Funding to Make Services Safe and 
Accessible for Survivors with Disabilities 
and Deaf Survivors: OVW's Disability 
Grant Program 

Nancy Smith, Director 
Sandra Harrell, Associate Director 
Center on Victimization and Safety 
Vera Institute of Justice 

January 4, 2018 



Webinar Goals 

• Summarize what is known about victimization of 
people with disabilities, including sexual assault and 
domestic violence; 
• Discuss survivors with disabilities’ experiences with 
services; 
• Discuss common barriers survivors with disabilities 
face; 
• Share strategies for change to ensure services are 
safe and accessible for survivors with disabilities and 
Deaf survivors. 

Disabilities and Deaf Culture in the United States 

Background 



Defining Disability 

The most common definition of disability is from the 
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 

• Any physical or mental impairment that substantially 
limits one or more major life activity. 
• Any person having a history of such impairment. 
• Any person perceived as having such impairment. 

Disabilities Overview 

1 in 5 people living in the United States 
have at least one disability. 

5

Deaf Community Overview 

• Some deaf and hard of hearing people do not 
identify as having a disability. 
• They identify as a member of a cultural and 
linguistic group. 
• They use the term Deaf to reflect their cultural 
identification. 
• An emphasis is placed on “culture first 
language” as opposed to people first. 

The Size of the Deaf Community is 
Difficult to Determine 

7.6 million people ages 15 an older have difficulty 
hearing, with 1.1 million defining their hearing 
difficulty as severe. 
Most commonly cited estimate is 500,000 people. 

• Deaf 
• Deaf Blind 
• Hard of Hearing 
• CODAs 
• Interpreters 
• Other hearing allies 

What the research tells us 

Abuse of People with Disabilities and 
Deaf People 



Incidence and Prevalence 

• Limited research exists. 
• Research has documented that people with 
disabilities experience increased risk of violent 
victimization. 
• Some people with disabilities experience increased 
risk of domestic and sexual violence when 
compared to people without disabilities 
• Cannot generalize findings to all people with 
disabilities. 

People With Disabilities are at 
Greater Risk of Violence 

10

Risk Of Violence is Higher for 
Certain People with Disabilities 

• People with intellectual or cognitive disabilities 
• People with psychiatric disabilities 
• People with multiple disabilities 
• Women with disabilities 
• People of color who have disabilities 

Research continued… 

• Women who have experienced intimate partner 
violence are more than twice as likely to also report 
a disability. 
• 14% of men with disabilities reported experiencing 
sexual violence at some point in their life time 
compared to 4% of men without disabilities. 
• 49% of people with developmental disabilities were 
assaulted 10 or more times. 
• 20% of Deaf adults have experienced physical 
abuse by an intimate partner. 15% have 
experienced forced sex in an intimate partner 
relationship. 

Research continued… (2) 

• Women with disabilities were more likely than 
women without disabilities to: 
• experience more severe victimization, 
• experience abuse for longer duration, 
• be victims of multiple episodes of abuse, and 
• be victims of a larger number of perpetrators. 

Chat 

What factors contribute to the high rates 
of victimization among people with 
disabilities and Deaf people? 



Why? 

• Devaluation 
• Presumed lack of credibility 
• Isolation and segregation 
• Increased exposure to potential abusers 
• Culture of compliance 
• Seen as “easy targets” 

Who is Responsible? 
40% 
30% 
15% 
10% 
5% 
Survivors with Disabilities 
Offender Relationship, 2011-2015 
Acquaintances 
Strangers 
Intimate Partners 
Other Relatives 
Don't Know 
33% 
39% 
13% 
6% 9% 
Survivors without Disabilities 
Offender Relationship
16

Some Perpetrators Use Tactics that 
Expressly Target People with Disabilities 
and Deaf People 

• Withholding 
medication 
• Delaying or refusing to 
provide care 
• Abusing or threatening 
to abuse a service 
animal 
• Threatening to move a 
person to a nursing 
home or institution 

Reaching Out: Healing and Justice 



Significant Underreporting 

• Silence feels safer/less harmful 
• Loss of independence and fear of 
institutionalization 
• Lack of knowledge about healthy 
sexuality and safety 
• Loss of autonomy 
• Lack of effective criminal justice 
response 
• Don’t know how to report/reach 
out for help 

Victim Services are Out of Reach 

Only 13% of victims of violent crime with 
disabilities receive support from victim 
services. 



Justice is out of Reach for Many 



Barriers to Victim Services and Justice 

• Limited to no specialized outreach to survivors with disabilities 
• Physical, communication, programmatic and attitudinal 
barriers in anti-violence programs 
• Lack of specialized knowledge and response protocols to 
survivors in disability organizations 
• Lack of coordination between anti-violence and disability 
organizations. 
• Perceived lack of credibility 
• Lack of accommodations 
• Lack of specialized training for law enforcement and 
prosecutors 

Barriers (2) 

• Isolation, exploitation, marginalization of people 
with disabilities 
• Denial of information about healthy sexuality and 
relationships 
• Lack of confidentiality 
• Small, close knit communities 
• Guardians 
• Mandatory reporting policies 

Barriers for Deaf Survivors 

• Community of ASL interpreters is often small and tight 
knit 
• Disability services may not have strong connection to the 
Deaf community 
• Deaf services may focus exclusively on communication 
access – not fully on the range of violence and abuse 
• Crisis line workers may be unfamiliar with TTY or VRS 
• Access to Deaf Advocates or Certified Deaf Interpreters 
may be limited 
• Sense of isolation when living in a shelter 
• Lack of understanding of Deaf Culture 

Promising Strategies 

Solutions for Safe, Accessible and 
Welcoming Services 



Promising Strategies 

Strong 
partnerships 
among 
disability, 
domestic 
violence, 
rape 
crisis, 
and 
law 
enforcement 
organizations 


Victim Services Programs 

• 
Routinely budgeting for access 
• 
Involve people with disabilities 
• 
Establishing expectations 
through policies 
• 
Conducting access reviews and 
removing barriers 
• 
Supporting staff and volunteers 
through training and other 
resources 
• 
Enhancing engagement with 
disability leaders and 
community members 
Disability Programs 

• 
Establishing expectations 
through policies 
• 
Conducting safety and 
responsiveness reviews 
• 
Supporting staff and volunteers 
through trainings 
• 
Creating strong linkages and 
referrals 
• 
Supporting self-advocates and 
other people with disabilities 
take leadership roles in this work 

Collaborate for Change 

• Ensure meaningful, sustainable collaboration and 
partnerships that lasts even without funding. 
• Develop partnerships that encourage the sharing of 
information, resources, and tools to serve survivors 
with disabilities and Deaf survivors. 

Encourage Meaningful Inclusion 

• Support self-advocates working on issues at the 
intersection of domestic or sexual violence and 
disability. 
• Promote the full participation of people with 
disabilities and Deaf people in services offered. 

Develop Inclusive, Accessible 
Materials 

• Materials convey an organization’s knowledge, 
experience, and credibility and conveys information 
about an organization’s culture, priorities, and 
values. 
• Materials that are accessible to all and convey a 
message of inclusivity and openness to survivors 
with disabilities and Deaf survivors signal a 
commitment to serving all survivors. 

Build Staff Capacity at the 
Intersection 

• Staff at disability and Deaf organizations should 
understand dynamics of domestic violence and 
sexual assault. 
• Staff at domestic violence organizations and rape 
crisis centers should understand disability. 
• Agencies should develop shared understanding of 
dynamics of disability, Deafness, domestic violence, 
and sexual assault. 

Prepare for Access and Inclusion 

• Budget for accommodations such as ASL 
interpreters, creation of accessible materials, and 
physical modifications. 
• Make contacts and connections with other 
organizations in your community that can provide 
you with expertise and resources. 
• Be proactive! 

Seek Funding Opportunities 

• While many strategies to achieve access do not 
require financial resources, many of those we have 
discussed today do. 
• Seeking funding opportunities will assist you in 
making some changes to ensure that you are 
providing safe, accessible, and welcoming services 
to survivors with disabilities and Deaf survivors. 
• One funding opportunity: OVW’s Training and 
Services to End Violence Against Women with 
Disabilities Grant Program 

Applications due February 7th 

OVW Fiscal Year 2019 Training and Services to End 
Violence Against Women with Disabilities Grant 
Program Solicitation is available now. 

Find it on the Office on Violence Against Women’s 
website. 

To learn more about the solicitation and the 
requirements for the application, please view OVW’s 
webinar scheduled for January 8, 2019. To register, 
contact the Disability Grant Program at 
OVW.Disability@usdoj.gov or at 202-307-6026 by 
January 6, 2019. 



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