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

Kimberly Sparks, Healing Program Grant Manager 
Mountain Comprehensive Care Center 

July 16, 2019 



Learning Objectives 

Following this webinar, participants will be able to: 

• 
Describe the barriers that survivors with disabilities 
in rural communities face when seeking services; 
• 
Identify at least one potential solution for each 
barrier; 
• 
Discuss strategies for implementing solutions within 
their rural service agencies to better serve survivors 
with disabilities. 

About Our Rural Service Area 


Bridging Safe Access to Big Sandy is located in 
South Eastern Kentucky, in the heart of the 
Appalachian Mountains. We serve 5 counties 
with an estimated population of 141,738. 
(www.kentuckyheathfacts.org) 



Our Service Users 

• 
During the last quarter of reporting within our 
DV/SA work (January 1 – March 30, 2019): 
• 
167 unduplicated individuals received services 
• 
69 self identified as having disabilities 
• 
41.31% of service users 

What is “Rural”? 

Question: 
What does “rural” mean to you? 

What does it mean to provide services in a rural 
community? 
5

What is “Rural”? 

Defined in 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(26) as: 

• 
any area or community, respectively, no part of which is within 
an area designated as a standard metropolitan statistical area 
by the Office of Management and Budget; 
• 
(b) any area or community, respectively, that is 
(i) within an area designated as a metropolitan statistical area 
or considered part of a metropolitan statistical area; and 
(ii) located in a rural census tract; or 
• 
(c) any federally recognized Indian tribe. 
Bottom line: area that isn’t part of an urban/ metropolitan area, 
located in a rural census tract, or tribal land 



Rural Survivors with Disabilities 

• 
People who live in rural areas are more likely to 
report having a disability and just as likely to 
experience sexual assault or domestic violence. 
• 
17.1% of rural Americans report having a disability 
compared with 11.7% of urban-dwelling 
Americans. 
(RTC: Rural, Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities. 
(2017). Research that Leads to Solutions for Rural Americans with Disabilities, 
Executive Summary. http://rtc.ruralinstitute.umt.edu/www/wpcontent/
uploads/RTCRural_ResearchSummary_2017.pdf) 



Barriers to Accessible Service 
Provision and Their Solutions 



Question – Type in Chat Pod 

What barriers to service provision are you facing in 
your rural community? 



Barriers for Survivors with 
Disabilities in Rural Communities 

In our work within our community, we have identified 
barriers for survivors with disabilities who live in rural 
areas, including: 

• 
Lack of confidentiality; 
• 
Communication/ language access challenges; 
• 
Lack of assistive technology; 
• 
Limited accessible transportation options; 
• 
Cultural challenges; 
• 
Limited resources. 

Lack of Confidentiality 

• 
The Problems: 
• 
In a rural community, “everyone knows 
everyone” and their business. 
• 
Perpetrators are less likely to be complete 
strangers. 

Solutions: Lack of Confidentiality 

• 
As a Community Mental Health Center: 
• 
We provide a diverse array of services 
• 
Individuals have access to basic health care 
services as well behavioral health, so it is 
impossible for people to identify why an individual 
is seeing us 
• 
We have multiple locations across our service area 
so people can go to the location they feel most 
comfortable with 
• 
Emphasis on confidentiality amongst staff and 
service providers 

Communication -Language Access 

• 
Problems 
• 
Lack of access to interpreters 
•Small communities using “Home Signs” that 
interpreters weren’t familiar with 

Solutions: Communication – 
Language Access 

• 
Building and maintaining a long standing 
relationship with interpreting service. 
• 
Securing funding for language access. 
• 
Facilitating preparatory conversations with 
interpreters. 
• 
Building relationships with community partners with 
a vision to increase access to service 

Results: Communication – Language 
Access 

• 
In one clinic, our service to Deaf/Hard of 
hearing individuals increased from 12 in 85 
in a 3 year period. 
• 
Increased access for Deaf survivors and 
better outcomes. 

Technology – Assistive Devices 

• 
Problem: 
• 
Lack of assistive devices to assist in service 
provision and communication 

Solutions: Technology 

• 
Solutions: 
• 
Conduct safety and access reviews to 
determine gaps 
• 
Apply for funding in all grant applications 

Accessible Transportation 

• 
Problems: 
• 
The modes of transportation are extremely 
limited – no public transportation 
• 
Accessible transportation is available but 
• 
Must have 72 hour notice 
• 
Not funded if someone in the home has a car, 
• 
There are income limits, copays 

Solutions: Transportation 

• 
Solutions: 
• 
Funding for accessible transportation in grant 
applications 
• 
Community Support Associates transport with 
2 agency vans 
• 
VOCA requests 

Culture 

• 
Problems 
• 
Lack of trauma-informed culture 
• 
Lack of staff capacity to offer accommodations 

Solutions: Culture 

• 
Solutions: 
• 
We created a collaborative with the desire to shift 
the culture in our area 
• 
Cross training to build staff capacity 
• 
Weave person-centered focus into everything we 
do 

Limited Resources 

• 
Problem: 
• 
Lack of resources available to fill the gaps we 
have identified 

Solutions: Limited Resources 

• 
Solutions: 
• 
Seeking new, creative funding avenues 
• 
Ensuring that all grant applications including 
funding for accessibility 
• 
Partnering with other organizations in community 
facing similar resources to share expertise and 
resources 

Final Tips for Success 

• 
Culture change is the most important factor in 
successfully serving survivors with disabilities in rural 
communities – be thinking about access and safety 
in everything your agency does 
• 
Be creative! Think about how you can leverage your 
existing relationships and resources to provide 
accessible services. 
• 
Explore beyond your community – there are likely 
state and national resources available to you. 

Questions: 

• 
What would you like to know more about? 
• 
What other questions do you have? 
Contact: 
Kimberly Sparks 

Kimberly.sparks@mtcomp.org 

606-886-4416 



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