A Conversation on Serving Survivors with Disabilities February 23, 2021 Webinar Guide Setting the Stage: Violence Against People with Disabilities * What does the research tell us about violence in the lives of people with disabilities? o People with disabilities are three times more likely to experience rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault, and robbery than those without disabilities. (Bureau of Justice Statistics) * Violence might look different for survivors with disabilities. It may include things like: o Over- or under-medicating; withholding auxiliary aids; increasing isolation; threatening or injuring service animals; restricting transportation; or restricting access to programming or medical care * 44% are perpetrators who have a relationship with the person only because of their disability. Perpetrators include caregivers/PCAs, staff, family members, and intimate partners. * Isolation, devaluation of people with disabilities, presumed lack of credibility, culture of compliance, and ableism are all reasons why people with disabilities are targeted for violence. NOTES: Barriers Survivors with Disabilities Face * Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ÔfixingÕ and defines people by their disability (from Access Living). Because of ableism: o People with disabilities are not considered in designing victim services. o Prevention programs and education ignore the needs of people with disabilities. * In addition to ableism, there can be other barriers preventing survivors with disabilities from receiving safe, accessible services. o There are various types of barriers, including: attitudinal barriers, communication barriers, and physical barriers. o Barriers can be encountered during outreach, at intake, during service provision. * Ableism and racism compound for survivors of color with disabilities and create additional barriers. * Ableism in public policy creates barriers in service provision. o Examples include guardianship and mandatory reporting, which may unintentionally make it more difficult for survivors with disabilities to receive confidential services. NOTES: Solutions for Access * Conduct outreach directly to survivors with disabilities. o Outreach specifically to people with disabilities signals that they are welcome to receive services at your agency and that you will be able to address their needs. o Increasing outreach might include: targeting education programming to disability programs, including people with disabilities in marketing materials, and creating accessible programming for survivors with disabilities. * Create access at your organization. o Physical access ? Programs are sometimes based in inaccessible facilities because those are what are available, affordable. They need to retroactively create access. * Examples might include installing ramps, widening doorways, or identifying alternative locations for service provision. * Flexibility is key! * Conduct regular access reviews o Attitudinal access ? Create plain language materials ? Create materials that are more picture based ? Plan for more time and flexibility ? Partner with disability organizations of ? Allow safe support people in intake, programming, and counseling ? Increase staff training about working with survivors with disabilities ? Engage survivors with disabilities in the work and employ them NOTES: 1 1