.6% of undergraduate females with disabilities reported nonconsensual sexual contact compared to 18.4% of undergraduate females without a disability (Association of American Universities Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct, 2017). Despite this increased likelihood of sexual assault on campus, survivors with disabilities continue to be underserved by programs designed to serve student survivors. This webinar will provide an overview on the barriers that student survivors with disabilities face in seeking out and receiving services on campus as well as solutions that educational institutions can implement to address those barriers and ensure that they are equipped to meet the needs of all student who experience sexual assault.

Vera Institute of Justice
A Rural Perspective: Serving Survivors of DV/SA with Disabilities in Rural Communities

Survivors of domestic or sexual violence with disabilities face barriers in receiving services, but when they live in a rural community, they may have an even more difficult time receiving …
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A Rural Perspective: Serving Survivors of DV/SA with Disabilities in Rural Communities

Survivors of domestic or sexual violence with disabilities face barriers in receiving services, but when they live in a rural community, they may have an even more difficult time receiving accessible services. Local culture around disability, limited accessible transportation options, a lack of confidentiality, and the fact that there are fewer available resources are all challenges that service providers for survivors with disabilities face in rural communities. In order to best serve these survivors and help them overcome barriers, agencies need to be creative in thinking about how they can provide the most accessible services. In this webinar, an overview of the challenges rural service providers face in helping survivors overcome barriers will be provided, followed by some best practices and solutions to the challenges faced. Register for the webinar by clicking the calendar icon or copying and pasting the following link: https://veracvs.adobeconnect.com/e5r949seb09t/event/registration.html

Vera Institute of Justice
Providing Accessible Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Who are Blind or Have Low Vision

Blind survivors face unique barriers when seeking services after experiencing domestic or sexual violence. These barriers can impact intake, service provision, and referrals. They may include a lack of materials …
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Providing Accessible Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Who are Blind or Have Low Vision

Blind survivors face unique barriers when seeking services after experiencing domestic or sexual violence. These barriers can impact intake, service provision, and referrals. They may include a lack of materials available in screen reader accessible format or Braille, a lack of understanding about the unique dynamics of violence in the lives of Blind survivors, a lack of accessible support groups, and other obstacles. This webinar will help domestic and sexual assault service providers understand how to best serve Blind survivors and explore strategies for increasing the accessibility of their services.

Vera Institute of Justice
Embracing Your Unique Perspectives in the Grant Program

This webinar is designed to help grantees recognize the unique perspectives and traits of their collaborations and how those unique aspects have contributed, and can contribute, to their success in …
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Embracing Your Unique Perspectives in the Grant Program

This webinar is designed to help grantees recognize the unique perspectives and traits of their collaborations and how those unique aspects have contributed, and can contribute, to their success in the Disability Grant Program.

Vera Institute of Justice
Autonomy is Safety: Using Supported Decision-Making to Facilitate the Safety of People with Disabilities

People with disabilities are more likely to experience domestic and sexual violence than people without disabilities. Society has traditionally responded to this increased likelihood of violence by limiting the choices …
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Autonomy is Safety: Using Supported Decision-Making to Facilitate the Safety of People with Disabilities

People with disabilities are more likely to experience domestic and sexual violence than people without disabilities. Society has traditionally responded to this increased likelihood of violence by limiting the choices that people with disabilities can make, using strategies such as institutionalization, mandatory reporting, and guardianship. Limiting the amount of autonomy people with disabilities have, however, has actually increased their risk of victimization. Alternatively, providing people with disabilities with control over their own lives empowers them and better facilitates their safety. This webinar will outline the problems with historic responses to violence against people with disabilities and review supportive strategies that can be applied to help people with disabilities live safer, more autonomous lives.

Vera Institute of Justice
Preserving the Right to Parent: Custody Issues for Survivors with Disabilities

Survivors of domestic violence face barriers within the family court and child welfare systems. When a parent is a survivor with a disability, the odds of losing custody of their …
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Preserving the Right to Parent: Custody Issues for Survivors with Disabilities

Survivors of domestic violence face barriers within the family court and child welfare systems. When a parent is a survivor with a disability, the odds of losing custody of their child(ren) increase exponentially. As of 2012, 35 states still listed disability as grounds for termination of parental rights even without evidence of abuse or neglect. This webinar will provide an overview of some of the unique difficulties survivors with disabilities may face in child custody and welfare cases – and provide suggestions for improvements to the system to ensure that survivors with disabilities are not separated from their children because of their disability.

Vera Institute of Justice