Technology as a Tool for 
Advocacy:Accessible and Safe Use 
of Technology to Serve Survivors 
with Disabilities During COVID19 
and Beyond 


RachelGibson,NNEDV 


© 2020 NNEDV 



What are Digital Services? 


Using tech-based tools to provide 
services to survivors with 
disabilities. 

© 2020 NNEDV 

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Examples of Digital Services 

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Text or chat 
• 
Video calls with survivors 
• 
Video or web chat for support groups 
• 
Email (caution) 
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All Tools Have Access Concerns 

• 
None of the digital tools we will talk about 
today are 100% accessible for every survivor 
with every type of disability. 
• 
Customize tools used based on the 
survivor’s access needs. 
• 
You may have to use different tools for 
different needs. 
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All Tools Also Have Risks 

• 
Even older technologies have risks. 
• 
Decision-makers should understand the 
risks and benefits. 
• 
Advocates should be able talk about those 
risks with survivors. 
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Safety & Privacy Risks for Survivors 
with Disabilities 

1. Interception 
– 
Personal Safety 
– 
Loss of Privacy and Presence of Supports 
2. Impersonation 
3. Program Confidentiality 
4. Advocate Safety & Capacity 
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The Bottom Line 


• 
Offering additional communication options 
is crucial to survivor-centered services. 
• 
AND, it must be done with caution and with 
an eye for access. 
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Staying True to CoreValues 

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Support & Access 

• 
Meet survivors where they are – 
chat, video, text, etc. 
• 
Offer a variety tools to meet accessibility 
needs. 
• 
Offer tools with low tech barriers to access. 
• 
Provide information so survivors can 
choose. 
• 
Test in advance. 
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Privacy & Safety Options 

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Anonymous use. 
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No traces on survivor’s device or accounts. 
• 
Company can’t see info about survivors or 
content of conversations. 
• 
“HIPAA Compliant” is not enough. 
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How Do We Talk about Tech with 
Survivors with Disabilities? 

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Make a commitment to access. 
• 
Ask the survivor what the best way is to 
communicate with them. 
• 
Ask them if they have any concerns with 
using the tech. 
• 
Provide survivors with alternate ways to 
communicate. 
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How Do We Talk about Tech with 
Survivors with Disabilities (2)? 

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Make sure there are clear directions how 
the platform will be used. 
• 
Let the survivors know the limitations to the 
platforms. 
• 
Identify if the survivor is using assistive tech 
or services, if the tech is compatible withtheir assistive technology or services. 
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StayTrue to CoreValues 

• 
Just because the tech makes something 
possible, doesn’t mean we should do it. 
• 
Tech that is OK for our families or workplace 
is not necessarily OK for survivors. 
• 
Use any new digital service temporarily – 
reassess once the pandemic has passed. 
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Choosing theTechnology 

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Match Platform to Service and the 
Survivor 

What platform will be best working with 
survivors with disabilities: 

• 
Hotlines 
• 
Ongoing advocacy 
• 
Online groups 
• 
Chat, Text, Email, Video, Phone, Mail 
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For Survivors with Disabilities 

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Choosing an option that will meet their 
need is important 
– 
Is the option easy to understand and install? 
– 
Does it offer video for survivors who may need 
an interpreter? 
– 
Is it compatible with screen readers? 
– 
Can you easily access resources for help when 
using the app? 
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Chat or Instant Messaging 

• 
ResourceConnect -internal chat 
• 
Semaphor -internal chat & file sharing 
• 
Cyph -internal chat & file sharing + 
messaging with survivors 
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Slack or similar -OK only for chat not 
including survivor personally identifiable 
information 
© 2020 NNEDV 

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National Hotlines 


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Ongoing Advocacy 

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Text or chat may feel safer or more private if 
others are nearby. 
• 
Video can feel more personal and be more 
accessible. 
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Develop a long-term solution for the 
survivor. 
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Chat 

• 
Survivors connect via a browser window. 
• 
Advocates use computer-based chat system 
to respond. 
• 
Your webpage can include service hours, 
other hotlines to contact, and resources. 
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ResourceConnect 


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Cyph part 1 


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Accessibility Options for Cyph 

• 
Provides ARIA for links. 
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Working towards WCAG AA compliance. 
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Supports Apple voiceover and Slack 
voiceover. 
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Texting 

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Texting is not high-tech 
• 
All mobile phones have a default texting 
app – no separate download required 
• 
Convenience of texting whenever there is 
time, pausing if needed 
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Texting Risks 

• 
A survivor’s device might be monitored or 
accessed by someone else. 

• 
Text preserves a record of the entire 
conversation by default on all devices, and 
sometimes in the Cloud. 
• 
Billing records may include details. 
• 
Not all survivors with disabilities will have 
access to phones. 
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How Programs Text 

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Basic approach: Use a cell phone 
– 
Requires juggling multiple conversations on a 
single device 
• 
Better: Computer-based messaging 
– 
Allows multiple staff members to triage, assign, 
and respond to messages that come in 
– 
Can more easily protect confidentiality 
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Chat vs.Text 

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Benefit: Chat conversations aren’t stored on 
survivor’s device. 
• 
Benefit: Options to auto delete content, 
and/or close the chat on survivor’s device. 
• 
Risk: Survivor’s device may still bemonitored by spyware. 
• 
Challenge: Survivor may be unable to writeor use written English or have difficulty 
reading. 
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Risk of Impersonation 

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This risk exists across text-based platforms: 
text, messaging, chat, and email. 
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Establish a method to verify identity. 
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Gaps Exist 

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Think through approaches for survivors with 
disabilities who do not have access to 
phones or computers. 
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Quick Notes on Email 

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Email can be easily intercepted. 
– 
Abusive person may know account password. 
– 
Abusive person may have access to devices. 
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Email is saved by default in many places. 
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Email is often backed up on servers, and 
sync’d across devices through the Cloud. 
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Online Communication with 
Survivors with Disabilities 

• 
Check in often about meaning and tone. 
• 
Stop and clarify if there is any confusion. 
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Avoid Internet slang, acronyms, and emojis. 
• 
Consider closing the conversation after a 
certain amount of time passes. 
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Video Calls 

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Video offers visual and audio cues. 
• 
It is easier to add in a third party, including 
live interpreters to increase accessibility for: 
– 
Survivors who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and 
– 
Survivors who speak a different language than 
the advocate. 
• 
Video calls help with connection for people 
with disabilities. 
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VRI, VRS and TRS 


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Assess the equipment, connectivity and the 
area for which interpreting will take place 
• 
Using Video Remote Interpreting(VRI), 
Video Relay Services (VRS), 
Telecommunication Relay Service 
© 2018 NNEDV The National Deaf Center, 2020 

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Remote Interpreting 

• 
Pros: 
– 
Interpreters no longer have to travel to performjob duties. 
– 
Quick access to help survivor. 
• 
Cons: 
– 
Interpreter may not be trained on intimatepartner violence. 
– 
Survivor may be concerned with beingmonitored, or the abuser having access to themor their technology. 
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Video Calls for Survivors with 
Disabilities 

• 
May be better for working with Deaf 
survivors, offers video streaming. 
• 
Closed Captioning can be utilized. 
• 
Fosters connection. 
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Communicating with Survivors: 
Video 

• 
Survivors with disabilities may be less likely 
to have access to the technology needed for 
video, and may have difficulties in 
understanding how to use the technology. 
© 2020 NNEDV 

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Communicating with Survivors: 
Video part 2 

• 
If using video conferencing to communicate 
with a survivor who is using a personal or 
public computer, it’s important to be aware 
that their computer/device could be 
monitored by the abusive person. 
© 2018 NNEDV 

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Communicating with Survivors: 
Video part 3 

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If a survivor has a disability and uses 
assistive technology, their assistive tech may 
not be compatible with the video 
conferencing platform, or they may not be 
able to utilize all of the features the video 
conferencing program offers. 
© 2018 NNEDV 

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Communicating with Survivors: 
Video part 4 

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To manage poor internet connections, use a 
combination of web conferencing for video 
and a landline or cell phone for audio. In the 
event that the internet fails, the audio 
connection will remain. 
© 2018 NNEDV 

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Gruveo 


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Gruveo and Accessibility 

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No accessibility features currently offered, 
though they are working fast to get these 
features added. 
© 2020 NNEDV 

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Zoom 



Zoom and Accessibility 


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Offers built-in options for captioning, ASL 
interpretation and screen reader support. 
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Adapting Policies, Practices & 
Forms 

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Start with WhatYou Know 

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Begin with the same access, safety and 
privacy protocols that you use on phone 
hotlines – then update for digital services. 
• 
The technology is different, but survivors’ 
informed choices, access, safety, and 
privacy are all still the goals. 
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Survivor’s Devices,Accounts and 
Assistive Technology 

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Inform, educate, empower. 
• 
Talk to the survivor about access concerns 
and potential privacy and security risks. 
– 
Delete message threads. 
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Find safer options when possible. 
– 
Use safer, unmonitored device 
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Call instead of text 
© 2019 NNEDV 

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Safety Planning Around Technology 

•Add emergency words to communication 
devices 
•Create alternate voice command to contact 
police for speech activated devices 
•Record an emergency message for someone 
with a communication disability. 
•Identify other devices that increases a 
person’s safety 
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Best Practices for Client Data 

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Collect the least amount of information 
needed to provide the service requested 
and keep that information for as short a 
period of time as possible. 
• 
Do not collect more information than you 
would for a traditional hotline call or in-
person conversation. 
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Collect Minimal Information 

• 
Don’t require user accounts for survivors. 
• 
Don’t save documentation of abuse. 
• 
Don’t import info from the platform into 
client databases. 
• 
Choose a platform that doesn’t store the 
content of conversations. 
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Use Caution with Big Companies 

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Big companies are less responsive to 
concerns about access. 
• 
Many companies collect, retain, and 
synthesize too much data for marketing. 
• 
This is problematic for survivors’ privacy and 
your program’s confidentiality obligations. 
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Provide Devices for Advocates 

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Mobile devices can help advocates reach 
survivors, use files from the office, send and 
receive email, and more. 
• 
Program can better manage data security: 
deleting messages, call logs, bills, or the 
whole device if lost or stolen. 
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TechSoup 


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COVID-19 Resources 


© 2020 NNEDV 54 

Contact Information 

Safety Net Project 

safetynet@nnedv.org 

202-543-5566 

This project was supported by Grant No. 2019-V3-GX-K017 awarded by the Office 
for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, 
conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this exhibition are those of the 
author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, 
Office for Victims of Crime. 

© 2020 NNEDV 

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• 
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