Key Challenges in the Field of Violence Against Women with Disabilities and Deaf Women Overview Overarching Challenges Barriers to Services Barriers to Criminal Justice System Strategies for Overcoming These Challenges

Overview January – March 2005 Conducted informational interviews with a diverse group of key stakeholders Convened a focus group with a subset of participants

Informational Interview Goals To better understand the status of the field of violence against women with disabilities and Deaf women (VAWD/DW) To identify critical issues within the field and practice To identify barriers to serving victims with disabilities and Deaf victims effectively

Focus Group Goals To further identify and explore key challenges and strengths in the field To generate ideas to improve the OVW “Disability Grant” program To generate ideas to improve the training and technical assistance provided to grantees

Overarching Challenges New Field Non-Existent or Ineffective Collaborations Competing Frameworks

New Field Increased acknowledgement of VAWD/DW Limited services exist to specifically serve victims with disabilities and Deaf women Few long-term plans have been developed to address these needs Real safety needs exist for women with disabilities and Deaf women in most communities

Non-Existent or Ineffective Collaborations Few communities have developed collaborations to address VAWD/DW. Communities that do develop collaborations typically face a number of challenges. Limited in scope (i.e. not broad-based) Collaborative structure not equitable for all partners Tokenism of survivors and people with disabilities

Challenges with Existing Collaborations cont’d… Difficulty reaching consensus and a unified vision Competing frameworks emerge Work of building a collaboration is not supported

Foundational Issues Definitions of disability Definitions of violence Causes/contributing factors of violence Target population

Foundational Issues… Community-wide strategies for ensuring access to services Individual-level intervention strategies for victims Other philosophical differences

Barriers to Accessible Services for Survivors with Disabilities and Deaf Women

Barriers Within the Disability Field Screening and response protocols lacking Limited inter-agency collaboration and cross-referrals No advocacy agenda around violence and abuse issues

Barriers Within the Deaf Field Lack of information, education and attention to the issue Limited collaborations with dv/sa and disability organizations Limited capacity of programs specifically for Deaf victims

Barriers within the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Fields Mental health and substance abuse agencies do not screen for abuse. Treatment models do not appropriately address trauma and abuse.

Barriers Within the DV/SA Field Lack of physical accessibility: Shelters and rape crisis centers are not ADA compliant Providers do not understand the resources required to become ADA compliant

Barriers Within the DV/SA Field Lack of programmatic accessibility: Women with mental health and addiction issues are screened out of shelter programs Shelters restrict PCAs Program and outreach materials are written in inaccessible language Staff lack skills to communicate with a wide range of women Little to no outreach to the disability community

Barriers Within the Stalking Field The stalking field is just beginning to think about issues for women with disabilities and Deaf women, which include: Limited ability for victims who rely on transportation to change travel routes Limited ability for some victims with intellectual disabilities to maintain a stalking log Assistive technologies can be intercepted by stalkers

Barriers within the Criminal Justice System

Challenges for Victims in the Criminal Justice System Lack of understanding about disability presents challenges to: Identifying abuse Conducting proper investigations Making appropriate accommodations

Elements Needed to Move the Work Ahead

Ways OVW Can Support Work Provide funding for longer-periods of time Support collaboration building and planning activities Foster authentic collaborations Encourage representation of people with disabilities in all aspects of work Place greater emphasis on accessibility and include accountability measures to make sure improvements are made to services

Ways OVW Can Support cont’d… Provide a team of experts as a resource to grantees Place a strong TA emphasis on: Building multidisciplinary collaborations Strategic planning Needs assessment Sustainability Evaluation Accessibility Disability Violence Establish a shared knowledgebase