Needs Assessment Plan 

Tulsa, Oklahoma 

January 2020 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


This project was supported by Grant No. 2018-FW-AX-K005 
awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. 
Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions and 
recommendations expressed in this 
publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do 
not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, 
Office on Violence Against Women. 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 
INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 4 
Member Agencies………………………………………………………………………….…………………..…4 
Deaf RISE Vision Statement………………………………………………………………………………..….5 
Deaf RISE Mission Statement………………………………………………………………………………..5 
Progress…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 
NEEDS ASSESSMENT PURPOSE ............................................. 7 
INFORMATION SOURCES ..................................................... 9 
A.Existing Data ....................................................................................................................... 9 
B.New Data ............................................................................................................................. 10 
OVERVIEW OF METHODS .................................................... 11 
A.Audiences ............................................................................................................................ 11 
B.Data Collection ............................................................................................................... 17 
C.Procedure ............................................................................................................................ 18 
RECRUITMENT PLAN ........................................................... 21 
A.Recruitment Methods .............................................................................................. 21 
B.Recruitment Materials ............................................................................................. 27 
C.Recruitment Training ............................................................................................... 28 
D.Compensation ................................................................................................................. 29 
CONSENT PROCESS ........................................................... 29 
CONFIDENTIALITY ............................................................. 30 
MANDATORY REPORTING .................................................... 31 
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS ....................................... 32 
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS .................................................. 33 
WORK PLAN ...................................................................... 35 
APPENDICES ..................................................................... 36 
INTRODUCTION 

 

Deaf RISE is the result of a collaboration effort created by two 
organizations in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Domestic Violence Intervention 
Services (DVIS) and TSHA, Inc. (TSHA). The two agencies formed 
to create sustainable organizational change for Deaf survivors of 
sexual and domestic violence. This project is funded by the 
Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), 
Disability Grant Program. Through this 3-year grant program, 
Deaf RISE aims to address the intersection of violence and the 
Deaf community. With guidance from OVW and the Vera Institute 
of Justice (our technical assistance provider), we hope to increase 
both DVIS and TSHA’s capacity to serve Deaf survivors of sexual 
and domestic violence. 

 

A note on language used in this document 

We will be using the term Deaf throughout the document. Deaf 
RISE defines Deaf as an umbrella term that includes ALL 
identities with hearing loss, including but not limited to, D/deaf, 
hard of hearing, DeafBlind, Deaf Disabled, and late deafened. We 
recognize that participants have a right to self-identify and we 
will always ask participants how they prefer to be identified. 

 

Member Agencies 

 DVIS is the largest service provider for survivors of 
sexual and domestic violence in Tulsa and Creek 
County, Oklahoma. The agency takes a trauma-
informed approach to all of its services, including 
outpatient counseling, an emergency shelter with 80+ beds, legal 
and court advocacy, education and training, and more. Their 
mission is to rebuild lives affected by sexual and domestic 
violence through education, counseling, shelter, and advocacy. In 
2018, DVIS provided counseling to 2,435 survivors of sexual and 
domestic violence and gave shelter to 496 survivors and their 
children. DVIS also provided advocacy to 9,444 people seeking 
court advocacy services and protective orders. DVIS reached out 
to 12,063 adults and teens in the community through education 


and outreach, and answered 25,314 calls to the crisis and 
information line. 

 

 TSHA is the only agency dedicated to serving the 
Deaf community statewide in Oklahoma. The 
agency provides comprehensive services such as 
advocacy, educational and social programs, outreach, and 
interpretation. Their population includes those with minimal 
hearing loss to profoundly culturally Deaf. Their mission is to 
bridge gaps and improve lives of those affected by hearing loss. 
In 2018, TSHA met with general Deaf consumers a total of 
25,792 times, with 107 being more intensive one-on-one 
advocacy. 113 community members took a TSHA signed 
language class and signed language interpreters were provided to 
the community 5,201 times. Also, 20,421 adults, teens and 
children in the community were reached through education and 
community outreach. 

 

Deaf RISE Vision Statement 

Deaf RISE envisions a community with full access to quality, 
culturally-responsive and trauma-informed services without 
barriers for Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence in the 
Deaf RISE service area. 

 

Deaf RISE Mission Statement 

Deaf RISE will create sustainable organizational change for Deaf 
survivors of sexual and domestic violence in the greater Tulsa, 
Oklahoma service area. We will provide access to quality services 
that are culturally-responsive and trauma-informed. 

 

 Member agencies will strive for full access by: 

 Providing barrier-free services for Deaf survivors; 
 Meeting each individual’s needs; and 
 Growing best practices as communicated to us by the 
Deaf community. 


 


Member agencies are committed to providing quality and 
culturally-responsive services by: 

 Engaging in ongoing education; 
 Being proactive and responsive to the communities we 
serve; and 
 Building mutual trust between agencies and Deaf 
survivors by actively listening to individual and 
community needs. 


 

Member agencies will provide trauma-informed care by: 

 Supporting the whole individual, including the mental, 
emotional, behavioral, and social person; 
 Responding to each individual with transparency and 
acceptance while practicing ethical communication; and 
 Empowering all survivors with self-determination that 
leads to healing. 


 

Deaf RISE is committed to bridging gaps and improving lives by 
inspiring hope, eliminating oppression and isolation, and creating 
safety through ongoing collaboration. 

 

Progress 

Deaf RISE is on track to complete five deliverables as part of the 
planning and development portion of the Disability Grant 
Program. 

 

Deliverable 

Submitted 

Approved 

Collaboration Charter 

 

June 20, 2019 

August 22, 2019 

Focus Memorandum 

September 10, 
2019 

December 17, 
2019 

Needs Assessment 
Plan 

January 29, 2020 

 

Needs Assessment 
Findings 

 

 

Strategic Plan 

 

 

 




Our first deliverable, the Collaboration Charter, provides a 
foundation for our work by illustrating our commitment, 
framework, and direction. It defines our vision, mission, values 
and the terms that we use. It identifies the member agencies and 
describes their work, as well as their commitment and 
contributions to Deaf RISE. The charter outlines the manner in 
which the collaboration team members will communicate, make 
decisions, and manage conflict. It further describes how we will 
work to maintain the boundaries of confidentiality and mandatory 
reporting (particularly as it relates to the work around the needs 
assessment). Lastly, the charter outlines our work plan 
throughout the Disability Grant Program period. 

 

Our second deliverable, Focus Memorandum, identifies our 
focus population of Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic 
violence, the two agencies making up the collaboration, and our 
capacity for sustainable organizational change. 

 

Over the past few months, the Deaf RISE collaboration team has 
developed this Needs Assessment Plan, describing our 
strategies and methods for collecting data. We will seek input and 
critical feedback from several targeted audiences. Once the Needs 
Assessment has been conducted, we will synthesize the key 
findings of our assessment into a Key Findings Report, then 
utilize the findings to build a Strategic Plan that generates 
needed sustainable organizational change. 

 

NEEDS ASSESSMENT PURPOSE 

 

The purpose of the needs assessment, as described by OVW, is to 
provide practical information on services for Deaf survivors. 
Information gathered from our targeted audiences will help to 
identify strengths and areas needing change. The data we collect 
from our needs assessment will be used to create a strategic plan 
that will guide the development of sustainable organizational 


change during the implementation phase of the Disability Grant 
Program. 

 

Goals 

The member agencies of Deaf RISE are fully committed to 
working together to identify, develop, and implement needed 
sustainable organizational change that will result in Deaf 
survivors of sexual and domestic violence having full access to 
quality services that are trauma-informed and culturally-
responsive. 

 

The goals of the Deaf RISE needs assessment are to: 

 

1) Identify current structures, barriers and gaps that exist in 
each organization with regard to policies and practices at 
DVIS and TSHA that address how to culturally-respond to, 
serve and support Deaf survivors. 


 

2) Identify the willingness, comfort level and capacity of staff 
members (across agency departments) to utilize resources, 
assess needs, and deliver quality services. 


 

3) Identify what supports and limits exist in each organization’s 
culture to respond to and address staff’s ability to provide 
safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive service 
delivery systems for Deaf survivors. 


 

4) Identify what creates a safe, accessible, welcoming and 
culturally-responsive environment for Deaf individuals who 
come in to either organization for services, as well as for the 
staff who work at DVIS and TSHA. 


 


INFORMATION SOURCES 

A. Existing Data 

 

In March 2019, DVIS participated in Vera’s Performance Indicator 
Assessment to evaluate the agency’s baseline capacity to serve 
Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Deaf RISE’s 
project coordinator compiled DVIS’ written policies and 
documents, measured aspects of the building infrastructure, and 
collected staff interview questions. TSHA was not assessed at this 
time per Vera’s recommendation. In September 2019, DVIS had 
their second round of Performance Indicators and TSHA was also 
assessed this time. 

 

Using this data, the assessment system generated percentage 
scores to represent each agency’s commitment and capacity to 
serve Deaf survivors. Commitment is measured by an agency’s 
responsibility, and the strength of partnerships and policies. 
Capacity is measured by an agency’s material, programmatic, 
and human resources. Below are four tables breaking down DVIS 
and TSHA’s Performance Indicator scores. 

 

DVIS Data Collection Tables 

Table 1 

DVIS 

Overall Score: 

Commitment 

Capacity 

Total 

March 2019 

33% 

25% 

28% 

Sept. 2019 

31% 

23% 

27% 



 

Table 2 

Date 

Theme 1: 
Responsibility 

Theme 2: 
Partnerships 

Theme 3: 
Policies 

Theme 4: 
Material 
Resources 

Theme 5: 
Human 
Resources 

Theme 6: 
Programmatic 
Resources 

March 
2019 

44% 

35% 

19% 

25% 

13% 

32% 

Sept. 
2019 

30% 

31% 

31% 

20% 

13% 

32% 




TSHA Data Collection Tables 

Table 3 

TSHA 

Overall Score: 

Commitment 

Capacity 

Total 

Sept. 2019 

18% 

5% 

12% 



 

Table 4 

Date 

Theme 1: 
Responsibility 

Theme 2: 
Partnerships 

Theme 3: 
Policies 

Theme 4: 
Material 
Resources 

Theme 5: 
Human 
Resources 

Theme 6: 
Programmatic 
Resources 

Sept. 
2019 

22% 

13% 

19% 

0% 

0% 

13% 



 

As anticipated, DVIS and TSHA received low-range scores on the 
Performance Indicator assessments. The scores exposed a need 
for additional improvements to DVIS and TSHA’s programs and 
policies. While DVIS and TSHA staff members acknowledge that 
there are processes for supporting Deaf survivors, many still need 
to be expanded upon and explicitly documented in agency 
records. 

 

We will continue to measure the Performance Indicators every six 
months. The next assessment will take place in March 2020. 
While the assessment has been enlightening in helping us identify 
our strengths and areas of improvement, we do not expect that 
our scores will improve drastically until we begin implementing 
our strategic plan in the summer or fall of 2020. 

 

B. New Data 

 

The Performance Indicator scores gave us quantitative data to 
track the baseline capacity of each agency and their ability to 
provide services for Deaf survivors. Now, we will primarily seek 
qualitative data through the needs assessment. We believe the 
data collected through this needs assessment will result in unique 
insights of how to create safe, accessible, welcoming and 
culturally-responsive services within and between DVIS and 


TSHA. We will personally hear from several targeted audiences to 
guide the development of our strategic plan. Ultimately, this 
information will help us build on existing strengths at each 
organization to create systemic change to improve the response 
and services to Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence. 

 

OVERVIEW OF METHODS 

 

The Deaf RISE collaboration will conduct the needs assessment to 
obtain information from several targeted audiences using focus 
groups, individual interviews, and surveys. 

 

A. Audiences 

 

To create sustainable organizational change, it is critical that we 
understand the perspectives of individuals who will be most 
impacted by systemic changes at DVIS and TSHA. We believe 
that by gathering feedback from a variety of targeted audiences, 
it will help the collaboration build quality services that are safe, 
accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive for Deaf 
survivors of sexual and domestic violence. 

 

The following list details the specific audiences we will engage in 
the needs assessment process. 

 

1. Survivors of Sexual and Domestic Violence 


As experts of their own experiences, survivors of sexual and 
domestic violence will be able to share how they have 
experienced services up to this point, and potentially how to 
make services even more safe, accessible, welcoming and 
culturally-responsive for all. We will be engaging survivors who 
have received or are currently receiving services at DVIS. We will 
seek feedback from the following survivors: 

 

a. Sexual violence 



b. Domestic violence 
c. Spanish-speaking 
d. Safe Housing residents 
e. Those who have accessed our Legal Services 


 

By engaging survivors, we hope to learn: 

 

 What makes an agency safe, accessible, welcoming and 
culturally-responsive, and what, if any, barriers to 
services were encountered; 
 Best practices for responding to a need for services 
(including staff behavior, knowledge and skills); and 
 How to better outreach to survivors about services. 


 

2. Deaf Individuals 


We believe that people who have hearing loss are the experts of 
their own experiences and hold the power to represent their own 
needs and expectations. By engaging Deaf clients and consumers 
at TSHA, we will learn how to make services more safe, 
accessible, welcoming and trauma-informed to the Deaf 
community. 

 

From Deaf individuals, we hope to learn: 

 

 What makes a service provider safe, accessible, 
welcoming and culturally-responsive for Deaf individuals; 
 The best practices for serving Deaf individuals (including 
staff behavior, knowledge, skills and interpreters); and 
 How to better outreach to individuals about accessible and 
Deaf-informed services. 


 

3. Deaf Survivors of Sexual & Domestic Violence 


Deaf survivors have a unique lens of the intersection between 
violence and as a Deaf individual. They will be able to share their 
experiences and ideas about how to make reports/disclosures and 
services more safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-
responsive for Deaf survivors. We have the opportunity to seek 


information from a group of Deaf survivors who have experienced 
sexual or domestic violence that are already identified and no 
new disclosure will occur. We will be seeking participation in a 
separate focus group from Deaf survivors who have previously 
disclosed during an educational workshop on SV/DV 101 provided 
by TSHA and DVIS. They will not be part of any other focus 
groups to ensure that intersectional conversation is not 
encouraged in other groups, and we will not be asking about 
intersectional issues in other focus groups. 

 

Through asking Deaf survivors to share their experiences and 
recommendations in receiving services, we hope to learn: 

 

 How sexual and domestic violence service providers can 
better outreach to Deaf survivors; 
 Specific concerns that Deaf survivors have about 
disclosing or reporting, including concerns about 
mandated reporting; 
 How DVIS can be improved to be more safe, accessible, 
welcoming and culturally-responsive to Deaf survivors; 
and 
 How TSHA can be improved to be more safe, accessible, 
welcoming and trauma-informed for Deaf survivors. 


 

4. ASL Interpreters 


Deaf RISE believes in the principles of trauma-informed care for 
survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Due to the unique 
nature of interactions with survivors, we assume that there are 
gaps in knowledge within the interpreter community regarding 
trauma-informed interpreting. To ensure that we achieve our goal 
of providing safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
(and trauma-informed) services, we understand that we may 
need to rely on ASL interpreters to provide effective and safe 
communication when interacting with Deaf survivors. Therefore, 
we want to include community and educational interpreters to 
assess where they see gaps in training for trauma settings as well 
as gaps in services for individuals for whom they interpret. 


 

TSHA does not employ direct staff interpreters. Rather, they 
coordinate their interpreting services through a pool of outside 
interpreters, who contract individually with TSHA. We will be 
seeking feedback from that pool of independent contractor ASL 
interpreters. 

 

5. Agency Program Staff 


We will ask the staff at each agency about their experiences in 
serving their clients and how their capacity can be improved to 
better serve them. We will also ask them about their experiences 
in working at the intersection of sexual and domestic violence and 
Deaf survivors, if any. We are curious to learn about their 
experiences and to gauge their perspectives on policies and 
practices– if any – regarding Deaf survivors. Additionally, we 
hope to encourage and maintain buy-in for the collaboration’s 
mission and vision. 

 

At DVIS, program staff we will ask to participate in a focus group 
includes: 

 Client Services – front desk coordination 
 Legal & Court Advocacy – assists with civil legal concerns 
 Outpatient Counseling – provides counseling to survivors 
 Safe Housing – provides shelter and case management 


 

At TSHA, program staff we will ask to participate in a focus group 
includes: 

 Community Resources – outreach and services to non-
culturally deaf population (senior citizens, families, 
children) 
 Deaf Services – provides advocacy, guidance and peer 
counseling 
 Interpreting Services – coordinates interpreting services 
through independent ASL interpreter contractors 
 Office Manager – front desk coordination 


 

 


From program staff at both DVIS and TSHA, we hope to learn: 

 

 Their perspective on the concerns survivors and Deaf 
individuals may have related to obtaining services; 
 What existing organizational policies and practices assist 
program staff in being able to culturally-respond to and 
provide safe, accessible, welcoming and trauma-informed 
services to Deaf survivors; 
 How to best inform program staff about any 
organizational changes; and 
 What program staff need in regards to organizational 
policies, practices, training and resources to be able to 
provide safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-
responsive services to Deaf survivors. 


 

6. Leadership 


The leadership at each agency sets the vision, priorities and 
policies at their organization. We will hold focus groups for DVIS’ 
executive and leadership team, and TSHA’s directors and 
managers, to hear their feedback on policies, practices and 
comfort level working with survivors of sexual and domestic 
violence and Deaf clients, respectively. We will also hear from 
them what the decision-making process is at each agency, how 
change happens, and what the commitment level is for change. 

 

At DVIS, the executive and leadership teams include: 

 

Executive Team 

Leadership Team 

Chief Communications Officer 

Children’s Program Manager 

Chief Human Resources Officer 

Assistant Shelter Director 

Chief Operating Officer 

Sexual Assault Program Manager 

Chief Development Officer 

Client Services Administrator 

Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer 

Outreach Counselor 

Vice President of Clinical 
Programs & Services 

Program Coordinator of 
Transitional Housing 

Vice President of Legal 

Underserved Outreach Advocate 

Vice President of Safe Housing 

 



 


At TSHA, directors and managers include: 

 

 Program Director 
 Marketing Manager 
 Interpreting Services Manager 
 Deaf Services Manager 
 Office Manager 


 

Additionally, we will hold an individual interview to hear the 
perspective of DVIS’ CEO and TSHA’s Executive Director on 
decision making, policies and practices at each agency. 

 

Overall, we hope to learn: 

 

 How to build on existing organizational strengths to better 
communicate that their agency is safe, accessible, 
welcoming and culturally-responsive to Deaf survivors; 
 How to build on staff and organizational strengths to address 
identified gaps in policies and practices needed to improve 
organization-wide response and/or services to Deaf 
survivors; 
 How to best facilitate communication regarding 
organizational changes across the agency; 
 Leadership’s perspective on their agency’s capacity for 
expanding or improving services to Deaf survivors and their 
ideas for increasing capacity; and 
 Effective ways to create change within their own agency and 
between our collaboration. 


 

7. Board of Directors 


The board has final approval of policies and budgets at both 
agencies and thus it is important to engage them. The survey will 
focus on their perspectives of how change happens at their 
agency, the current ability to culturally-respond to and serve Deaf 
survivors in a trauma-informed approach, and the capacity and 
comfort level in the agencies being able to serve Deaf individuals 
impacted by sexual and domestic violence. 


B. Data Collection 

 

Our purpose of the needs assessment is to gain insight on the 
perspectives of each audience through their experiences as they 
relate to obtaining or providing services. We will be utilizing three 
methods of gathering information: 

 

1. Focus Groups 


We believe a focus group is the most efficient and effective way 
to engage larger groups of individuals in a short period of time. 
We also believe a focus group will help to generate a diverse 
range of ideas and perspectives. However, if an individual wants 
to provide input, but doesn’t feel comfortable in a group setting, 
they have the option of doing an individual interview. 

 

2. Interviews 


We will be using interviews for audiences that are not comfortable 
with larger groups or audiences which only have two to three 
people to recruit from. If we’re able to get all 2-3 people at the 
same time, we will conduct a focus group. Additionally, individual 
interviews will be used with DVIS’ CEO and TSHA’s Executive 
Director. 

 

3. Surveys 


Surveys will be used as a follow-up for focus groups to give 
participants an opportunity to share any additional thoughts, 
feelings, and/or experiences that they may not have been 
comfortable sharing in the focus group. Additionally, surveys will 
be sent out to the board of directors to get their perspectives on 
how change happens at their agency and issues surrounding Deaf 
survivors impacted by sexual and domestic violence. 

 


Table 5 

Audience 

Agency 

Approx # 

Data Collection 

Survivors – Non-Residential 

DVIS 

6-8 

Focus group 

Survivors – Residential 

DVIS 

6-8 

Focus group 

Survivors – Spanish 

DVIS 

6-8 

Focus group 

Survivors – Legal 

DVIS 

6-8 

Focus group 

Deaf individuals 

TSHA 

6-8 

Focus group 

Deaf Survivors 

TSHA 

6-8 

Focus group 

ASL Interpreters 

TSHA 

6-8 

Focus group with 
follow-up survey 

Program staff 

DVIS 

8-10 

Focus group with 
follow-up survey 

Program staff 

TSHA 

4 

Focus group with 
follow-up survey 

Executive team 

DVIS 

8 

Focus group with 
follow-up survey 

Leadership team 

DVIS 

7 

Focus group with 
follow-up survey 

Leadership team 

TSHA 

5 

Focus group with 
follow-up survey 

CEO 

DVIS 

1 

Interview 

Executive Director 

TSHA 

1 

Interview 

Board of Directors 

DVIS/TSHA 

10-12 

Survey 

TOTAL POSSIBLE PARTICIPANTS 

86-104 



 

C. Procedure 

 

Focus groups and interviews will involve a moderated discussion 
using audience-specific, open-ended questions, based on the 
goals of each audience type. In each focus group, we will have a 
facilitator, note taker, floater, ASL interpreter when needed, and 
the Deaf RISE project coordinator. Survivor and Deaf focus 
groups will also have an advocate available for consultation 
during and immediately after the focus group. All personnel filling 
these roles will participate in a brief training that includes: 

 

 An overview of the grant and the needs assessment process; 
 Training on the specific requirements and expectations of 
the role; 



 A review of the facilitator script and all focus group 
materials; and 
 How to manage special circumstances such as safety, 
confidentiality, mandatory reporting requirements, and 
accommodations. 


 

Facilitator 

We will be using either DVIS or TSHA staff to facilitate the focus 
groups, with a community advisor, who is a native Spanish 
speaker, facilitating the Spanish-speaking group, and the Deaf 
RISE project coordinator (native ASL user) facilitating the Deaf 
focus groups. The role of a facilitator will include: 

 

 Welcome participants and introduce the note taker, floater, 
and Deaf RISE project coordinator, who will be present for 
the entirety of the meeting; 
 Review general housekeeping details, and address safety, 
consent, mandatory reporting, and confidentiality using the 
script created by Deaf RISE; 
 Keep the discussion in line with the questions and will 
intervene quickly in cases of possible arguments or 
problematic disclosures; 
 Keep track of time, with assistance of note taker and floater, 
and; 
 Ensure that people are comfortable and safe. 


 

Note Taker 

While the focus groups will be recorded, either audio or audio and 
video, to completely capture the group’s comments, we will also 
have a note taker in the room to capture themes and ideas in 
case of any recording failure. All audio, video, and written 
transcripts will be destroyed after the needs assessment report is 
completed and turned in to OVW for approval. 

 

DVIS or TSHA staff will serve as the note taker for all focus 
groups and interviews, unless there is a conflict. We will pull in 
DVIS or TSHA volunteers if we need to. The note taker will: 


 

 Objectively take note of the discussion on agency services 
and client experiences; 
 Refrain from participation in the discussion and will sit in a 
part of the room that will be the least distracting for 
participants; 
 Document what each person says without paraphrasing and 
note when emotions such as frustration, anger, and 
happiness are expressed; 
 The note taker may ask that something said be repeated by 
raising their hand; 
 Not link any written comments to specific participants and 
will exclude any identifying information other than what 
organization and type of group the speaker is from; 
 Be responsible for ensuring that all recordings, written 
information and notes are turned over to the Deaf RISE 
project coordinator; 
 Debrief with the facilitator and Deaf RISE project coordinator 
to jointly identify themes and significant comments after 
each session; and 
 Translate all notes into “note summaries,” which will be 
provided to collaboration team members. 


 

Advocate 

An advocate from DVIS or TSHA will be available for all 
Survivor/Deaf focus groups to provide support either during or 
just after the focus group. While we understand the focus groups 
are not designed to have conversation about personal 
experiences of violence, we also understand that asking about 
seeking services can bring up feelings that are difficult for some 
people to talk about. The advocate will remain in a separate, 
private, and accessible space to ensure confidentiality and safety. 
If a participant wishes to see the advocate, the floater will escort 
them to the advocate immediately. 

 

 

 


Floater 

A floater will be present during focus groups for additional 
support. This allows for the facilitator and note taker to remain 
focused on the focus groups. The team will identify the 
appropriate person for each focus group ensuring that the floater 
does not know any of the participants in order to preserve 
confidentiality. The floater may: 

 

 Assist with room set-up and food (if applicable); 
 Keep track of time; 
 Assist the facilitator with turning on and off the audio/video 
recorder; 
 Escort participants to the Advocate if requested; 
 Provide other support to the facilitator and note taker as 
needed; and 
 Debrief focus groups with the facilitator and note taker. 


 

ASL Interpreter 

An American Signed Language (ASL) interpreter will be utilized as 
needed for focus groups. In order to preserve confidentiality and 
to have as honest of a conversation as possible, the Deaf RISE 
collaboration will not be working with interpreters from TSHA due 
to TSHA’s role in the collaboration. We will get interpreters from 
another interpreting agency in a different county. Interpreters will 
abide by their Code of Professional Conduct, including 
confidentiality, according to certification requirements through 
the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. 

 

RECRUITMENT PLAN 

 

A. Recruitment Methods 

 

To recruit participants for each audience type, we will adhere to 
the following recruitment process at each agency. Outreach 
methods will include face-to-face conversations, email and 


telephone/video calls. 30-minute training sessions will be held 
with all potential recruiters in which they will be notified of: 

 

 Intended focus population 
 Intended purpose of the needs assessment 
 An overview of the voluntary nature of participation in any 
focus group 
 Maximum size of each focus group 
 The time, date and location of each focus group 


 

All recruiters will follow the recruitment process carefully, and will 
make sure that each potential participant is comfortable with 
what they are agreeing to do. All collaborative partners are 
mandated reporters under the “Protective Services for Vulnerable 
Adults Act” (OK Stat § 43A-10-104)1, and this will be clearly 
communicated to all potential participants during BOTH the 
recruitment process and the focus groups themselves. While Deaf 
individuals are not considered “vulnerable adults” under this 
statute, we cannot always know if another characteristic of any 
participant might qualify them as a vulnerable adult and trigger a 
mandatory report. Therefore, recruiters and facilitators will 
present this information to prevent disclosures that may trigger a 
mandated report. The pre-selected focus group questions are 
designed to engage survivors and Deaf individuals in conversation 
around the quality and accessibility of services, not on personal 
experiences with sexual or domestic violence. 

1 Confidentiality & Mandatory Reporting, pages 30-32 

 

 

Recruitment at DVIS 

 

Survivors 

To recruit survivors to participate in focus groups at DVIS, the 
Deaf RISE project coordinator will hold a 30-minute training 
session with Legal, Outpatient Counseling and Safe Housing 
supervisory staff, and Client Services. 

 


DVIS shelter staff will post recruitment flyers at the shelter, and 
announcements will be made during an all-residential community 
meeting. RSVP forms will be made available to fill out and turned 
in to the Assistant Shelter Director or the Front Office 
Coordinator. Completed RSVP forms will be stored in a sealed 
envelope and then be given to the Deaf RISE project coordinator. 

 

DVIS counseling staff will recruit survivors during individual and 
group sessions at the counseling center, at their own discretion. 
If a survivor chooses to participate, the counselor will provide an 
RSVP form for them to fill out. Survivors will also have the option 
to fill out an RSVP form at the front desk with Client Services. 
Survivors may give their completed RSVP form to either the 
recruiter or the front desk. Completed RSVP forms will be stored 
in a sealed envelope and then be given to the Deaf RISE project 
coordinator. 

 

Once given by the front desk, all completed RSVP forms will be 
stored in a locked drawer by the Deaf RISE project coordinator, 
and all records will be destroyed within 24 hours after the 
survivor focus group has been completed. Each RSVP form will 
have an option to request specific accommodations. 

 

The recruitment flyer for DVIS can be found in Appendix D and 
the RSVP & Accommodations Request forms for survivors can be 
found in Appendix K. 

 

Program Staff & Leadership 

The CEO and Deaf RISE project coordinator will serve as the 
principle recruiters for DVIS staff focus groups. DVIS employees 
will be updated at an all-staff meeting on the plan, process and 
purpose of the Needs Assessment and notified of the time, date 
and location of optional focus groups. 

 

In addition, an electronic announcement from the Deaf RISE 
project coordinator will be sent to all staff about the focus groups 
via email with a link to the RSVP and Accommodations Request 


forms. Individuals will be encouraged to participate, but also 
assured that participation is optional and the decision whether or 
not to participate will not impact their employment in any way. 

 

Staff can RSVP directly through the Deaf RISE project 
coordinator, or through the electronic RSVP form in their email. 
Both the CEO and Deaf RISE project coordinator will be prepared 
to provide clarity or additional information to anyone who 
requires it. 

 

A draft of the electronic announcement to DVIS program staff and 
leadership can be found in Appendix G and the RSVP & 
Accommodations Request forms can be found in Appendix N. 

 

Board of Directors 

The Board President, CEO and Deaf RISE project coordinator will 
serve as the principle recruiters for anonymous electronic survey 
responses from the board members. A link to the survey will be 
sent via email from the CEO (drafted by the Deaf RISE project 
coordinator). Because they have final approval of policies and 
budgets, board members will be strongly encouraged to 
participate, but also assured that participation is optional and the 
decision whether or not to participate will not impact their 
position on the board in any way. Both the CEO and Deaf RISE 
project coordinator will be prepared to provide clarity or 
additional information to anyone who requires it. 

 

A draft of the electronic announcement to the DVIS board of 
directors can be found in Appendix I. 

 

Recruitment at TSHA 

 

Deaf Clients 

To recruit Deaf clients to participate in focus groups at TSHA, the 
Deaf RISE project coordinator will hold a 30-minute training 
session with advocates from Deaf Services, the Program Director, 
and the Office Manager. 


 

A recruitment flyer will be posted on the bulletin board at TSHA in 
addition to an ASL video announcement on loop in the waiting 
room. RSVP forms will be made available to fill out at the front 
desk with the Office Manager. The Office Manager will keep all 
completed RSVP forms in a sealed envelope and submit to the 
Deaf RISE project coordinator. 

 

Advocates from Deaf Services will recruit clients through face-to-
face conversations at TSHA, at their own discretion. If a client 
chooses to participate, the advocates will provide an RSVP form 
for them to fill out. The recruiter will give completed RSVP forms 
to the Office Manager, who will store all RSVP forms in a sealed 
envelope, then submit to the Deaf RISE project coordinator. 

 

Once given by TSHA’s Office Manager, all completed RSVP forms 
will be stored in a locked drawer by the Deaf RISE project 
coordinator, and all records will be destroyed within 24 hours 
after the Deaf focus group has been completed. Each RSVP form 
will have an option to request specific accommodations. 

 

The recruitment flyer for TSHA can be found in Appendix E and 
the RSVP & Accommodations Request forms for Deaf individuals 
can be found in Appendix L. 

 

ASL Interpreters 

To recruit ASL interpreters who contract with TSHA, the 
Interpreting Services manager will send an electronic 
announcement about the focus group (drafted by the Deaf RISE 
project coordinator) via TSHA’s scheduling database, with a link 
to the RSVP and Accommodations Request forms. Additionally, 
attempts to recruit will be made through face-to-face 
conversations and phone or video calls by the collaboration 
members of Deaf RISE. Individuals will be encouraged to 
participate, but also assured that participation is optional and the 
decision whether or not to participate will not impact their 
contract in any way. In order to uphold their confidentiality, TSHA 


will have no knowledge of who participated or not. Also, the Deaf 
RISE project coordinator will not attend this focus group in order 
to give interpreters the safety and comfort of sharing without a 
Deaf person in the room. 

 

Interpreters can RSVP directly through the Deaf RISE project 
coordinator, or through the electronic RSVP form in their email. 
Both the Executive Director and Deaf RISE project coordinator 
will be prepared to provide clarity or additional information to 
anyone who requires it. 

 

A draft of the electronic announcement to ASL Interpreters can be 
found in Appendix F and the RSVP & Accommodations Request 
form can be found in Appendix M. 

 

Program Staff & Leadership 

The Executive Director and Deaf RISE project coordinator will 
serve as the principle recruiters for staff focus groups at TSHA. 
During a TSHA all-staff meeting, the Executive Director and Deaf 
RISE project coordinator will update staff on the plan, process 
and purpose of the Needs Assessment and notify them of the 
time, date and location of optional focus groups. 

 

In addition, an electronic announcement will be sent to all staff 
about the focus groups via email from the Executive Director 
(drafted by the Deaf RISE project coordinator), with a link to the 
RSVP and Accommodations Request forms. Individuals will be 
encouraged to participate, but also assured that participation is 
optional and the decision whether or not to participate will not 
impact their employment in any way. 

 

Staff can RSVP directly through the Deaf RISE project 
coordinator, or through the electronic RSVP form in their email. 
Both the Executive Director and Deaf RISE project coordinator 
will be prepared to provide clarity or additional information to 
anyone who requires it. 

 


A draft of an electronic announcement to TSHA program staff and 
leadership can be found in Appendix H and the RSVP & 
Accommodations Request form can be found in Appendix O. 

 

Board of Directors 

The Board President, Executive Director and Deaf RISE project 
coordinator will serve as the principle recruiters for anonymous 
electronic survey responses from the board members. A link to 
the survey will be sent via email from the Executive Director 
(drafted by the Deaf RISE project coordinator) and board 
members will be strongly encouraged to participate, but also 
assured that participation is optional and the decision whether or 
not to participate will not impact their position on the board in 
any way. Both the Executive Director and the Deaf RISE project 
coordinator will be prepared to provide clarity or additional 
information to anyone who requires it. 

 

A draft of the electronic announcement to the TSHA board of 
directors can be found in Appendix J. 

B. Recruitment Materials 

 

Materials will be used in the process of recruiting participants. All 
recruiting materials can be found in Appendices A-P. 

 

RSVP & Accommodations Request Form 

All potential participants will receive an RSVP form, either as a 
hard copy or in electronic format. The RSVP form will ask for the 
individual’s initials. They will also be asked if they require any 
accommodations or if they have any dietary restrictions. Initials 
collected from the RSVP forms will only be utilized to connect 
participants with their requested accommodations. 

 

The Deaf RISE project coordinator will be the designated point 
person for keeping track of all RSVP responses and 
accommodation requests for all focus groups. Any hard copies of 
RSVP forms will be stored in a locked drawer by the Deaf RISE 
project coordinator. Electronic copies will be stored on a 


password-protected computer account. All RSVP forms will be 
destroyed within 24 hours after the focus group has been 
completed. 

 

Meeting Reminders 

We will provide all invitees (survivors, Deaf clients, ASL 
interpreters and agency staff) with the option of receiving an 
email reminder 48 hours before their scheduled focus group. 
DVIS survivors and TSHA Deaf clients will also have the option to 
receive a text message, voicemail, or for residential survivors, a 
reminder card on their room door at the shelter. The email, text, 
and voicemail reminders will only list the Deaf RISE project 
coordinator’s first name, a contact phone number, and the 
date/time of the focus group. The reminder will not list any 
information about the collaboration, or any phrases relating to 
sexual and domestic violence. 

 

C. Recruitment Training 

 

All individuals who will act as recruiters for the Survivor and Deaf 
focus groups will be required to participate in a recruitment 
training led by the Deaf RISE project coordinator. The training will 
run for approximately 30 minutes, and will include the following: 

 

 An overview of the OVW Disability Grant Program and the 
program, goals and purpose of Deaf RISE; 
 Important considerations around safety, confidentiality, 
mandated reporting requirements, and accessibility; 
 Recruitment materials (RSVP and Accommodations 
Request forms, meeting reminders); 
 Recruitment language and script; 
 Compensation options; and 
 Advocate availability. 


 

The process of recruitment and any recruitment materials can be 
found in Appendices A-P. 

 


D. Compensation 

 

During all focus groups, Deaf RISE will provide light 
refreshments. The Deaf RISE project coordinator will make 
accommodations for any dietary restrictions and requirements as 
needed. Grant funds will not be used for food; this will be 
donated from either DVIS, TSHA, or by the collaboration 
members. 

 

Additionally, we will provide DVIS survivors and TSHA Deaf 
clients with a $20 Visa gift card to cover their time participating in 
the focus group. During the recruitment and check-in process for 
each Survivor or Deaf focus group, the recruiter and facilitator 
will notify all participants that a gift card will be provided to them. 
Individuals will also be told that they can discontinue their 
participation at any time during the focus group without penalty. 
If a survivor or Deaf client prefers not to take the gift card with 
them at the end of the session (for safety reasons), the Deaf 
RISE project coordinator will keep it for them until they are ready 
to use it. 

 

The note taker will keep a record of the number of gift cards 
given out for potential auditing requirements. The facilitator will 
serve as a witness and sign off that this number is correct after 
each focus group. A template of the log can be found in Appendix 
EE. 

 

CONSENT PROCESS 

 

Deaf RISE will utilize a passive consent process for all focus 
groups because it allows for more confidentiality for all 
participants, prevents a paper trail, and eliminates time spent on 
administrative matters during the first portion of the focus group. 
Passive consent will be clearly outlined in the facilitator’s opening 
remarks. Participants will be informed of the mandatory reporting 
requirements. They will also be told that they can leave or 


discontinue their participation at any time with no consequences. 
Once the consent script has been read, it will be assumed that all 
participants who choose to stay will be giving consent for their 
participation. Participants of focus groups are agreeing to: 

 

 Participate in a focus group; 
 Have their comments anonymously recorded in writing 
and/or on video; 
 Have their comments anonymously used in the Needs 
Assessment findings report; and 
 Have their comments anonymously used for developing the 
collaboration’s strategic plan and implementation activities. 


 

CONFIDENTIALITY 

 

The following information outlines the specific considerations we 
have made to preserve confidentiality: 

 

 We will only collect personally identifying information during 
the RSVP process, when individuals will be asked to provide 
their initials for the purpose of linking individuals with their 
accommodations and contact information to provide 
electronic meeting reminders if requested. 
 The Deaf RISE project coordinator will keep a list of any 
individual’s initials who request accommodations. This 
information will be brought to each focus group as needed, 
and will be destroyed within 24 hours after the focus group 
has been completed. All electronic RSVP forms and meeting 
reminder emails will be deleted within the same time frame. 
 The recruiters who receive the RSVP forms will keep them in 
a sealed envelope until they are passed along to the Deaf 
RISE project coordinator. 
 The number of participants who attend focus groups and 
interviews will be aggregated for the Needs Assessment 
findings report. No other RSVP information will be 
aggregated or shared. The findings report will identify 



trends, barriers, and strengths linked to what each agency 
and group stated during the needs assessment process in 
summary form. 
 In focus groups, participants will be asked not to provide 
any identifying information about themselves, specific staff, 
or program participants. If they do, they will be redacted 
from the transcript. Because we cannot ensure that 
participants will preserve confidentiality, participants will 
also be encouraged to be mindful of what they share. 
 All participants will be notified that there will be no adverse 
ramifications to their eligibility for services, employment or 
contract based on comments shared in the focus group. 
Likewise, there will be no consequences if clients, 
interpreters or staff choose not to participate. 
 Any information gathered during the Needs Assessment 
process will be kept by the Deaf RISE project coordinator in 
a locked cabinet and/or on a password-protected computer 
that only she has access to. All notes, records, and anything 
else in writing that is related to the Needs Assessment will 
be destroyed after the strategic plan has been approved by 
OVW and DVIS and TSHA have signed off on it. 
 The report will not be shared with anyone outside of the 
collaboration until it has been reviewed and approved by the 
collaboration, Vera, and OVW. 


 

MANDATORY REPORTING 

 

Under the “Protective Services for Vulnerable Adults Act” (OK Stat 
§ 43A-10-104), any person having reasonable cause to believe 
that a vulnerable adult is suffering from abuse, neglect or 
exploitation shall make a report as soon as the person is aware of 
the situation to: (1) the Department of Human Services; or (2) 
the municipal police department or sheriff’s office in the county in 
which the suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation occurred. 

 


The Deaf RISE collaboration conclude that Deaf people are not 
vulnerable adults under the OK statute, and understand that 
being Deaf alone does not make someone susceptible to any 
mandatory reporting laws in the state of Oklahoma. Therefore, 
we will only make a report if the individual meets the Oklahoma 
statute. 

 

Our goal is to not have anyone make a personal disclosure during 
any focus group that might necessitate a mandatory report. The 
pre-selected focus group questions are designed to engage 
survivors and clients in conversation around the quality and 
accessibility of services, not on personal experiences with sexual 
or domestic violence. Therefore, we will review before each 
session that, while we value what they have to say and value 
their experiences, we ask that they refrain from speaking about 
personal experiences of violence. If it does happen, we’ll follow 
the law but work with the client/staff member in making the 
report. 

 

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS 

 

Deaf RISE is committed to providing fully accessible focus groups 
and interviews for all participants throughout the Needs 
Assessment process. Accessibility will be ensured through the 
following measures: 

 

 Accessible space will be used for all focus groups and 
interviews. They will take place in a space that is commonly 
used by the participants, so that they are already familiar 
with the space and have been provided with what is needed 
for accessibility. If there are any issues, we will ensure that 
all accessibility concerns have been taken care of before 
starting any focus group. 
 Reasonable accommodations will be provided to those 
participating. The RSVP form (Appendices K-O) for the focus 
groups will include a checklist of available accommodations, 



including food alternatives and dietary restrictions. The Deaf 
RISE project coordinator will be responsible for ensuring all 
accommodation requests are met to the best of the 
collaboration’s abilities. 
 All participants will be asked not to wear perfume or scented 
lotions. 
 Because we value equal access, we will ensure facilitators 
and note takers are a native Spanish speaker for the 
Spanish Survivor focus group and a native ASL signer for the 
Deaf Client focus group and Deaf Survivor focus group. 
 Recruiters and facilitators will be instructed to attend to the 
particular needs of each audience and speak in a manner 
that is accessible to all participants. 


 

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS 

 

Deaf RISE considers physical and emotional safety to be our 
highest priority in the Needs Assessment process. We understand 
that safety is defined differently for each individual. We will make 
every effort to protect the safety of individuals participating in our 
focus groups through the following measures: 

 

 During the recruitment process and at the beginning of each 
focus group, it will be made clear to participants that ALL 
questions are intended to elicit information about DVIS and 
TSHA (or other agencies if applicable) and the services they 
provide. Questions are NOT intended to gather personal 
experiences related to violence, abuse, or neglect. 
 If the discussion of services brings up memories or intense 
feelings, or if a participant appears likely to disclose, an 
advocate will be available at each survivor and Deaf focus 
group to provide emotional support during or after the 
session. The advocate will not be present in the room where 
the meeting is held at, but will be available in a private, 
accessible space close to the meeting room. Survivors and 
Deaf individuals can step out at any time (on their own 



accord) to meet with the advocate; they do not have to 
request permission. A floater may escort them to where the 
advocate is, if needed. 
 Accessible materials will be made available that list local 
resources for any individual who requests them (Appendices 
GG & HH). 
 It will be made clear to participants at ALL focus groups that 
they can discontinue at any point if they are feeling 
uncomfortable. There will be no consequences to services, 
contracts or employment. 
 No one is required to attend nor answer any questions that 
cause discomfort. 
 There will be no consequences to services, contracts or 
employment for anyone who chooses to (or chooses not to) 
participate in Survivor/Deaf, ASL Interpreter and agency 
staff focus groups. 
 Recruiters will use their best judgment and only approach 
individuals they believe are a low risk and are able to 
participate safely. 


 


WORK PLAN 

 

Activity 

Timeframe 

Collaboration Building/Charter Development 

 

February – 
August 2019 

Complete Performance Indicators 

March 2019 

 

Defining our Focus Population 

 

September 2019 

Complete Performance Indicators 

September 2019 

 

Needs Assessment Plan Development 

 

September 2019 
– January 2020 

Conducting our Needs Assessment 

 

February – March 
2020 

Complete Performance Indicators 

March 2020 

 

Finalizing our Needs Assessment Report 

 

April – May 2020 

Strategic Plan Development 

 

May – July 2020 

Implementation 

 

August 2020 – 
October 2021 

Complete Performance Indicators 

September 2020 

 

Complete Performance Indicators 

March 2021 

 

Complete Performance Indicators 

September 2021 

 



 


APPENDICES 

 

Recruitment Scripts: 

A. DVIS Survivors........................................................38 
B. TSHA Deaf Clients....................................................40 
C. Deaf Survivors.........................................................42 


 

Announcements: 

D. Announcement Flyer for DVIS....................................44 
E. Announcement Flyer for TSHA....................................45 
F. Email Announcement to ASL Interpreters ....................46 
G. Email Announcement to DVIS Staff.............................47 
H. Email Announcement to TSHA staff.............................48 
I. Email Announcement to DVIS Board of Directors..........49 
J. Email Announcement to TSHA Board of Directors..........51 


 

RSVP & Accommodations Request Forms: 

K. RSVP & Accommodations Request Forms for DVIS 
Survivors................................................................53 
L. RSVP & Accommodations Request Forms for TSHA 
Deaf Clients.............................................................55 
M. Electronic RSVP Form for ASL Interpreters...................57 
N. Electronic RSVP Form for DVIS Staff...........................58 
O. Electronic RSVP Form for TSHA Staff...........................59 


 

P. Reminders......................................................................60 


 

Focus Group Facilitator Scripts and Questions 

Q. DVIS Survivors........................................................61 
R. TSHA Deaf Clients....................................................66 
S. Deaf Survivors.........................................................72 
T. ASL Interpreters......................................................77 
U. DVIS Program Staff..................................................82 
V. TSHA Program Staff..................................................87 
W. DVIS Leadership.....................................................92 
X. TSHA Leadership......................................................97 



Interview Facilitator Scripts and Questions 

Y. DVIS CEO..............................................................102 
Z. TSHA Executive Director..........................................106 


 

Survey Questions: 

AA. DVIS Board of Directors.......................................110 
BB. TSHA Board of Directors......................................115 


Follow-Up Survey: 

CC. ASL Interpreters.................................................121 
DD. Program Staff & Leadership..................................123 


 

EE. Log of Gift Cards........................................................125 


 

FF. Debriefing Template...................................................126 


 

Local Resources Handout: 

GG. Survivors...........................................................128 
HH. Deaf individuals..................................................129 



A. RECRUITMENT SCRIPT FOR 
DVIS SURVIVORS 

 

Deaf RISE invites you to participate in a group discussion 
regarding your experiences, knowledge, and opinions as they 
relate to services you have received at DVIS or elsewhere, as 
applicable. We will be asking you questions about your 
experiences with organizations and to describe the response you 
received. We also want to learn how you think we can improve 
services. You are the expert in knowing your experiences and 
what you need. We are asking you to share that information with 
us. Participation is completely voluntary and whether or not you 
participate will not affect your eligibility for our services. 

 

Your safety and confidentiality are important to us. No staff 
member from DVIS will be present in the room. With a facilitator, 
we will only discuss your interaction with community agencies 
and the services they provide. The focus group will be recorded to 
completely capture the group’s comments. The information you 
share will be used anonymously in our notes and in our final 
report. All audio, video and written transcripts will be destroyed 
after the needs assessment report is completed. If you disclose 
any abuse or neglect that meets the legal mandatory reporting 
requirements in Oklahoma, a Deaf RISE team member will make 
the necessary report to the appropriate authority, but our goal is 
to not have any personal information such as that discussed 
during any of these groups. 

 

The focus group session will be scheduled for [NUMBER] hours on 
[DATE & TIME OPTION 1] or [DATE & TIME OPTION 2]. If you 
choose, we will provide a reminder to you. The RSVP form will 
also include questions that will help us to accommodate your 
needs during the focus group as best as we can. If you require a 
Personal Care Assistant, you are not allowed to bring your own, 
but we will provide one for you at no cost. We do not expect 
more than 8 participants to be in the group. Refreshments are 


provided and you will receive a $20 VISA gift card as a thank you 
for your willingness to participate. 

 

If you agree to participate and something changes so that you 
are unable to participate, please contact the person who invited 
you. If you still want to participate, we may be able to schedule 
to meet with you another time. 

 

Thank you! We truly appreciate your time and we hope that you 
will choose to discuss your experiences, knowledge and opinions 
with us so that we can continue to do what we are doing well and 
so that we can identify any needed changes. Please let us know if 
you have any questions that will help you make your decision on 
whether or not to participate. Again, your decision to participate 
or not will not impact your eligibility for services at DVIS in any 
way. 

 


B. RECRUITMENT SCRIPT FOR 
TSHA DEAF CLIENTS 

 

Deaf RISE invites you to participate in a group discussion 
regarding your experiences, knowledge, and opinions as they 
relate to services you have received at TSHA or elsewhere, as 
applicable. We will be asking you questions about your 
experiences with organizations and to describe the response you 
received. We also want to learn how you think we can improve 
services. You are the expert in knowing your experiences and 
what you need. We are asking you to share that information with 
us. Participation is completely voluntary and whether or not you 
participate will not affect your eligibility for our services. This 
group will be facilitated entirely in ASL. 

 

Your safety and confidentiality are important to us. No staff 
member from TSHA will be present in the room. With a facilitator, 
we will only discuss your interaction with community agencies 
and the services they provide. The focus group will be recorded to 
completely capture the group’s comments. The information you 
share will be used anonymously in our notes and in our final 
report. All audio, video and written transcripts will be destroyed 
after the needs assessment report is completed. If you disclose 
any abuse or neglect that meets the legal mandatory reporting 
requirements in Oklahoma, a Deaf RISE team member will make 
the necessary report to the appropriate authority, but our goal is 
to not have any personal information such as that discussed 
during any of these groups. 

 

The focus group session will be scheduled for [NUMBER] hours on 
[DATE & TIME OPTION 1] or [DATE & TIME OPTION 2]. If you 
choose, we will provide a reminder to you. The RSVP form will 
also include questions that will help us to accommodate your 
needs during the focus group as best as we can. If you require a 
Personal Care Assistant, you are not allowed to bring your own, 
but we will provide one for you at no cost. We do not expect 
more than 8 participants to be in the group. Refreshments are 


provided and you will receive a $20 VISA gift card as a thank you 
for your willingness to participate. 

 

If you agree to participate and something changes so that you 
are unable to participate, please contact the person who invited 
you. If you still want to participate, we may be able to schedule 
to meet with you another time. 

 

Thank you! We truly appreciate your time and we hope that you 
will choose to discuss your experiences, knowledge and opinions 
with us so that we can continue to do what we are doing well and 
so that we can identify any needed changes. Please let us know if 
you have any questions that will help you make your decision on 
whether or not to participate. Again, your decision to participate 
or not will not impact your eligibility for services at TSHA in any 
way. 

 


C. RECRUITMENT SCRIPT FOR 
DEAF SURVIVORS 

 

Deaf RISE invites you to participate in a group discussion 
regarding your experiences, knowledge, and opinions as they 
relate to services you have received at TSHA, DVIS or elsewhere, 
as applicable. We will be asking you questions about your 
experiences with organizations and to describe the response you 
received. We also want to learn how you think we can improve 
services. You are the expert in knowing your experiences and 
what you need. We are asking you to share that information with 
us. Participation is completely voluntary and whether or not you 
participate will not affect your eligibility for our services. This 
group will be facilitated entirely in ASL. 

 

Your safety and confidentiality are important to us. No staff 
member from TSHA or DVIS will be present in the room. With a 
facilitator, we will only discuss your interaction with community 
agencies and the services they provide. The focus group will be 
recorded to completely capture the group’s comments. The 
information you share will be used anonymously in our notes and 
in our final report. All audio, video and written transcripts will be 
destroyed after the needs assessment report is completed. If you 
disclose any abuse or neglect that meets the legal mandatory 
reporting requirements in Oklahoma, a Deaf RISE team member 
will make the necessary report to the appropriate authority, but 
our goal is to not have any personal information such as that 
discussed during any of these groups. 

 

The focus group session will be scheduled for [NUMBER] hours on 
[DATE & TIME]. If you choose, we will provide a reminder to you. 
The RSVP form will also include questions that will help us to 
accommodate your needs during the focus group as best as we 
can. If you require a Personal Care Assistant, you are not allowed 
to bring your own, but we will provide one for you at no cost. We 
do not expect more than 8 participants to be in the group. 


Refreshments are provided and you will receive a $20 VISA gift 
card as a thank you for your willingness to participate. 

 

If you agree to participate and something changes so that you 
are unable to participate, please contact the Deaf RISE project 
coordinator. If you still want to participate, we may be able to 
schedule to meet with you another time. 

 

Thank you! We truly appreciate your time and we hope that you 
will choose to discuss your experiences, knowledge and opinions 
with us so that we can continue to do what we are doing well and 
so that we can identify any needed changes. Please let us know if 
you have any questions that will help you make your decision on 
whether or not to participate. Again, your decision to participate 
or not will not impact your eligibility for services at TSHA or DVIS 
in any way. 

 


D. ANNOUNCEMENT FLYER FOR DVIS 

 


E. ANNOUNCEMENT FLYER FOR TSHA 

 


F. ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL TO 
ASL INTERPRETERS 

 

Subject: 

[ Input Requested! Deaf RISE Needs Assessment ] 

 

Message: 

Hello! 

 

My name is Katelyn Jurney. I am the project coordinator for Deaf 
RISE, which is a collaborative grant project funded by Office on 
Violence Against Women. The collaboration partners in this 
project are TSHA and Domestic Violence Intervention Services 
(DVIS) and our main focus is improving access to services for 
Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence. 

 

We are reaching out to you as an interpreter who has worked, or 
continues to work, with TSHA as a contract interpreter. We would 
like to learn about your knowledge and perspectives on trauma-
informed interpreting. So, we are inviting you to participate in a 
focus group on [DATE & TIME] at TSHA. The focus of this 
discussion will be on your comfort level interpreting in trauma 
settings and how interpreting agencies can best support you in 
this type of work. Light refreshments will be provided. 

 

If you would like and are able to participate, please RSVP at the 
following link. In order to uphold your confidentiality, TSHA will 
have no knowledge of who participated or not, and your contract 
will not be affected by your attendance and participation or lack 
thereof. <RSVP Form Link> 

 

If you have any questions about this focus group, please contact 
Katelyn Jurney, Deaf RISE project coordinator, at 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 

 

Sincerely, Deaf RISE Collaboration 


G. ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL TO DVIS STAFF 

 

Subject: 

[ Input Requested! Deaf RISE Focus Groups ] 

 

Message: 

Hello! 

As you may know, DVIS is part of a new collaboration known as 
Deaf RISE, an Office on Violence Against Women funded project 
focused on improving access to services for Deaf survivors of 
sexual and domestic violence. We have been collaborating with 
TSHA on this grant since October 2018, and one of our required 
activities of this grant is to conduct a needs assessment of our 
services at each agency. We are reaching out to staff and clients 
at each agency. 

 

We would like to know more about what you think makes an 
agency effective and responsive for survivors, so we are inviting 
you to participate in a staff focus group on [DATE & TIME] at 
DVIS. The focus of this discussion will be on the services you 
provide – what makes them positive and what can be improved. 
Your participation will help us develop a plan for improving our 
response to the needs of Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic 
violence. Light refreshments will be provided. 

 

If you would like and are able to participate, please RSVP at the 
following link. Your participation will be anonymous, and your 
employment will not be affected by your attendance and 
participation or lack thereof. <RSVP Form Link> 

 

If you have any questions about this focus group, please contact 
Katelyn Jurney, Deaf RISE Project Coordinator, at 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 

 

Sincerely, Deaf RISE Collaboration 

 


H. ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL TO TSHA STAFF 

 

Subject: 

[ Input Requested! Deaf RISE Focus Groups ] 

 

Message: 

Hello! 

 

As you may know, TSHA is part of a new collaboration known as 
Deaf RISE, an Office on Violence Against Women funded project 
focused on improving access to services for Deaf survivors of 
sexual and domestic violence. We have been collaborating with 
DVIS on this grant since October 2018, and one of our required 
activities of this grant is to conduct a needs assessment of our 
services at each agency. We are reaching out to staff and clients 
at each agency. 

 

We would like to know more about what you think makes an 
agency effective and responsive for Deaf individuals, so we are 
inviting you to participate in a staff focus group on [DATE & 
TIME] at TSHA. The focus of this discussion will be on the 
services you provide – what makes them positive and what can 
be improved. Your participation will help us develop a plan for 
improving our response to the needs of Deaf survivors of sexual 
and domestic violence. Light refreshments will be provided. 

 

If you would like and are able to participate, please RSVP at the 
following link. Your participation will be anonymous, and your 
employment will not be affected by your attendance and 
participation or lack thereof. <RSVP Form Link> 

 

If you have any questions about this focus group, please contact 
Katelyn Jurney, Deaf RISE Project Coordinator, at 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 

 

Sincerely, Deaf RISE Collaboration 


I. ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL TO 
DVIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

 

Subject: 

[ Input Requested! Deaf RISE Needs Assessment ] 

 

Message: 

Hello! 

 

As you may know, DVIS is part of Deaf RISE, which is funded by 
the Office on Violence Against Women, to focus on improving 
access to services for Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic 
violence. Our collaboration partner on this grant is TSHA, a local 
agency that serves the Deaf community. 

 

We would like to know more about what you think makes an 
agency effective and responsive for Deaf survivors, so we are 
inviting you to participate in an online survey. The focus of this 
survey will be on the services provided at DVIS – what makes 
them positive and what can be improved. Your participation will 
help us develop a plan for improving our response to the needs of 
Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence and to hear more 
about decision-making and change at DVIS. Because the goal of 
this grant is to create impactful, meaningful, cultural changes at 
DVIS, we recognize the vital importance of hearing from the 
Board about how to best go about approaching some of those 
changes. 

 

If you would like and are able to participate, please click the 
following link. Your participation will be anonymous, and your 
board position will not be affected by your responses or lack 
thereof. The deadline to submit your responses is [DATE]. 

 

<Survey Link> 

 


If you have any questions about the survey, please contact 
Katelyn Jurney, Deaf RISE Project Coordinator, at 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 

 

Sincerely, Deaf RISE Collaboration 

 


J. ANNOUNCEMENT EMAIL TO 
TSHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

 

Subject: 

[ Input Requested! Deaf RISE Needs Assessment ] 

 

Message: 

Hello! 

 

As you may know, TSHA is part of Deaf RISE, which is funded by 
the Office on Violence Against Women, to focus on improving 
access to services for Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic 
violence. Our collaboration partner on this grant is Domestic 
Violence Intervention Services (DVIS). 

 

We would like to know more about what you think makes an 
agency effective and responsive for Deaf survivors, so we are 
inviting you to participate in an online survey. The focus of this 
survey will be on the services provided at TSHA – what makes 
them positive and what can be improved. Your participation will 
help us develop a plan for improving our response to the needs of 
Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence and to hear more 
about decision-making and change at TSHA. Because the goal of 
this grant is to create impactful, meaningful, cultural changes at 
TSHA, we recognize the vital importance of hearing from the 
Board about how to best go about approaching some of those 
changes. 

 

If you would like and are able to participate, please click the 
following link. Your participation will be anonymous, and your 
board position will not be affected by your responses or lack 
thereof. The deadline to submit your responses is [DATE]. 

 

<Survey Link> 

 


If you have any questions about the survey, please contact 
Katelyn Jurney, Deaf RISE Project Coordinator, at 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 

 

Sincerely, Deaf RISE Collaboration 

 


K. RSVP & ACCOMMODATIONS REQUEST 
FORMS FOR DVIS SURVIVORS 

 

RSVP FORM 

 

Please complete this form and return it to the person who 
contacted you. All information you provide is confidential. This 
form will be destroyed right after the focus group. 

 

Initials: ___________ 

 

If you would like to participate in a focus group at DVIS, please 
choose one of the following dates to participate: 

 Date & Time Option 1 
 Date & Time Option 2 


 

Meeting reminder options – If you would like to be reminded 
about your focus group session, what is the best and safest way 
to contact you? 

 Text Message – Phone Number _______________________ 
 Email – Email Address ______________________________ 
 Voicemail – Phone Number __________________________ 
 Reminder card on your room door 


 

Do you need any accommodations or child care? 

 YES 
 NO 


 

*If yes, please fill out the accommodations request form on the 
back of this page. 

 

If you need to cancel your registration, that is completely okay. 
Please contact Katelyn Jurney at kjurney@dvis.org to let her 
know. 


ACCOMMODATIONS REQUEST FORM 

 

Please put a check next to any accommodation that you would 
like during your focus group session. If you request one or more 
accommodations, Deaf RISE will provide this for you at no charge 
to the participant. 

 

Accommodations – please check all that apply for you: 

 ASL Interpreter 
 Assistive Listening Device 
 Large print 
 PCA (if you need a PCA in the room during the focus group, 
Deaf RISE will provide you with one at no charge) 
 Other, please list: 


________________________________________________ 

 Other considerations or information that would be helpful for 
the focus group facilitator: 


________________________________________________ 

 

Do you need child care during the focus group session? 

 YES 
 NO 


 

Do you have any dietary considerations? 

 YES, please list: 


________________________________________________ 

 NO 


 


L. RSVP & ACCOMMODATIONS REQUEST 
FORMS FOR TSHA DEAF CLIENTS 

 

RSVP FORM 

 

Please complete this form and return it to the person who 
contacted you. All information you provide is confidential. This 
form will be destroyed right after the focus group. 

 

Initials: ___________ 

 

If you would like to participate in a focus group at TSHA, please 
choose one of the following dates to participate: 

 Date & Time Option 1 
 Date & Time Option 2 


 

Meeting reminder options – If you would like to be reminded 
about your focus group session, what is the best and safest way 
to contact you? 

 Text Message – Phone Number _______________________ 
 Email – Email Address _____________________________ 
 Voicemail – Phone Number __________________________ 
 Reminder card on your room door 


 

Do you need any accommodations or child care? 

 YES 
 NO 


 

*If yes, please fill out the accommodations request form on the 
back of this page. 

 

If you need to cancel your registration, that is completely okay. 
Please contact Katelyn Jurney at kjurney@dvis.org to let her 
know. 


ACCOMMODATIONS REQUEST FORM 

 

Please put a check next to any accommodation that you would 
like during your focus group session. If you request one or more 
accommodations, Deaf RISE will provide this for you at no charge 
to the participant. 

 

Accommodations – please check all that apply for you: 

 ASL Interpreter 
 Assistive Listening Device 
 Large print 
 PCA (if you need a PCA in the room during the focus group, 
Deaf RISE will provide you with one at no charge) 
 Other, please list: 


________________________________________________ 

 Other considerations or information that would be helpful for 
the focus group facilitator: 


________________________________________________ 

 

Do you need child care during the focus group session? 

 YES 
 NO 


 

Do you have any dietary considerations? 

 YES, please list: 


________________________________________________ 

 NO 


 


M. ELECTRONIC RSVP FORM FOR ASL 
INTERPRETERS 

 

RSVP FORM 

 

If you are interested in participating in a staff focus group at 
DVIS, please fill out the following RSVP form. All information is 
confidential. This form will be deleted once the session has been 
completed. 

 

1. Please enter your initials in the text box below: 


 

 

 

2. If you would like to participate in a staff focus group at 
DVIS, please choose one of the following dates to 
participate: 
 Date & Time Option 1 
 Date & Time Option 2 


 

3. If you would like a meeting reminder, please enter your 
email in the text box below. 


 

 

 

 

4. A. Do you require any accommodations to participate? 
 Yes 
 No 


 

B. If yes, please check all accommodations that apply: 

 ASL Interpreter 
 Assistive Listening Device 
 Large print 
 Other: 


 

 

5. Do you have any dietary considerations? Please list them 
below: 


 


N. ELECTRONIC RSVP FORM FOR 
DVIS STAFF & LEADERSHIP 

 

RSVP FORM 

 

If you are interested in participating in a staff focus group at 
DVIS, please fill out the following RSVP form. All information is 
confidential. This form will be deleted once the session has been 
completed. 

 

4. Please enter your initials in the text box below: 


 

 

 

5. If you would like to participate in a staff focus group at 
DVIS, please choose one of the following dates to 
participate: 
 Date & Time Option 1 
 Date & Time Option 2 


 

6. If you would like a meeting reminder, please enter your 
email in the text box below. 


 

 

 

 

6. A. Do you require any accommodations to participate? 
 Yes 
 No 


 

B. If yes, please check all accommodations that apply: 

 ASL Interpreter 
 Assistive Listening Device 
 Large print 
 Other: 


 

 

7. Do you have any dietary considerations? Please list them 
below: 


 

 


O. ELECTRONIC RSVP FORM FOR 
TSHA STAFF & LEADERSHIP 

 

RSVP FORM 

 

If you are interested in participating in a staff focus group at 
TSHA, please fill out the following RSVP form. All information is 
confidential. This form will be deleted once the session has been 
completed. 

 

1. Please enter your initials in the text box below: 


 

 

 

2. If you would like to participate in a staff focus group at 
TSHA, please choose one of the following dates to 
participate: 
 Date & Time Option 1 
 Date & Time Option 2 


 

3. If you would like a meeting reminder, please enter your 
email in the text box below. 


 

 

 

 

4. A. Do you require any accommodations to participate? 
 Yes 
 No 


 

B. If yes, please check all accommodations that apply: 

 ASL Interpreter 
 Assistive Listening Device 
 Large print 
 Other: 


 

 

5. Do you have any dietary considerations? Please list them 
below: 


 

 


P. REMINDERS 

 

Reminder Email 

To: 

[ Email Address ] 

 

Subject: 

[ Reminder Email ] 

 

Message: 

Hello! As you requested, this is a reminder for your meeting on 
[DATE], from [TIME] to [TIME]. For any changes or cancellations, 
contact Katelyn at 918-212-4074. 

 

Reminder Text Message 

“Hello! As you requested, this is a reminder for your meeting on 
[DATE], from [TIME] to [TIME]. For any changes or cancellations, 
contact Katelyn at 918-212-4074.” 

 
Reminder Voicemail Script 

“Hello! As you requested, this is a reminder for your meeting on 
[DATE], from [TIME] to [TIME]. For any changes or cancellations, 
contact Katelyn at 918-212-4074. 

 

Reminder Cards 

 

 

Meeting Reminder 

Date: ___________________ 

Time: ___________________ 

For any changes or cancellations, contact: 
Katelyn at 918-212-4074. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Q. SURVIVOR FOCUS GROUPS 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how all survivor 
focus groups will be run by the facilitator as well as the questions 
we will be asking the participants. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! Welcome to [FOCUS GROUP] survivor focus group. I am 
[FACILITATOR NAME], and I will be facilitating today’s meeting. 
This is [NOTE TAKER NAME], and they will be our note taker for 
today. This is [FLOATER NAME], and they will be assisting us 
today with anything we may need, so feel free to ask them for 
any assistance during or after this group. This is Katelyn Jurney, 
the Deaf RISE project coordinator and she is here to observe the 
meeting and help identify common themes. This is [INTERPRETER 
NAMES] and they will be our ASL interpreters for today. They are 
bound by the same confidentiality protocols as the rest of us and 
will not share information outside of the focus group. Before we 
get started, I want to give you a brief overview on why we are 
here today. 

 

We are meeting with people to learn about the ways this agency 
is responsive to the needs of people they serve, and in what ways 
they are not. 

 

We have invited you to participate because we believe you can 
share some valuable information, helping us to improve our 
services where it is needed, and do more of what works for you 
and other clients. Please listen to the following information 
carefully before you decide whether or not to participate. 

 

This session is scheduled for approximately [NUMBER] hours, in 
which I will ask you a series of questions and [NOTE TAKER 
NAME] will document the discussion. By participating in this 


session, you are giving us permission to anonymously document 
your responses in our notes. We may include information in 
written materials, but no names or identifying information will be 
included. If you use any names here today, they will not be 
documented. A recording will also be taken of this meeting, which 
will be used for note taking purposes, and will be deleted as soon 
as soon as all notes have been secured. We will not tie your 
comment to you personally in any way. 

 

Your participation is completely voluntary. You can decide 
whether or not you want to respond to a question and you may 
leave at any time, without any consequences. Your decision to 
participate will have NO effect on your eligibility for services or 
the quality of services you receive. To show our appreciation, you 
will be compensated with a $20 gift card, which is yours to keep 
even if you choose not to participate or if you need to leave early. 
If you choose not to take your gift card with you today, we can 
keep it for safekeeping and you can let us know when you’re 
ready to receive it. We will lock it up for you. 

 

We ask that each of you respect one another’s privacy. By 
participating in today’s discussion, you agree to refrain from 
sharing anyone’s personal information or comments discussed in 
this group with anyone outside of the group. 

Some members of Deaf RISE are required by law to report 
suspected abuse of children, elder and dependent adults. If 
anyone discusses abuse of a child or dependent adult during this 
session, Katelyn (the Deaf RISE Project Coordinator) will 
determine, after careful consideration of the safety and autonomy 
of the individuals involved, whether a mandatory report needs to 
be filed. Again, as a precaution, we ask that you not talk about 
any personal or known experiences of violence that may 
necessitate such a report. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on how you think we can improve 
services. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, an advocate is 


available to speak with you privately. The floater will escort you 
to the advocate. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 
will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 

At this time, we assume that all who remain in the room consent 
to participate. We are about to get started so if you do not 
consent you may leave without any consequences. You will still 
be able to get a gift card. Thank you for being here. 

 

2. PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES 


 

a. Be candid, difference of opinion is welcome 
b. If you have a comment, please raise your hand and I 
will call you by the name on your tent card 
c. Please respect each other’s privacy and do not share 
anyone’s information outside of this meeting 
d. Please feel free to eat during our discussion 
e. (Explain location of restrooms) 




 

3. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS (See pages 64-65) 


 

4. DEBRIEF 


 

If you have any feelings that you may need to process, we have 
an advocate on site that you can talk with or you may call 918-
743-5763 on your own time, when it is safe to do so. 

 

If you have questions in the future, or want to learn about our 
findings or future activities of Deaf RISE, you may contact the 
Project Coordinator: Katelyn Jurney, 918-212-4074, 
kjurney@dvis.org. 


QUESTIONS FOR DVIS SURVIVORS 

We are going to ask you some questions today to get your ideas 
and wisdom as survivors of sexual and domestic violence. We ask 
that when you answer, please think about these questions 
through your own experience as a survivor. We recognize and 
appreciate that you all have experiences that shape who you are, 
but as much as possible during our limited time together today, 
please try and focus through the lens of being a survivor of 
sexual or domestic violence. 

 

1. How did you learn about services available for survivors of 
sexual or domestic violence? 
a. What is the best way to get information about available 
services and resources to survivors? And, in what form? 
(i.e., library, internet, church, businesses, social media, 
pamphlets, websites, videos, etc.) 




 

2. Think about what agencies do to help make your experience 
positive when accessing services? What made it feel safe 
and welcoming to you? 
a. What about the staff behavior was positive? On the 
phone and in-person. 
b. What about the overall atmosphere, comfort level, and 
approachability was positive? The facility? 
c. Were the materials and resources provided accessible 
to you? 




 

3. If you think about a negative experience you have had, what 
made it a negative experience? The staff? The facility? 
Other? 


 

We want to explore what agencies do, or don’t do, to help you to 
feel safe and comfortable disclosing your experience, or the 
opposite, where you may feel unsafe or resistant to disclosing. 

 

4. What does safety mean to you? How important is it to you 
when seeking or receiving services? 



5. What have agencies done that have helped you to feel 
comfortable disclosing or talking about your experiences of 
sexual or domestic violence? 
a. What made you feel as if you could trust the agency 
enough to disclose? 
b. What have agencies done that have made you feel 
unsafe? What did they do to prevent you from trusting 
them? 




 

We want to explore what confidentiality means to you, and how 
organizations can consider their practices of confidentiality and 
privacy when serving survivors of sexual and domestic violence. 

 

6. What does confidentiality mean to you? How important is it 
to you when seeking or receiving services? 
a. Have you had any positive or negative experiences 
regarding confidentiality and privacy while accessing 
services? 
b. In what instances would it be okay to share identifying 
information and the details of your experience of sexual 
or domestic violence with other agencies (i.e., police, 
medical staff, etc.)? 
c. In what instances is it not okay? 




 

7. If you could help us design the very best way for an agency 
to provide the highest quality services for survivors, what 
would you want to include? 
a. What is the most important thing to you that agencies 
need to know when they are helping a survivor of 
sexual or domestic violence? 
b. What should happen at your first visit that would make 
you want to come back? 




 

8. Is there something you have not had a chance to tell us that 
you really want us to know about services for survivors of 
sexual and domestic violence? 


 


R. DEAF FOCUS GROUP 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how the Deaf focus 
group will be run by the facilitator as well as the questions we will 
be asking the participants. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! Welcome to the Deaf focus group. I am Katelyn Jurney, 
and I will be facilitating today’s meeting. I am the project 
coordinator of the Deaf RISE collaboration. This is [NOTE TAKER 
NAME], and they will be our note taker for today. This is 
[FLOATER NAME], and they will be assisting us today with 
anything we may need, so feel free to ask them for any 
assistance during or after this group. Before we get started, I 
want to give you a brief overview on why we are here today. 

 

We are meeting with people to learn about the ways this agency 
is responsive to the needs of people they serve, and in what ways 
they are not. 

 

We have invited you to participate because we believe you can 
share some valuable information, helping us to improve our 
services where it is needed, and do more of what works for you 
and other clients. Please listen to the following information 
carefully before you decide whether or not to participate. 

 

This session is scheduled for approximately [NUMBER] hours, in 
which I will ask you a series of questions and [NOTE TAKER 
NAME] will document the discussion. By participating in this 
session, you are giving us permission to anonymously document 
your responses in our notes. We may include information in 
written materials, but no names or identifying information will be 
included. If you use any names here today, they will not be 
documented. A recording will also be taken of this meeting, which 


will be used for note taking purposes, and will be deleted as soon 
as soon as all notes have been secured. We will not tie your 
comment to you personally in any way. 

 

Your participation is completely voluntary. You can decide 
whether or not you want to respond to a question and you may 
leave at any time, without any consequences. Your decision to 
participate will have NO effect on your eligibility for services or 
the quality of services you receive. To show our appreciation, you 
will be compensated with a $20 gift card, which is yours to keep 
even if you choose not to participate or if you need to leave early. 
If you choose not to take your gift card with you today, we can 
keep it for safekeeping and you can let us know when you’re 
ready to receive it. We will lock it up for you. 

 

We ask that each of you respect one another’s privacy. By 
participating in today’s discussion, you agree to refrain from 
sharing anyone’s personal information or comments discussed in 
this group with anyone outside of the group. 

 

Some members of Deaf RISE are required by law to report 
suspected abuse of children, elder and dependent adults. If 
anyone discusses abuse of a child or dependent adult during this 
session, Katelyn (the Deaf RISE Project Coordinator) will 
determine, after careful consideration of the safety and autonomy 
of the individuals involved, whether a mandatory report needs to 
be filed. Again, as a precaution, we ask that you not talk about 
any personal or known experiences of violence that may 
necessitate such a report. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on how you think we can improve 
services. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, an advocate is 
available to speak with you privately. The floater will escort you 
to the advocate. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 


will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 

 

At this time, we assume that all who remain in the room consent 
to participate. We are about to get started so if you do not 
consent you may leave without any consequences. You will still 
be able to get a gift card. Thank you for being here. 

 

2. PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES 


 

a. Be candid, difference of opinion is welcome 
b. If you have a comment, please raise your hand and I 
will call you by the name on your tent card 
c. Please respect each other’s privacy and do not share 
anyone’s information outside of this meeting 
d. Please feel free to eat during our discussion 
e. (Explain location of restrooms) 




 

3. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS (See pages 69-71) 


 

4. DEBRIEF 


 

If you have any feelings that you may need to process, we have 
an advocate on site that you can talk with or you may call 918-
932-2022 (VP) on your own time, when it is safe to do so. 

 

If you have questions in the future, or want to learn about our 
findings or future activities of Deaf RISE, you may contact the 
Project Coordinator: Katelyn Jurney, 918-212-4074, 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 


QUESTIONS FOR TSHA DEAF CLIENTS 

We are going to ask you some questions today to get your ideas 
and wisdom as Deaf individuals. We ask that when you answer, 
please think about these questions through your own experiences 
as a Deaf individual. We recognize and appreciate that you all 
have experiences that shape who you are, but as much as 
possible during our limited time together today, please try and 
focus through the lens of being a Deaf individual. 

 

1. How do you learn about services available for the Deaf 
community? 
a. What is the best way to get information about available 
services and resources to Deaf individuals? And, in 
what form? (i.e., library, internet, church, businesses, 
social media, pamphlets, websites, videos, etc.) 




 

2. Think about a good experience you have had with 
mainstreamed (hearing) agencies. 
a. What makes it easy, or hard, for you to contact a 
mainstreamed agency for help? 
b. What made it feel welcoming and accessible? 
c. What about the staff behavior was positive? On the 
phone and in-person. 
d. What about the overall atmosphere and comfort level 
was positive? 
e. Were the materials and resources provided accessible 
to you? 
f. What is it like when people understand you and Deaf 
culture? 
i. How do you know they understand you? How do 
you know they do not understand Deaf culture? 






 

3. Think about a negative experience you have had with 
mainstreamed (hearing) agencies. 
a. What made it hard for you to contact a mainstreamed 
agency? 





b. What about the staff behavior was negative? On the 
phone and in-person. 
c. What about the overall atmosphere and comfort level 
was negative? 
d. Were the materials and resources provided accessible 
to you? 
e. What is it like when people don’t understand you and 
Deaf culture? 
i. How do you know they do not understand you? 
How do you know they do not understand Deaf 
culture? 






 

4. Think about a good experience you have had with Deaf-
centered agencies for assistance. 
a. What makes you trust a Deaf-centered agency? 




 

5. Think about a negative experience you have had with Deaf-
centered agencies for assistance. 
a. What makes it difficult for you to trust a Deaf-centered 
agency? 
b. What would cause you to NOT contact a Deaf-centered 
agency? 




 

6. Are you satisfied with the quality of interpreters through 
TSHA? 
a. Is there anything you think that the interpreters may 
need more of in regards to training or other? 
b. What do you like or not like about the process of 
requesting interpreters? 




 

7. How can Deaf-centered and mainstreamed agencies work 
together to provide the highest quality services? 
a. How can they help each other? What can they do to 
work as a team? If they work together, how does that 
help you? 




 


8. If you could help us design the very best way for agencies to 
provide the highest quality services for Deaf individuals, 
what would you want to include? 
a. What is the most important thing agencies (Deaf or 
mainstreamed) need to know when they are helping a 
Deaf individual? 
b. What should happen at your first visit that would make 
you want to come back? 




 

9. Is there something you have not had a chance to tell us that 
you really want us to know about services for the Deaf 
community? 


 


S. DEAF SURVIVORS FOCUS GROUP 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how the Deaf 
Survivors focus group will be run by the facilitator as well as the 
questions we will be asking the participants. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! Welcome to the Deaf Survivor focus group. I am Katelyn 
Jurney, and I will be facilitating today’s meeting. I am the project 
coordinator of the Deaf RISE collaboration. This is [NOTE TAKER 
NAME], and they will be our note taker for today. This is 
[FLOATER NAME], and they will be assisting us today with 
anything we may need, so feel free to ask them for any 
assistance during or after this group. Before we get started, I 
want to give you a brief overview on why we are here today. 

 

We are meeting with people to learn about the ways this agency 
is responsive to the needs of people they serve, and in what ways 
they are not. 

 

We have invited you to participate because we believe you can 
share some valuable information, helping us to improve our 
services where it is needed, and do more of what works for you 
and other clients. Please listen to the following information 
carefully before you decide whether or not to participate. 

 

This session is scheduled for approximately [NUMBER] hours, in 
which I will ask you a series of questions and [NOTE TAKER 
NAME] will document the discussion. By participating in this 
session, you are giving us permission to anonymously document 
your responses in our notes. We may include information in 
written materials, but no names or identifying information will be 
included. If you use any names here today, they will not be 
documented. A recording will also be taken of this meeting, which 


will be used for note taking purposes, and will be deleted as soon 
as soon as all notes have been secured. We will not tie your 
comment to you personally in any way. 

 

Your participation is completely voluntary. You can decide 
whether or not you want to respond to a question and you may 
leave at any time, without any consequences. Your decision to 
participate will have NO effect on your eligibility for services or 
the quality of services you receive. To show our appreciation, you 
will be compensated with a $20 gift card, which is yours to keep 
even if you choose not to participate or if you need to leave early. 
If you choose not to take your gift card with you today, we can 
keep it for safekeeping and you can let us know when you’re 
ready to receive it. We will lock it up for you. 

 

We ask that each of you respect one another’s privacy. By 
participating in today’s discussion, you agree to refrain from 
sharing anyone’s personal information or comments discussed in 
this group with anyone outside of the group. 

 

Some members of Deaf RISE are required by law to report 
suspected abuse of children, elder and dependent adults. If 
anyone discusses abuse of a child or dependent adult during this 
session, Katelyn (the Deaf RISE Project Coordinator) will 
determine, after careful consideration of the safety and autonomy 
of the individuals involved, whether a mandatory report needs to 
be filed. Again, as a precaution, we ask that you not talk about 
any personal or known experiences of violence that may 
necessitate such a report. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on how you think we can improve 
services. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, an advocate is 
available to speak with you privately. The floater will escort you 
to the advocate. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 


will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 

 

At this time, we assume that all who remain in the room consent 
to participate. We are about to get started so if you do not 
consent you may leave without any consequences. You will still 
be able to get a gift card. Thank you for being here. 

 

2. PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES 


 

a. Be candid, difference of opinion is welcome 
b. If you have a comment, please raise your hand and I 
will call you by the name on your tent card 
c. Please respect each other’s privacy and do not share 
anyone’s information outside of this meeting 
d. Please feel free to eat during our discussion 
e. (Explain location of restrooms) 




 

3. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS (See pages 75-76) 


 

4. DEBRIEF 


 

If you have any feelings that you may need to process, we have 
an advocate on site that you can talk with or you may call 918-
743-5763 (DVIS) or 918-932-2022 (TSHA VP) on your own time, 
when it is safe to do so. 

 

If you have questions in the future, or want to learn about our 
findings or future activities of Deaf RISE, you may contact the 
Project Coordinator: Katelyn Jurney, 918-212-4074, 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 


QUESTIONS FOR DEAF SURVIVORS 

 

You have a unique lens of the intersection between sexual and 
domestic violence and being deaf. We want to learn from your 
experiences about the services you’ve received by either TSHA, 
DVIS or both, and get your ideas on how to make our services 
more safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive. 

 

1. Is there sufficient information about sexual and domestic 
violence within the Deaf community? 
a. If yes, where can you get the information about sexual 
and domestic violence? 
b. If no, what would be the best way for the Deaf 
community to get information about sexual and 
domestic violence? 




 

2. As a Deaf person who has experienced sexual or domestic 
violence, what type of help did you need? 


 

3. Did you reach out to an agency for support for that help? 
a. How did you find out about the help or assistance that 
was available? 
b. Which agencies did you contact and why? 
c. How did the agency(ies) communicate with you? 
d. How did the agency(ies) make you feel comfortable 
talking about your sexual or domestic violence 
experience? 
e. How was your experience at this agency(ies)? Good or 
bad? 




 

4. What barriers did you face when trying to get services for 
sexual or domestic violence? 
a. Did you have any problems surrounding confidentiality 
in dealing with agencies? 
b. What are the challenges that you have experienced, 
either from within or outside the Deaf community? 




 


5. What could be done to make Deaf individuals feel 
comfortable seeking services for sexual or domestic 
violence? 
a. In the future what would be the best way for sexual 
and domestic violence agencies to inform Deaf 
individuals that accommodations are available? What 
accommodations are vital to receiving the best 
services? 
b. How do you inform staff that they are helping your 
problems? Or not? 




 

6. What kind of training or information do you think 
mainstreamed (hearing) agencies need to better serve Deaf 
people? 


 

7. What kind of training or information do you think Deaf-
centered agencies need to better serve Deaf people 
experiencing sexual or domestic violence? 


 

8. Are you satisfied with the quality of interpreters through 
TSHA? 
a. Is there anything you think that the interpreters may 
need more of in regards to training or other? 
b. What do you like or not like about the process of 
requesting interpreters? 




 

9. Is there any additional information you would like to share 
related to agency services for Deaf survivors of sexual and 
domestic violence? 


 


T. ASL INTERPRETER FOCUS GROUP 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how the ASL 
Interpreter focus group will be run by the facilitator as well as the 
questions we will be asking the participants. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! Welcome to the ASL Interpreter focus group. I am 
[FACILITATOR NAME], and I will be facilitating today’s meeting. 
This is [NOTE TAKER NAME], and they will be our note taker for 
today. This is [FLOATER NAME], and they will be assisting us 
today with anything we may need, so feel free to ask them for 
any assistance during or after this group. Before we get started, I 
want to give you a brief overview on why we are here today. 

 

We are meeting with people to learn about the ways this agency 
is responsive to the needs of people they serve, and in what ways 
they are not. 

 

We have invited you to participate because we believe you can 
share some valuable information, helping us to improve our 
services where it is needed, and do more of what works for you 
and the people we serve. Please listen to the following 
information carefully before you decide whether or not to 
participate. 

 

This session is scheduled for approximately [NUMBER] hours, in 
which I will ask you a series of questions and [NOTE TAKER 
NAME] will document the discussion. By participating in this 
session, you are giving us permission to anonymously document 
your responses in our notes. We may include information in 
written materials, but no names or identifying information will be 
included. If you use any names here today, they will not be 
documented. A recording will also be taken of this meeting, which 


will be used for note taking purposes, and will be deleted as soon 
as soon as all notes have been secured. We will not tie your 
comment to you personally in any way. 

 

Your participation is completely voluntary. You can decide 
whether or not you want to respond to a question and you may 
leave at any time, without any consequences. Your decision to 
participate will have no effect on your relationship or standing 
with TSHA in any way. 

 

We ask that each of you respect one another’s privacy. By 
participating in today’s discussion, you agree to refrain from 
sharing anyone’s personal information or comments discussed in 
this group with anyone outside of the group. 

 

Some members of Deaf RISE are required by law to report 
suspected abuse of children, elder and dependent adults. If 
anyone discusses abuse of a child or dependent adult during this 
session, Katelyn (the Deaf RISE Project Coordinator) will 
determine, after careful consideration of the safety and autonomy 
of the individuals involved, whether a mandatory report needs to 
be filed. Again, as a precaution, we ask that you not talk about 
any personal or known experiences of violence that may 
necessitate such a report. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on your knowledge and perspectives 
on trauma-informed interpreting. We will also ask about your 
comfort level in working high-stress, trauma settings and how 
interpreting agencies can best support you in this type of work. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 
will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 


 

At this time, we assume that all who remain in the room consent 
to participate. We are about to get started so if you do not 
consent you may leave without any consequences. Thank you for 
being here. 

 

2. PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES 


 

a. Be candid, difference of opinion is welcome 
b. If you have a comment, please raise your hand and I 
will call you by the name on your tent card 
c. Please respect each other’s privacy and do not share 
anyone’s information outside of this meeting 
d. Please feel free to eat during our discussion 
e. (Explain location of restrooms) 




 

3. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS (See pages 80-81) 


 

4. DEBRIEF 


 

If there was something you were uncomfortable with sharing in 
the focus group or if there is something you think of later and feel 
it’s important to share, there is a follow-up survey that you may 
complete on your own time, although it is not required. An email 
will be sent with the survey link following this session. We ask 
that if you have any further comments to share them with us by 
[DATE]. 

 

If you have questions in the future, or want to learn about our 
findings or future activities of Deaf RISE, you may contact the 
Project Coordinator: Katelyn Jurney, 918-212-4074, 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 


QUESTIONS FOR ASL INTERPRETERS 

 

1. What types of training do you receive at interpreting 
agencies you are contracted with? 
a. Would you benefit from training on trauma-informed 
interpreting, sexual and domestic violence, and safety 
issues? What training do you currently receive? From 
who? How often? 
b. Do you receive training specific to mandatory 
reporting? From who? How often? 
c. What makes it easy or difficult to obtain training? 
d. Where do you learn about what trainings are available 
in the community? 
e. Is there anything you feel like you need more of in 
regards to training, support, or something else? 




 

2. Think about a time when you provided interpreting services 
with a sexual and/or domestic violence agency. What unique 
issues, if any, have you encountered? 
a. How are you contacted to provide interpreting services 
for individuals interacting with staff? How often? Is 
there any information you receive ahead of time to 
alert you to the trauma-centered subject matter? 
b. Do you find yourself taking on other roles other than 
interpreting? 
c. Is there anything staff could have done differently to 
assist in the interaction? 




 

3. Think about a time when you have interpreted for an 
individual in a sexual or domestic violence situation. 
a. How comfortable are you interpreting for assignments 
involving sexual and domestic violence? What would 
increase your level of comfort/confidence? What would 
interfere? 
b. How do you generally receive assignments involving a 
sexual or domestic violence situation? Have you ever 





turned down an assignment involving a sexual or 
domestic violence situation? 
c. Have you ever noticed that you were emotionally 
affected by an assignment? If so, how did you respond 
during or after the assignment? Who, if anyone, do you 
turn to for support and guidance? Have you ever 
contacted another agency? If so, which one(s)? 




 

4. How is organizational change communicated to you at 
interpreting agencies you are contracted with? 


 

5. Is there something you have not had a chance to tell us that 
you want us to know about what you need to provide 
interpreting services for Deaf survivors impacted by sexual 
and domestic violence? 


 

 


U. DVIS PROGRAM STAFF FOCUS GROUPS 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how the DVIS 
program staff focus groups will be run by the facilitator as well as 
the questions we will be asking the participants. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! Welcome to the DVIS program staff focus group. I am 
[FACILITATOR NAME], and I will be facilitating today’s meeting. 
This is [NOTE TAKER NAME], and they will be our note taker for 
today. This is [FLOATER NAME], and they will be assisting us 
today with anything we may need, so feel free to ask them for 
any assistance during or after this group. This is Katelyn Jurney, 
the Deaf RISE project coordinator and she is here to observe the 
meeting and help identify common themes. This is [INTERPRETER 
NAMES] and they will be our ASL interpreters for today. They are 
bound by the same confidentiality protocols as the rest of us and 
will not share information outside of the focus group. Before we 
get started, I want to give you a brief overview on why we are 
here today. 

 

We are meeting with people to learn about the ways this agency 
is responsive to the needs of people they serve, and in what ways 
they are not. 

 

We have invited you to participate because we believe you can 
share some valuable information, helping us to improve our 
services where it is needed, and do more of what works for you 
and other clients. Please listen to the following information 
carefully before you decide whether or not to participate. 

 

This session is scheduled for approximately [NUMBER] hours, in 
which I will ask you a series of questions and [NOTE TAKER 
NAME] will document the discussion. By participating in this 


session, you are giving us permission to anonymously document 
your responses in our notes. We may include information in 
written materials, but no names or identifying information will be 
included. If you use any names here today, they will not be 
documented. A recording will also be taken of this meeting, which 
will be used for note taking purposes, and will be deleted as soon 
as soon as all notes have been secured. We will not tie your 
comment to you personally in any way. 

 

Your participation is completely voluntary. You can decide 
whether or not you want to respond to a question and you may 
leave at any time, without any consequences. Your decision to 
participate will have no effect on your relationship or standing 
with the agency in any way. 

 

We ask that each of you respect one another’s privacy. By 
participating in today’s discussion, you agree to refrain from 
sharing anyone’s personal information or comments discussed in 
this group with anyone outside of the group. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on your knowledge and perspectives 
on best practices at your agency, accessibility of services and 
agency policies and practices. We will also ask how you think we 
can improve services and how the partner agencies of Deaf RISE 
can best work together. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 
will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 

 

At this time, we assume that all who remain in the room consent 
to participate. We are about to get started so if you do not 


consent you may leave without any consequences. You will still 
be able to get a gift card. Thank you for being here. 

 

2. PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES 


 

a. Be candid, difference of opinion is welcome 
b. If you have a comment, please raise your hand and I 
will call you by the name on your tent card 
c. Please respect each other’s privacy and do not share 
anyone’s information outside of this meeting 
d. Please feel free to eat during our discussion 
e. (Explain location of restrooms) 




 

3. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS (See pages 85-86) 


 

4. DEBRIEF 


 

If there was something you were uncomfortable with sharing in 
the focus group or if there is something you think of later and feel 
it’s important to share, there is a follow-up survey that you may 
complete on your own time, although it is not required. The Deaf 
RISE project coordinator will email the link following this session. 
We ask that if you have any further comments to share them with 
us by [DATE]. 

 

If you have questions in the future, or want to learn about our 
findings or future activities of Deaf RISE, you may contact the 
Project Coordinator: Katelyn Jurney, 918-212-4074, 
kjurney@dvis.org. 


QUESTIONS FOR DVIS PROGRAM STAFF 

 

1. Everyone here has experience working with survivors of 
sexual and domestic violence. Let’s start by asking what is 
the most important thing you think someone needs to know 
about doing this work? 
a. Tell us about a time when things went well when you 
were working with someone experiencing or has 
experienced sexual or domestic violence? 




 

2. Tell us about a time when things did not go well. 
a. What impacted this experience? (i.e., lack of adequate 
training, lack of resources, lack of accessibility, agency 
policies and practices, etc.) 
b. At the time, did you feel you had the necessary training 
and tools to respond to the needs of this individual? 
Please explain. 




 

3. What types of training do you receive at DVIS? 
a. Do you receive training regarding accessibility? Who 
provides the training? How often does the training 
occur? 
b. Do you receive training specific to deafness, Deaf 
culture, and audism? Who provides the training? How 
often does the training occur? 
c. What makes it easy or difficult to obtain training? 




 

4. Tell us about a time you served a survivor who was Deaf. If 
you haven’t yet served a survivor who was Deaf, think about 
what you would have done. 
a. How did you communicate with each other? What 
resources did you draw upon? (i.e., policies, training, 
technology, etc.) 
b. Are there policies and practices in place to guide staff’s 
response to a Deaf survivor? Did you access them? 
Were they helpful? Why or why not? 
c. What works well? What needs to be improved? 





d. How comfortable are you working with a Deaf 
individual? What makes you feel comfortable, or 
uncomfortable? 
e. [SHELTER STAFF: Are you able to access needed 
accommodations on a 24-hour basis?] 




 

5. What type of things within DVIS, impacted your ability to 
best respond to and meet the needs of a Deaf survivor? 
(i.e., lack of training, knowledge of resources, accessibility 
of services, knowledge of community partnerships, ability to 
meet the client’s accommodation requests, etc.) 


 

6. How can DVIS and TSHA work together to provide the 
highest quality services? Can you give an example? 
a. How can they help each other? How does that help 
you? 
b. What do you want TSHA to know about how to best 
serve survivors of sexual and domestic violence? 
c. If you were going to train TSHA staff, what would you 
put in the training curriculum to ensure they had the 
basics for responding to and serving survivors? 




 

7. How is organizational change made at DVIS? 
a. How does change happen within DVIS? 
b. What is the process? What motivates change? Who 
initiates it? 
c. What works well? What needs to be improved? 




 

8. Is there something you have not had a chance to tell us that 
you want us to know about what your agency needs to 
provide services for survivors in general as well as Deaf 
survivors? 



V. TSHA PROGRAM STAFF FOCUS GROUP 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how the TSHA 
program staff focus group will be run by the facilitator as well as 
the questions we will be asking the participants. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! Welcome to the TSHA program staff focus group. I am 
[FACILITATOR NAME], and I will be facilitating today’s meeting. 
This is [NOTE TAKER NAME], and they will be our note taker for 
today. This is [FLOATER NAME], and they will be assisting us 
today with anything we may need, so feel free to ask them for 
any assistance during or after this group. This is Katelyn Jurney, 
the Deaf RISE project coordinator and she is here to observe the 
meeting and help identify common themes. This is [INTERPRETER 
NAMES] and they will be our ASL interpreters for today. They are 
bound by the same confidentiality protocols as the rest of us and 
will not share information outside of the focus group. Before we 
get started, I want to give you a brief overview on why we are 
here today. 

 

We are meeting with people to learn about the ways this agency 
is responsive to the needs of people they serve, and in what ways 
they are not. 

 

We have invited you to participate because we believe you can 
share some valuable information, helping us to improve our 
services where it is needed, and do more of what works for you 
and other clients. Please listen to the following information 
carefully before you decide whether or not to participate. 

 

This session is scheduled for approximately [NUMBER] hours, in 
which I will ask you a series of questions and [NOTE TAKER 
NAME] will document the discussion. By participating in this 


session, you are giving us permission to anonymously document 
your responses in our notes. We may include information in 
written materials, but no names or identifying information will be 
included. If you use any names here today, they will not be 
documented. A recording will also be taken of this meeting, which 
will be used for note taking purposes, and will be deleted as soon 
as soon as all notes have been secured. We will not tie your 
comment to you personally in any way. 

 

Your participation is completely voluntary. You can decide 
whether or not you want to respond to a question and you may 
leave at any time, without any consequences. Your decision to 
participate will have no effect on your relationship or standing 
with the agency in any way. 

 

We ask that each of you respect one another’s privacy. By 
participating in today’s discussion, you agree to refrain from 
sharing anyone’s personal information or comments discussed in 
this group with anyone outside of the group. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on your knowledge and perspectives 
on best practices at your agency, accessibility of services and 
agency policies and practices. We will also ask how you think we 
can improve services and how the partner agencies of Deaf RISE 
can best work together. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 
will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 

 

At this time, we assume that all who remain in the room consent 
to participate. We are about to get started so if you do not 


consent you may leave without any consequences. You will still 
be able to get a gift card. Thank you for being here. 

 

2. PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES 


 

a. Be candid, difference of opinion is welcome 
b. If you have a comment, please raise your hand and I 
will call you by the name on your tent card 
c. Please respect each other’s privacy and do not share 
anyone’s information outside of this meeting 
d. Please feel free to eat during our discussion 
e. (Explain location of restrooms) 




 

3. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS (See pages 90-91) 


 

4. DEBRIEF 


 

If there was something you were uncomfortable with sharing in 
the focus group or if there is something you think of later and feel 
it’s important to share, there is a follow-up survey that you may 
complete on your own time, although it is not required. An email 
of the survey link will be sent following this session. We ask that 
if you have any further comments to share them with us by 
[DATE]. 

 

If you have questions in the future, or want to learn about our 
findings or future activities of Deaf RISE, you may contact the 
Project Coordinator: Katelyn Jurney, 918-212-4074, 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 


QUESTIONS FOR TSHA PROGRAM STAFF 

 

1. Everyone here has experience working with Deaf individuals. 
Let’s start by asking what is the most important thing you 
think someone needs to know about doing this work? 
a. Tell us about a time when things went well when you 
were working with someone who is Deaf? 




 

2. Tell us about a time when things did not go well. 
a. What impacted this experience? (i.e., lack of adequate 
training, lack of resources, lack of accessibility, agency 
policies and practices, etc.) 




 

3. What types of training do you receive at TSHA? 
a. What training have you received on Deaf culture and 
unique safety issues? Who provides the training? How 
often does it occur? 
b. Do you receive training regarding sexual and domestic 
violence? Who provides the training? How often does it 
occur? 
c. Do you receive training regarding mandatory reporting? 
Who provides the training? How often does it occur? 
d. What makes it easy or difficult to obtain training? 




 

4. Tell us about a time you served a Deaf individual who was 
experiencing sexual or domestic violence. How did you assist 
that individual? If you haven’t yet served a survivor of 
sexual or domestic violence, think about what you would do 
in that situation. 
a. How comfortable are you working with a survivor of 
sexual and domestic violence? What makes you feel 
comfortable, or uncomfortable? 
b. Are there policies and practices to guide you? What 
works well? What needs to be improved? 
c. What do you need in order to better serve Deaf 
survivors of sexual and domestic violence? 




 


5. What type of things impacted your ability to respond to the 
needs of a Deaf individual experiencing sexual or domestic 
violence? (i.e., lack of training, knowledge of resources, 
accessibility of services, knowledge of community 
partnerships, ability to meet the client’s accommodation 
requests, etc.) 


 

6. How can TSHA and DVIS work together to provide the 
highest quality services? Can you give an example? 
a. How can they help each other? How does that help 
you? 
b. What do you want DVIS to know about Deaf individuals 
in order to adequately serve survivors? 
c. If you were going to train DVIS staff, what would you 
put in the training curriculum to ensure they had the 
basics for responding to and serving Deaf survivors? 




 

7. How is organizational change communicated to you at 
TSHA? 
a. How does change happen within TSHA? 
b. What is the process? What motivates change? Who 
initiates it? 
c. What works well? What needs to be improved? 




 

8. Is there something you have not had a chance to tell us that 
you want us to know about what your agency needs to 
provide services for Deaf individuals in general as well as 
Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence? 



W. DVIS LEADERSHIP FOCUS GROUPS 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how the DVIS 
leadership focus groups will be run by the facilitator as well as the 
questions we will be asking the participants. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! Welcome to the DVIS leadership focus group. I am 
[FACILITATOR NAME], and I will be facilitating today’s meeting. 
This is [NOTE TAKER NAME], and they will be our note taker for 
today. This is [FLOATER NAME], and they will be assisting us 
today with anything we may need, so feel free to ask them for 
any assistance during or after this group. This is Katelyn Jurney, 
the Deaf RISE project coordinator and she is here to observe the 
meeting and help identify common themes. This is [INTERPRETER 
NAMES] and they will be our ASL interpreters for today. They are 
bound by the same confidentiality protocols as the rest of us and 
will not share information outside of the focus group. Before we 
get started, I want to give you a brief overview on why we are 
here today. 

 

We are meeting with people to learn about the ways this agency 
is responsive to the needs of people they serve, and in what ways 
they are not. 

 

We have invited you to participate because we believe you can 
share some valuable information, helping us to improve our 
services where it is needed, and do more of what works for you 
and other clients. Please listen to the following information 
carefully before you decide whether or not to participate. 

 

This session is scheduled for approximately [NUMBER] hours, in 
which I will ask you a series of questions and [NOTE TAKER 
NAME] will document the discussion. By participating in this 


session, you are giving us permission to anonymously document 
your responses in our notes. We may include information in 
written materials, but no names or identifying information will be 
included. If you use any names here today, they will not be 
documented. A recording will also be taken of this meeting, which 
will be used for note taking purposes, and will be deleted as soon 
as soon as all notes have been secured. We will not tie your 
comment to you personally in any way. 

 

Your participation is completely voluntary. You can decide 
whether or not you want to respond to a question and you may 
leave at any time, without any consequences. Your decision to 
participate will have no effect on your relationship or standing 
with the agency in any way. 

 

We ask that each of you respect one another’s privacy. By 
participating in today’s discussion, you agree to refrain from 
sharing anyone’s personal information or comments discussed in 
this group with anyone outside of the group. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on your knowledge and perspectives 
on best practices at your agency, accessibility of services and 
agency policies and practices. We will also ask how you think we 
can improve services and how the partner agencies of Deaf RISE 
can best work together. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 
will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 

 

At this time, we assume that all who remain in the room consent 
to participate. We are about to get started so if you do not 


consent you may leave without any consequences. You will still 
be able to get a gift card. Thank you for being here. 

 

2. PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES 


 

a. Be candid, difference of opinion is welcome 
b. If you have a comment, please raise your hand and I 
will call you by the name on your tent card 
c. Please respect each other’s privacy and do not share 
anyone’s information outside of this meeting 
d. Please feel free to eat during our discussion 
e. (Explain location of restrooms) 




 

3. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS (See pages 95-96) 


 

4. DEBRIEF 


 

If there was something you were uncomfortable with sharing in 
the focus group or if there is something you think of later and feel 
it’s important to share, there is a follow-up survey that you may 
complete on your own time, although it is not required. The Deaf 
RISE project coordinator will email the survey link following this 
session. We ask that if you have any further comments to share 
them with us by [DATE]. 

 

If you have questions in the future, or want to learn about our 
findings or future activities of Deaf RISE, you may contact the 
Project Coordinator: Katelyn Jurney, 918-212-4074, 
kjurney@dvis.org. 

 


QUESTIONS FOR DVIS LEADERSHIP 

 

1. What are some positive things that DVIS currently does to 
ensure survivors feel welcome and respected? 
a. Do you feel staff have what they need to adequately 
meet the needs of survivors? 
b. What factors might demonstrate that DVIS is not 
accessible, welcoming or able to serve survivors? (i.e., 
lack of policies, training, etc.) 




 

2. In relation to DVIS providing services to Deaf survivors, 
what currently exists? 
a. What policies and practices are in place? 
b. What does the intake process look like? 
c. What about a process for clients to request 
accommodations? 
d. What about staff training? 




 

3. We understand that biases exists and they are normal. How 
do your attitudes and beliefs affect your ability to serve Deaf 
survivors? For example, do you have difficulty working with 
Deaf individuals or do you have any assumptions about Deaf 
individuals that could impact your interaction with the 
survivor? 
a. Have any come into play when serving Deaf survivors? 




 

4. What concerns, if any, have staff brought to your attention 
when assisting a Deaf survivor? 
a. Who, if anyone, did you turn to for support or 
guidance? Do you have a working relationship with 
agencies that serve the Deaf community? 
b. What makes you feel comfortable, or uncomfortable, in 
the support you give staff? What do you find to be 
helpful to you as a resource? (i.e., training, working 
relationships in the community, etc.) 




 

5. How do you respond to the training needs of staff? 



a. What type of regular training do you provide? How 
often? Who provides the training? 
b. What would you need to better support staff? 




 

6. How is organizational change made at DVIS? 
a. What is the process? What motivates change? Who 
initiates it? 
b. How is change communicated up or down within your 
department? 
c. What can be a barrier to organizational change within 
the agency? (i.e., funding sources, staff resistance, 
budget constraints, board support, organizational 
communication, etc.) 




 

7. Do you have any additional comments or feedback about 
what your agency needs to adequately provide services for 
survivors and Deaf survivors? 



X. TSHA LEADERSHIP FOCUS GROUP 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how the TSHA 
leadership focus group will be run by the facilitator as well as the 
questions we will be asking the participants. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! Welcome to the TSHA leadership focus group. I am 
[FACILITATOR NAME], and I will be facilitating today’s meeting. 
This is [NOTE TAKER NAME], and they will be our note taker for 
today. This is [FLOATER NAME], and they will be assisting us 
today with anything we may need, so feel free to ask them for 
any assistance during or after this group. This is Katelyn Jurney, 
the Deaf RISE project coordinator and she is here to observe the 
meeting and help identify common themes. This is [INTERPRETER 
NAMES] and they will be our ASL interpreters for today. They are 
bound by the same confidentiality protocols as the rest of us and 
will not share information outside of the focus group. Before we 
get started, I want to give you a brief overview on why we are 
here today. 

 

We are meeting with people to learn about the ways this agency 
is responsive to the needs of people they serve, and in what ways 
they are not. 

 

We have invited you to participate because we believe you can 
share some valuable information, helping us to improve our 
services where it is needed, and do more of what works for you 
and other clients. Please listen to the following information 
carefully before you decide whether or not to participate. 

 

This session is scheduled for approximately [NUMBER] hours, in 
which I will ask you a series of questions and [NOTE TAKER 
NAME] will document the discussion. By participating in this 


session, you are giving us permission to anonymously document 
your responses in our notes. We may include information in 
written materials, but no names or identifying information will be 
included. If you use any names here today, they will not be 
documented. A recording will also be taken of this meeting, which 
will be used for note taking purposes, and will be deleted as soon 
as soon as all notes have been secured. We will not tie your 
comment to you personally in any way. 

 

Your participation is completely voluntary. You can decide 
whether or not you want to respond to a question and you may 
leave at any time, without any consequences. Your decision to 
participate will have no effect on your relationship or standing 
with the agency in any way. 

 

We ask that each of you respect one another’s privacy. By 
participating in today’s discussion, you agree to refrain from 
sharing anyone’s personal information or comments discussed in 
this group with anyone outside of the group. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on your knowledge and perspectives 
on best practices at your agency, accessibility of services and 
agency policies and practices. We will also ask how you think we 
can improve services and how the partner agencies of Deaf RISE 
can best work together. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 
will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 

 

At this time, we assume that all who remain in the room consent 
to participate. We are about to get started so if you do not 


consent you may leave without any consequences. You will still 
be able to get a gift card. Thank you for being here. 

 

2. PARTICIPANT GUIDELINES 


 

a. Be candid, difference of opinion is welcome 
b. If you have a comment, please raise your hand and I 
will call you by the name on your tent card 
c. Please respect each other’s privacy and do not share 
anyone’s information outside of this meeting 
d. Please feel free to eat during our discussion 
e. (Explain location of restrooms) 




 

3. FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS (See pages 100-101) 


 

4. DEBRIEF 


 

If there was something you were uncomfortable with sharing in 
the focus group or if there is something you think of later and feel 
it’s important to share, there is a follow-up survey that you may 
complete on your own time, although it is not required. The Deaf 
RISE project coordinator will email the survey link following this 
session. We ask that if you have any further comments to share 
them with us by [DATE]. 

 

If you have questions in the future, or want to learn about our 
findings or future activities of Deaf RISE, you may contact the 
Project Coordinator: Katelyn Jurney, 918-212-4074, 
kjurney@dvis.org. 


QUESTIONS FOR TSHA LEADERSHIP 

 

1. What are some positive things that TSHA currently does to 
ensure Deaf individuals feel welcome and respected? 
a. Do you feel staff have what they need to adequately 
meet the needs of Deaf individuals? 
b. What factors might demonstrate that TSHA is not 
accessible, welcoming or able to serve Deaf clients? 
(i.e., lack of policies, training, etc.) 




 

2. In relation to TSHA providing services to Deaf individuals 
experiencing sexual or domestic violence, what currently 
exists? 
a. What policies and practices are in place? 
b. What does the intake process look like? 
c. What about a process for clients to request 
accommodations? 
d. What about staff training? 




 

3. We understand that biases exist, and that they are normal. 
How have your attitudes and beliefs affected your ability to 
serve Deaf survivors? For example, do you have difficulty 
working with specific people or do you have any 
assumptions about sexual or domestic violence that could 
impact your interaction with the survivor? 
a. Have any come into play when serving Deaf survivors? 




 

4. What concerns, if any, have staff brought to your attention 
when assisting a Deaf survivor? 
a. Who, if anyone, did you turn to for support or 
guidance? Do you have a working relationship with 
agencies that serve people who experience sexual and 
domestic violence? 
b. What makes you feel comfortable, or uncomfortable, in 
the support you give staff? What did you find to be 
helpful to you as a resource? (i.e., training, working 
relationship in the community, etc.) 





 

5. How do you respond to the training needs of staff? 
a. What type of regular training do you provide? How 
often? Who provides the training? 
b. What would you need to better support staff? 




 

6. How is organizational change made at TSHA? 
a. What is the process? What motivates change? Who 
initiates it? 
b. How is change communicated up or down within your 
department? 
c. What can be a barrier to organizational change within 
the agency? (i.e., funding sources, staff resistance, 
budget constraints, board support, organizational 
communication, etc.) 




 

7. Do you have any additional comments or feedback about 
what your agency needs to adequately provide services for 
Deaf survivors? 


 


Y. INTERVIEW FOR DVIS CEO 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how the DVIS CEO 
interview will be run by the facilitator as well as the questions we 
will be asking. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! I am [FACILITATOR NAME] and I will be conducting today’s 
interview. Thank you for meeting with me. Before we get started, 
I want to give you a brief overview on why we are here today. 

 

Deaf RISE is meeting with different targeted people to learn 
about the ways this agency is responsive to the needs of people 
they serve, and in what ways they are not. 

 

This interview will take approximately one hour, in which I will 
ask you a series of questions and document the discussion. By 
participating in this session, you give me permission to document 
your responses. I may include information in written materials, 
but no names or identifying information will be included. The 
interview will also be recorded to completely capture all 
comments. The information shared will be used anonymously in 
our notes and in our final report. All audio and written transcripts 
will be destroyed after the needs assessment report is completed. 
We will not tie your comments to you personally in any way. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on your knowledge and perspectives 
on best practices at your agency, accessibility of services and 
agency policies and practices. We will also ask about the decision-


making process, how you think we can improve services, and how 
the partner agencies of Deaf RISE can best work together. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 
will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 

 

2. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (See pages 104-105) 


 

3. DEBRIEF 


 


QUESTIONS FOR DVIS CEO 

 

1. What concerns, if any, have staff brought to your attention 
regarding to responding to the needs of survivors of sexual 
and domestic violence? 
a. What would you need to better support staff? 




 

2. How do you respond to the training needs of staff? 
a. What type of regular training do you provide? How 
often? Who provides the training? 




 

3. What are some challenges do you think DVIS faces in 
serving Deaf survivors? 
a. Are there any formal policies and practices in place for 
staff to follow? 
b. Is there anything regarding DVIS’ culture that could 
create a barrier in serving Deaf survivors, such as 
stigma or assumptions? 
c. What are some changes that you think should be made 
to give DVIS more support in responding to and 
providing services to Deaf survivors? 
d. How does DVIS budget for accommodations? 




 

4. How does organizational change happen at DVIS? 
a. What is the process? What motivates change? Who 
initiates it? 
b. What is the decision-making process? 
c. How is change communicated up or down across the 
agency? 
d. What can be a barrier to organizational change within 
the agency? (i.e., funding sources, staff resistance, 
budget constraints, board support, organizational 
communication, etc.) 




 

5. What does a successful collaboration look like for you? 
a. And the opposite, an unsuccessful collaboration? 





b. What opportunities do you see for collaboration among 
DVIS and TSHA? 




 

6. Do you have any additional comments and/or feedback? 



Z. INTERVIEW FOR TSHA EXEC. DIRECTOR 

 

Below you will find the process and script of how the DVIS CEO 
interview will be run by the facilitator as well as the questions we 
will be asking. 

 

Process 

 

1. INTRODUCTION & CONSENT STATEMENT 


 

Hello! I am [FACILITATOR NAME] and I will be conducting today’s 
interview. Thank you for meeting with me. Before we get started, 
I want to give you a brief overview on why we are here today. 

 

Deaf RISE is meeting with different targeted people to learn 
about the ways this agency is responsive to the needs of people 
they serve, and in what ways they are not. 

 

This interview will take approximately one hour, in which I will 
ask you a series of questions and document the discussion. By 
participating in this session, you give me permission to document 
your responses. I may include information in written materials, 
but no names or identifying information will be included. The 
interview will also be recorded to completely capture all 
comments. The information shared will be used anonymously in 
our notes and in our final report. All audio and written transcripts 
will be destroyed after the needs assessment report is completed. 
We will not tie your comments to you personally in any way. 

 

We do not expect the questions to make you feel uncomfortable. 
Our focus today will only be on your knowledge and perspectives 
on best practices at your agency, accessibility of services and 
agency policies and practices. We will also ask about the decision-


making process, how you think we can improve services, and how 
the partner agencies of Deaf RISE can best work together. 

 

We value your expertise and invite you to contribute to the Deaf 
RISE collaboration. This information gathered during this meeting 
will help us make sustainable changes within our agency to 
provide a safe, accessible, welcoming and culturally-responsive 
environment. 

 

Are there any questions? 

 

2. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (See pages 108-109) 


 

3. DEBRIEF 


 


QUESTIONS FOR TSHA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

 

1. What concerns, if any, have staff brought to your attention 
regarding responding to the needs of Deaf clients that come 
in for services? 
a. What would you need to better support staff? 




 

2. How do you respond to the training needs of staff? 
a. What type of regular training do you provide? How 
often? Who provides the training? 




 

3. What are some challenges do you think TSHA faces in 
serving Deaf individuals experiencing sexual and domestic 
violence? 
a. Are there any formal policies and practices in place for 
staff to follow? 
b. Is there anything regarding TSHA’s culture that could 
create a barrier in serving Deaf survivors, such as 
stigma or assumptions? 
c. What are some changes that you think should be made 
to give TSHA more support in responding to and 
providing services to Deaf survivors? 
d. How does TSHA budget for accommodations? 




 

4. How does organizational change happen at TSHA? 
a. What is the process? What motivates change? Who 
initiates it? 
b. What is the decision-making process? 
c. How is change communicated up or down across the 
agency? 
d. What can be a barrier to organizational change within 
the agency? (i.e., funding sources, staff resistance, 
budget constraints, board support, organizational 
communication, etc.) 




 

5. What does a successful collaboration look like for you? 
a. And the opposite, an unsuccessful collaboration? 





b. What opportunities do you see for collaboration among 
TSHA and DVIS? 




 

6. Do you have any additional comments and/or feedback? 



AA. SURVEY FOR DVIS BOARD OF 
DIRECTORS 

 

Below you will find the opening statement and consent process as 
well as the survey questions (see pages 112-114) for the board 
of directors. The survey will be provided through an online survey 
tool such as SurveyMonkey or Google Forms. A link to the survey 
will be shared via email. 

 

Opening Statement & Consent Process 

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to fill out this survey for the 
Deaf RISE Needs Assessment. 

 

As stated in the email, DVIS is part of Deaf RISE, which is funded 
by the Office on Violence Against Women, to focus on improving 
access to services for Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic 
violence. Our collaboration partner on this grant is TSHA, a local 
agency that serves the Deaf community. 

 

We recognize that the Board of Directors has final approval of 
policies and budgets and thus feel it is important to engage you. 
This survey will focus on your perspectives of how change 
happens at DVIS, the current ability to culturally-respond to and 
serve Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence, in a 
trauma-informed approach. We are also curious of the capacity 
and comfort level of being able to serve Deaf individuals impacted 
by sexual or domestic violence at DVIS. 

 

We strongly encourage you to participate in this survey, but also 
want to assure you that participation is optional and the decision 
whether or not to participate will not impact your position on the 
board in any way. Your responses will be anonymous. 

 


Feel free to contact DVIS’ CEO, Tracey Lyall (tlyall@dvis.org) or 
the Deaf RISE Project Coordinator, Katelyn Jurney 
(kjurney@dvis.org) if you require additional information before 
proceeding. 

 

If you would like and are able to participate, please click the 
following link. We assume that if you proceed, you consent to 
participate. Again, your responses will be anonymous and you 
may stop at any process in the survey if you become 
uncomfortable without any consequences. The survey should take 
approximately 30 minutes. 

 

We appreciate your input and feedback and look forward to 
working with you on improving DVIS’ services for Deaf individuals 
impacted by sexual and domestic violence. 

 


QUESTIONS FOR DVIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

 

1a. How does organizational change happen at DVIS? 

 

1b. What motivates change? Who initiates it? 

 

1c. What is the decision-making process? 

 

1d. What can be a barrier to organizational change within the 
agency? (Please check all that apply) 

 Funding sources 
 Staff resistance 
 Budget constraints 
 Board support 
 Organizational communication 
 Other (please describe): ____________________________ 


 

2. Are there any policies and practices in place at DVIS when 
serving Deaf survivors? 

a) Yes 
b) No 
c) Not sure 


 

3a. To what degree does DVIS meet the communication needs of 
Deaf individuals? 

a) Completely 
b) Somewhat… we can improve in this area 
c) Poorly… we need extensive improvement in this area 
d) I am unaware 


 

3b. If improvement is needed, what do you suggest? 

1. ________________________________________________ 
2. ________________________________________________ 


 

4a. To what extent do you see challenges for DVIS in providing 
the highest quality services for Deaf individuals impacted by 
sexual and domestic violence? 


a) Significant 
b) Moderate 
c) Minimal 
d) None 


 

4b. What challenges do you see? 

1. ________________________________________________ 
2. ________________________________________________ 


 

5. From the list below, please select the activities that DVIS 
should do to provide quality services to Deaf survivors. 

 Provide access to effective communication 
 Train all staff on Deaf culture and unique safety issues 
 Employ qualified Deaf individuals 
 Include the cost of signed language interpreters in the 
budget 
 Offer agency information in alternative formats (i.e., videos 
in ASL) 
 Have a working knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities 
Act 
 I do not think there is a need for any activities 
 Other (please describe): ____________________________ 


 

6. To what degree would you be willing to support new initiatives 
for DVIS to better serve Deaf survivors? 

a) Definitely would 
b) Likely would 
c) Unsure… I would need more information 
d) Likely would not 
e) Definitely would not 


 

7. If you would be willing to support such initiatives, in what ways 
would you commit to supporting them? (Please check all that 
apply) 

 Budget allocations 
 Sourcing new funding 
 Public support/advocacy 
 Collaboration building activities 



 Programming changes 
 Policy changes 
 Media campaigns 
 Other (Please specify): _____________________________ 


 

8. What suggestions do you have to strengthen and sustain 
successful partnerships among collaboration agencies? 

1. ________________________________________________ 
2. ________________________________________________ 


 

9a. To what degree do you see this collaboration as being 
consistent with the mission statement and initiative of DVIS? 

a) Completely consistent 
b) Somewhat consistent 
c) Not consistent 


 

9b. If there are any inconsistencies, how can they be addressed? 

1. ________________________________________________ 
2. ________________________________________________ 


 

10. Do you have any additional comments and/or feedback? 

 


BB. SURVEY FOR TSHA BOARD OF 
DIRECTORS 

 

Below you will find the opening statement and consent process as 
well as the survey questions (see pages 117-120) for the board 
of directors. The survey will be provided through an online survey 
tool such as SurveyMonkey or Google Forms. A link to the survey 
will be shared via email. 

 

Opening Statement & Consent Process 

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to fill out this survey for the 
Deaf RISE Needs Assessment. 

 

As stated in the email, TSHA is part of Deaf RISE, which is funded 
by the Office on Violence Against Women, to focus on improving 
access to services for Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic 
violence. Our collaboration partner on this grant is Domestic 
Violence Intervention Services (DVIS). 

 

We recognize that the Board of Directors has final approval of 
policies and budgets and thus feel it is important to engage you. 
This survey will focus on your perspectives of how change 
happens at TSHA, the current ability to culturally-respond to and 
serve Deaf survivors of sexual and domestic violence, in a 
trauma-informed approach. We are also curious of the capacity 
and comfort level of being able to serve Deaf individuals impacted 
by sexual or domestic violence at TSHA. 

 

We strongly encourage you to participate in this survey, but also 
want to assure you that participation is optional and the decision 
whether or not to participate will not impact your position on the 
board in any way. Your responses will be anonymous. 

 


Feel free to contact TSHA’s Executive Director, Marquetta Finley 
(mfinley@tsha.cc) or the Deaf RISE Project Coordinator, Katelyn 
Jurney (kjurney@dvis.org) if you require additional information 
before proceeding. 

 

If you would like and are able to participate, please click the 
following link. We assume that if you proceed, you consent to 
participate. Again, your responses will be anonymous and you 
may stop at any process in the survey if you become 
uncomfortable without any consequences. The survey should take 
approximately 30 minutes. 

 

We appreciate your input and feedback and look forward to 
working with you on improving TSHA’s services for Deaf 
individuals impacted by sexual and domestic violence. 

 


QUESTIONS FOR TSHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

 

1a. How does organizational change happen at TSHA? 

 

1b. What motivates change? Who initiates it? 

 

1c. What is the decision-making process? 

 

1d. What can be a barrier to organizational change within the 
agency? (Please check all that apply) 

 Funding sources 
 Staff resistance 
 Budget constraints 
 Board support 
 Organizational communication 
 Other (please describe): ____________________________ 


 

2. Are there any policies and practices in place at TSHA when 
serving Deaf individuals impacted by sexual or domestic violence? 

d) Yes 
e) No 
f) Not sure 


 

3a. To what degree does TSHA meet the communication needs of 
Deaf individuals? 

e) Completely 
f) Somewhat… we can improve in this area 
g) Poorly… we need extensive improvement in this area 
h) I am unaware 


 

3b. If improvement is needed, what do you suggest? 

3. ________________________________________________ 
4. ________________________________________________ 


 

4. From the list below, please select the types of services that 
best support the Deaf community (Please check all that apply): 

 Support services/case management 



 Signed language classes 
 Interpreting services 
 Accessible website 
 Employ qualified Deaf individuals 
 Community education 
 Organized social activities 
 Community meetings and presentations 
 Advocacy 
 Clinical/counseling services 
 Other (Please describe): ____________________________ 


 

5a. To what extent do you see challenges for TSHA to increase 
awareness of sexual and domestic violence issues within the Deaf 
community? 

a) Significant 
b) Moderate 
c) Minimal 
d) None 


 

5b. What challenges do you see? 

1. ________________________________________________ 
2. ________________________________________________ 


 

6. From the list below, please select the activities that TSHA 
should do to increase awareness of sexual and domestic violence 
issues within the Deaf community: (Please check all that apply) 

 Develop collaborative relationships with sexual and domestic 
violence service providers 
 Train all staff on sexual and domestic violence and unique 
safety issues for Deaf individuals 
 Offer sexual and domestic violence information in alternative 
formats (i.e., videos in ASL) 
 Have a working knowledge of mandatory reporting 
requirements 
 I do not think there is a need for any activities 
 Other (Please describe): ____________________________ 


 


7a. To what degree would you be willing to support new 
initiatives for TSHA to better serve Deaf survivors of sexual and 
domestic violence? 

a) Definitely would 
b) Likely would 
c) Unsure… I would need more information 
d) Likely would not 
e) Definitely would not 


 

7b. If you would be willing, in what ways would you commit to 
supporting such initiatives? (Please check all that apply) 

 Budget allocations 
 Sourcing new funding 
 Public support/advocacy 
 Collaboration building activities 
 Programming changes 
 Policy changes 
 Media campaigns 
 Other (Please specify): _____________________________ 


 

8. What, if anything, would be different at TSHA with additional 
staff members/volunteers who are Deaf? (Please check all that 
apply) 

 Increase number of Deaf individuals using agency services 
 Increase in-house interpreting budget 
 Necessitate training of all staff re: deafness and Deaf culture 
 Necessitate additional signed language training for staff 
 Increase adaptive equipment 
 Strengthen agency image in the Deaf community 


 

9. What suggestions do you have to strengthen and sustain 
successful partnerships among collaboration agencies? 

1. ________________________________________________ 
2. ________________________________________________ 


 

10a. To what degree do you see this collaboration as being 
consistent with the mission statement and initiatives of TSHA? 

a) Completely consistent 



b) Somewhat consistent 
c) Not consistent 


 

10b. If there are any inconsistencies, how can they be 
addressed? 

1. ________________________________________________ 
2. ________________________________________________ 


 

11. Do you have any additional comments and/or feedback? 

 


CC. FOLLOW-UP SURVEY FOR ASL 
INTERPRETERS 


 

Below is the opening statement and consent process as well as 
the survey questions (see page 122). The survey will be provided 
through an online survey tool such as SurveyMonkey or Google 
Forms. A link to the survey will be emailed to the participants 
following the focus group. 

 

Opening Statement & Consent Process 

Thank you for participating in the focus group. Your feedback and 
input is deeply valued. 

 

This survey is an opportunity for you to share additional thoughts 
that you may have been uncomfortable with sharing in the focus 
group as well as thoughts that you may have thought of at a later 
time and feel it is important to share. 

 

This survey is not required and there are no consequences 
whether you participate or not. Your responses will be 
anonymous. The survey should take approximately 10-15 
minutes. 

 

We assume by proceeding with the survey, you consent to 
participate. You may stop at any time in the process without 
consequences. If you require additional information before 
proceeding, feel free to contact the Deaf RISE Project Coordinator 
at kjurney@dvis.org. 

 

We ask that if you have any further comments to share them with 
us by [DATE]. Again, we value your input and thank you for your 
time. 

 

 


QUESTIONS FOR ASL INTERPRETERS 

 

Is there something you have not had a chance to tell us that you 
want us to know about what you need in order to provide 
interpreting services for Deaf survivors impacted by sexual and 
domestic violence? 

 

 


DD. FOLLOW-UP SURVEY FOR PROGRAM 
STAFF & LEADERSHIP 

 

Below is the opening statement and consent process as well as 
the survey questions (see page 124). The survey will be provided 
through an online survey tool such as SurveyMonkey or Google 
Forms. A link to the survey will be emailed to the participants 
following the focus group. 

 

Opening Statement & Consent Process 

Thank you for participating in the focus group. Your feedback and 
input is deeply valued. 

 

This survey is an opportunity for you to share additional thoughts 
that you may have been uncomfortable with sharing in the focus 
group as well as thoughts that you may have thought of at a later 
time and feel it is important to share. 

 

This survey is not required and there are no consequences 
whether you participate or not. Your responses will be 
anonymous. The survey should take approximately 10-15 
minutes. 

 

We assume by proceeding with the survey, you consent to 
participate. You may stop at any time in the process without 
consequences. If you require additional information before 
proceeding, feel free to contact the Deaf RISE Project Coordinator 
at kjurney@dvis.org. 

 

We ask that if you have any further comments to share them with 
us by [DATE]. Again, we value your input and thank you for your 
time. 

 


QUESTIONS FOR PROGRAM STAFF & LEADERSHIP 

 

Is there something you have not had a chance to tell us that you 
want us to know about what your agency needs to provide 
services for survivors in general as well as Deaf survivors? 

 

 

 



EE. LOG OF GIFT CARDS 

 

Gift Card Log 

 

Date __________ Time __________ 

 

Location _____________________________________________ 

 

Facilitator ____________________________________________ 

# of Cards to Start 

# of Participants 

# of Cards at End 

 

 

 



 

Participants who did not want to take their card at this time: 

Initials 

Instructions for retention of card 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Facilitator signature ____________________________________ 

 

Project Coordinator signature ____________________________ 

 

Date __________ 

 


FF. DEBRIEFING FORM 

 

Focus Group/Interview Debriefing Form 

 

FACILITATOR & NOTE TAKER: 
Please complete this form together immediately following the 
focus group and deliver it to the Project Coordinator. 

 

Date: ____________________ Time: _______________ 

 

Location: ____________________________________________ 

 

Number of Participants: _________________________________ 

 

Facilitator: ___________________________________________ 

 

Note Taker: __________________________________________ 

 

Floater: _____________________________________________ 

 

Interpreter(s): ________________________________________ 

 

Group: 
 Survivors (Group: __________)  Deaf 

 ASL Interpreters  Program Staff 

 Leadership  CEO/Executive Director 

 

1. Common Themes: 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


2. Strengths in Services (Safety & Access, Policies & 
Procedures, Staff Knowledge, Training) 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Gaps in Services (Safety & Access, Policies & 
Procedures, Staff Knowledge, Training) 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Memorable quotes or comments: 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Notable observations: 



GG. LOCAL RESOURCES FOR SURVIVORS 

 

211 

A system to help individuals locate health and human service resources 
across Oklahoma. 

 Free, confidential, and available 24/7 
 Just dial 211 
 Talk to the information and referral specialist 
 Receive multiple referrals in your area 


 

DVIS 24-hour Information & Crisis Line 

918-7HELP-ME or 918-743-5763 

 

Family Safety Center 

A central hub that provides civil, criminal, health and social services for 
victims of domestic violence. 

 Free and confidential 
 Hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday 
 www.fsctulsa.org 
 918-742-7480 


 

Oklahoma Safe Line (Domestic Violence Hotline) 

1-800-522-SAFE or 1-800-522-7233 

 

Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office 

Tulsa: 918-581-2885 

www.oag.ok.gov/citizenresources 

 

Youth Services of Tulsa 

Youth (ages 17-24) experiencing homelessness can drop by for a hot meal, 
showers, laundry, hygiene, WiFi, etc. Visit www.yst.org for more 
information. 

 Hours: Monday-Friday 11:00am to 4:00pm 
 1011 East 4th Street, Tulsa OK 74120 
 918-582-0061 


 


HH. LOCAL RESOURCES FOR DEAF 
INDIVIDUALS 

 

211 

A system to help individuals locate health and human service resources 
across Oklahoma. 

 Free, confidential, and available 24/7 
 Just dial 211 on VP and asked to be transferred to Tulsa, Oklahoma (or 
wherever you are located) 
 Talk to the information and referral specialist 
 Receive multiple referrals in your area 


 

Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) 

DRS expands opportunities for employment, independent life and economic 
self-sufficiency by helping people with disabilities bridge barriers to success. 

 To connect to the DRS office in your area, call 800-487-4042 


 

DVIS 24-hour Information & Crisis Line 

918-7HELP-ME or 918-743-5763 

 

Family Safety Center 

A central hub that provides civil, criminal, health and social services for 
victims of domestic violence. 

 Free and confidential 
 Hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday 
 www.fsctulsa.org 
 918-742-7480 


 

National Domestic Violence Hotline Deaf Services 

 Free, confidential, and available 24/7 
 Email: nationaldeafhotline@adwas.org 
 Videophone: 1-855-812-1001 
 Live chat: thehotline.org/help/deaf-services (Spanish, 12:00-6:00pm) 


 

Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office 

Tulsa: 918-581-2885 

www.oag.ok.gov/citizenresources 

 

TSHA Deaf Services 

TSHA Videophone: 918-932-2022 

TSHA Main office: 918-832-8742