Disability:Framing the

Issues

OVW Training & Technical Assistance Providers Meeting

August 21, 2007

Welcome Exercise Introduce yourself and your organization to the

other people at your table.

At your table, identify your top 3 answers to the following question:

Why is it important for us to address issues of elder abuse, disability, and accessibility in

our work as TA providers?

Learning Objectives Understand the importance of addressing

the needs of violence against women with disabilities and Deaf women in our work.

Have a better understanding of disability and have a practical framework for improving access.

Learning Objectives cont’d… Start a dialogue regarding how to

incorporate issues of disability and accessibility within your own work as a technical assistance provider.

Better respond to inquires regarding disability that are made to you by the grantees you serve.

Small Group Exercise

At your table, answer the following question:

What are the top four disabilities for adults in the United States?

Top Four Disabilities (Adults) Arthritis

Back problems

Heart disease

Respiratory disease

Source: Center for Disease Control

ADA Definition of Disability “Disability is an impairment, either mental or physical, that limits

one or more major life activities.”

Major life activities include the ability to:

care for yourself, learn, work, walk, see, hear, speak, breathe, or maintain social relationships

WHO Definition of Disability

Disability is something that is outside of the individual. It is created based on the interaction between an individual’s personal factors, his or her limitation, and the environment.

WHO Definition cont’d… Personal Factors

Race, ethnicity, culture, gender, etc

Limitations How one’s body or mind functions

Environment Physical structure, how people communicate and

share information, policies, attitudes, etc.

WHO Definition of Disability

Disability

Benefits to Providers Offers a more practical way to solve

problems by focusing on how a person functions and not her medical diagnosis.

Creates a more pro-active and empowering role for providers to improve the experiences of survivors with disabilities.

Enhancing Accessibility Meet your legal responsibilities.

Design environments for the widest array of people.

Provide individualized solutions to meet individual needs.

BE A PROBLEM SOLVER.

Statistics 62 percent of women with physical disabilities experienced

physical or emotional abuse from their intimate partners.

Women with developmental disabilities are four to ten times more likely than women without disabilities to be sexually assaulted and they are at greater risk for repeat victimization.

According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 76% of adults with cognitive disabilities have been sexually assaulted.

Unique Dynamics

Some perpetrators use tactics that expressly target women with disabilities and Deaf women.

Unique DynamicsSome examples would be:

• becoming a relied-upon, or primary, caregiver before assaulting her;

• preventing her from leaving the relationship by removing access to adaptive or assistive equipment;

• manipulating the content of her communication devices, such as erasing emails, giving out false information, or impersonating her over TTY or email.

Unique Dynamics

What are other ways that you have seen this happen in your work?

Women with disabilities and Deaf women commonly encounter barriers to accessing assistance and support when attempting to report sexual/domestic violence or stalking to legal or law enforcement services.

It is possible that this impediment contributes to the extended length of abuse and repeated victimization among this population.

Research shows that women with disabilities and Deaf women do not receive equal access to community resources even though they may be more likely to experience sexual and domestic violence than people without disabilities.

3 Categories of Barriers Physical Programmatic

Communication/information Policies and practices

Attitudinal

Access-Opoly

A chance to see how organizational barriers and supports impact the ability of Deaf survivors and survivors with disabilities to access needed services after an assault.

Access-OpolyChoose 5 people at your table who will play the game. Ask one person to have their game piece represent a

survivor with cognitive or developmental disabilities Ask one person to have their game piece represent a

survivor who is Deaf /hard of hearing or is blind Ask one person to have their game piece represent a

survivor who has a physical disability Ask one person to have their game piece represent a

survivor with a psychiatric disability (persistent or situational) Ask one person to have their game piece represent a

survivor who has no disability

Access-Opoly cont’d… As you roll the dice for survivor, you will move on

the board. If you land on a square that applies to YOUR situation, then you follow the direction in that square. A square may apply to more than one survivor.

As your table moves through the game, imagine how each of the barriers or supports on the squares would impact the work that your grantees do with survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking.

Small Group Exercise At your table, please discuss what you think

of when someone mentions the  ADA in the context of your work for OVW as a TA provider. 

Specifically, what does the ADA mean to you?

What You Can Do as a TA Provider Start a dialogue with others in your own

organization. Review your own organization’s accessibility,

including policies and procedures. Build relationships with disability and Deaf

organizations. Identify opportunities to include issues of disability

in your work.

Individual Exercise

Identify three things you can do in your organization to incorporate issues of disability and accessibility in your work.