Webinar

Webinar: Disability, Aging, and the Unique Impact on Service Delivery

In honor of Elder Abuse Awareness month, Sandra Harrell, from Activating Change, discusses the unique dynamics of abuse experienced by two communities of older adults with disabilities: those who are …
Continue reading "Webinar: Disability, Aging,...

<< Back

Webinar: Disability, Aging, and the Unique Impact on Service Delivery

In honor of Elder Abuse Awareness month, Sandra Harrell, from Activating Change, discusses the unique dynamics of abuse experienced by two communities of older adults with disabilities: those who are formerly able-bodied and are aging into disability and those with early-acquired disabilities who are aging with disabilities. Sandra also discuss the barriers to services these survivor communities experience, as well as the implications for service providers.

This webinar took place on June 27. The recording and materials will be available soon.

Activating Change
Sexual Assault and Autistic Survivors

This webinar, featured Erica Blackwood of the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Olga Trujillo of Activating Change, who addressed the barriers autistic survivors face in seeking healing services …
Continue reading "Sexual Assault and...

<< Back

Sexual Assault and Autistic Survivors

This webinar, featured Erica Blackwood of the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Olga Trujillo of Activating Change, who addressed the barriers autistic survivors face in seeking healing services following sexual violence and the ways in which service providers can better meet their needs. This powerful webinar explored the lived experience of an autistic survivor and offered participants guidance on what accommodations are helpful as well as those things to consider for effective communication with autistic survivors.

Recording coming soon
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.
Sex Trafficking and Disability

People with disabilities are targeted at higher rates than their peers to exploitation and/or abuse, including sex trafficking. Sex traffickers deliberately target individuals they know they can isolate and control …
Continue reading "Sex Trafficking and...

<< Back

Sex Trafficking and Disability

People with disabilities are targeted at higher rates than their peers to exploitation and/or abuse, including sex trafficking. Sex traffickers deliberately target individuals they know they can isolate and control and both individual and systemic conditions increase the risk for people with disabilities. Specifically, people with disabilities often live in relative isolation, may rely on assistance from others to get to work and to access basic services and may be denied information about trafficking. Compounding these individual risk factors are barriers within our systems to identifying and supporting survivors with disabilities. This includes barriers to reporting or seeking help, a lack of disability-centered victim responses, and a lack of economic resources due to the devaluation of people with disabilities and their labor. Many survivors of trafficking also acquire disabilities as a result of being trafficked, yet few service providers are prepared to provide services and supports to survivors who have this experience. In recognition of human trafficking awareness month, this webinar explored the unique risk factors of persons with disabilities, and what service providers and communities can do to take action at multiple levels.
Sexual Violence in the Lives of Indigenous People with Disabilities

Nearly 3 million people in the United States identify as “American Indian or Alaskan Native” (2010 U.S. Census). Due to systemic and historical oppression, individuals within these communities experience high …
Continue reading "Sexual Violence in...

<< Back

Sexual Violence in the Lives of Indigenous People with Disabilities

Nearly 3 million people in the United States identify as “American Indian or Alaskan Native” (2010 U.S. Census). Due to systemic and historical oppression, individuals within these communities experience high rates of sexual assault and have high rates of disability. This webinar looked at Indigenous survivors of sexual assault who also have a disability and the unique barriers they encounter in their healing journey.
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.
Ensuring an Accessible Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month was established in October of 1987. Since then, across the country, domestic violence advocates have organized awareness-raising events in support of domestic violence survivors, to highlight …
Continue reading "Ensuring an Accessible...

<< Back

Ensuring an Accessible Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month was established in October of 1987. Since then, across the country, domestic violence advocates have organized awareness-raising events in support of domestic violence survivors, to highlight the rates of domestic violence in their communities and to unite individuals and organizations working on these issues.

It is commonly reported that 25% of women in the general population experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Women with disabilities have a 40% greater chance of intimate partner violence than women without disabilities and in the Deaf community the rate is closer to 50%. With these increased rates the inclusion of people with disabilities in your domestic violence awareness month activities makes sense. Staff from Activating Change provided guidance on creating accessible social media, accessible websites, and accessible in-person events.
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.
Providing Accessible and Effective Services to Survivors of Sexual Assault with Disabilities

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and in support of survivors everywhere, we dedicated this month’s End Abuse of People with Disabilities webinar to lifting up promising practices for serving survivors …
Continue reading "Providing Accessible and...

<< Back

Providing Accessible and Effective Services to Survivors of Sexual Assault with Disabilities

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and in support of survivors everywhere, we dedicated this month’s End Abuse of People with Disabilities webinar to lifting up promising practices for serving survivors with disabilities. The webinar featured a panel comprised of a survivor with a disability, a national expert, and a local advocate, this webinar explored the unique barriers that people with disabilities have to navigate when seeking healing and the strategies that advocates can employ to proactively remove those barriers. The panelists provided practical guidance from their own experience to help you ensure that survivors with disabilities feel respected and supported within your programs

Panelists, Cathy Saunders, Self-Advocate with Illinois Imagines, Cierra Olivia Thomas-Williams, Prevention Specialist at Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Heidi Sue LeBoeuf, Counseling Director at Pathways For Change and facilitator Sandra Harrell, Associate Director, Center on Victimization and Safety led this discussion.
Creating Language Access with Deaf Advocates: Partnering for Success

Conferences are a place where advocates and leaders in the anti-violence movement can learn more about trends and strategies as well as network with other colleagues. For Deaf advocates, there …
Continue reading "Creating Language Access...

<< Back

Creating Language Access with Deaf Advocates: Partnering for Success

Conferences are a place where advocates and leaders in the anti-violence movement can learn more about trends and strategies as well as network with other colleagues. For Deaf advocates, there are access considerations to ensure they can fully participate. This webinar discusses how staff from the Resource Sharing Project at the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the Center on Victimization and Safety at the Vera Institute of Justice partnered together during the Embracing Change & Growth Conference that took place in Chicago in March 2019.

Staff shared the approaches utilized to ensure full inclusiveness and language access for Deaf participants, including the provision of both hearing and Deaf American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. They will share lessons learned from the from the conference, discuss what our partnership looked like, including what made it a successful partnership, and share recommendations for your future in-person event planning for access and inclusion. If you have always wondered about the successful ingredients for maximum language access for Deaf participants at your in-person events, this is the webinar for you!

Panelists included Cat Fribley, Kris Bein, and Valerie Davis from the Resource Sharing Project and Center on Victimization and Safety staff Raylene Lotz, Liam Esposito, and Nancy Smith, as well as American Sign Language Interpreter, Amber Hodson.