Creative Strategies for Threading Violence Awareness into the Four Core Services

1. Creative Strategies for Threading Violence Awareness into the Four Core Services Created by Leslie Myers, MS< CRC, CDVC DART Program Manager, IndependenceFirst

2. Presenters Mary Oschwald Research Assistant Professor Regional Research Institute-PSU PO Box 7511600 SW 4th St Suite 900 Portland OR 97207 (503) 725-9602 (866) 856-1385 (toll-free) Leslie Myers, MS, CRC, CDVC DART Program Manager IndependenceFirst 600 W Virginia Street, 4th Floor Milwaukee, WI 53204 (414) 291-7520 V/TTY (414) 226-8381 Direct Voice Roberta Sick, Project Director Partners for Inclusive Communities-UAMS Arkansas' University Center on Disabilities 2001 Pershing Circle - Suite 300 North Little Rock, AR   72114 501-682-9900 501-682-9902 TTY

3. Important Terms • Independent Living (IL) • National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) • Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) • Centers for Independent Living (CILs) • Independent Living Centers (ILCs) • Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) • State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) • Personal Assistance Services (PAS)

4. History-How Did We Get Here? • 2004 - Focus groups held at NCIL’s annual conference • “Voices Across America: Communities Coming Together to End Crimes Against People with Disabilities” developed • 2006 – NCIL’s and APRIL’s Resolutions on Violence and Abuse of People with Disabilities sparked need for Task Force • 2007 - NCIL Task Force on Violence and Abuse of People with Disabilities developed the “Violence Awareness Survey for Independent Living Centers”

5. Violence Awareness Survey • 41.35% return rate • 89% (n=98) extremely important for CILs to understand and respond to issues of violence • 70% (n=77) somewhat confident recognizing signs of abuse, 20% (n=22) extremely confident • 91% (n=100) wanted to learn more about “Role of CILs in Dealing with Violence/Abuse” (Here we are!)

6. Introduction • The Rehabilitation Act defines a CIL as: • A consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, nonresidential private nonprofit agency, designed and operated within a local community by individuals with disabilities. • CILs provide services and advocacy by and for persons with all types of disabilities to create opportunities for independence and assist individuals with disabilities to achieve their maximum level of independent functioning.

7. CILs Centers are authorized to provide IL services in accordance to a SPIL, which is developed by the SILC in partnership with the State Vocational Rehabilitation agency. A Center works with an individual to achieve their self-identified goals through peer counseling, skills training, advocacy, information and referral and other independent living services.

8. Promote & Practice IL Philosophy • Consumer control • Self-help and self-advocacy • Development of peer role models • Equal access to all services, programs, activities, resources and facilities

9. Four Core Services • Advocacy • Peer Support • Independent Living Skill Development • Information and Referral

10. Other Services • Counseling • Housing modifications • Assistance in finding accessible housing • Rehabilitation technology • Mobility training • Interpreters and readers

11. Other Services, cont. • Personal assistance including attendant care • Needs surveys • Training for participation in community activities • Transportation • Therapeutic treatment • Social and recreation services

12. Other Services, cont. • Services to youth to promote self-esteem and self-empowerment • Services for children • Preventive services • Disability awareness in local communities

13. Violence and Abuse Affects Service Delivery • Missed appointments because their abuser controls their every move • Hard to advocate for themselves since their self- esteem has been shattered at the hands of an abuser • Violence and abuse takes toll on the mind, body and soul

14. Violence and Abuse Affects Service Delivery, cont. • Individuals are often kept isolated by their abusers • Many agencies that serve victims of violence/abuse are not accessible to people with disabilities • These combined barriers make it nearly impossible for the person being abused to leave

15. Rehabilitation Act • Provide services on a cross-disability basis to individuals with a variety of disabilities • Provide services to unserved and underserved • Work to increase availability and quality of community options for independent living • Increase communities’ capacity to meet needs of individuals with disabilities • Develop funding sources beyond that afforded by the Rehabilitation Act  

16. Addressing Issues –Where to Start? • Violence/abuse issues are disability issues and we need to make sure that they are addressed in every aspect of our programming and service delivery. • Is it a separate issue or will it fit into your existing Center activities and SPIL?

17. Questions and Answers

18. Information and Referral Awareness of community programs Victim service programs • Sexual assault agencies • Domestic violence shelters • Law enforcement personnel

19. What to do…… • Gather information on these programs and services • Get information on program accessibility • Take opportunity to advocate for changes within inaccessible programs

20. Information and Referral Phone • Develop list of programs and emergency numbers In-Person • Distribute brochures and information sheets from local programs Web-Site • Include links to local and national programs, information on victimization, self-help strategies, safety planning

21. National Referral Sources • The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) • Rape, Abuse & Incest, National Network (RAINN) 1-800-656-HOPE • National Center for Victims of Crime 1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255) or TTY 1-800-211-7996

22. Other Services You Can Provide • Locating interpreters • Providing accommodations • Working with people with different types of disabilities

23. IL Skills Training Weave these topics into your existing curriculum: • Self-protection • Safety planning • Empowerment • Abuse awareness • Self-esteem

24. Peer Support • Provides consumer with safety in disclosure • Peer must be trained on appropriate actions to take if they receive disclosure of abuse • Support groups and individual support are essential tools for victim service agencies

25. Serious Advocacy Issues • Waiting List • Lack of Affordable/Accessible Housing • Accessible Transportation

26. Individual Advocacy • IL staff may need to: • Advocate for their consumer to get accommodations within the victim service agency or in the courts • Advocate for the consumer to be served at all by a victim service provider

27. Systems Advocacy • Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act • Crimes committed against people with disabilities • NCIL Resolution

28. Additional IL Services • Nursing home transition – violence/abuse within institutions and vulnerability of transitioning consumers • Sports/Rec programs – teach adapted self defense • Youth services – provide classes on dating violence and date rape

29. Additional IL Services • Computer recycling - information on on-line and chat room safety, scams, and identity theft • Benefit programs offer chance to discuss financial abuse • Personal care attendant services – teach consumers how to identify caregiver abuse and strategies to stop it

30. Supporting Female Consumers • Provide assertiveness training, peer counseling and self-esteem building • Recognize that abuse is a serious problem for women with disabilities • Offer initial counseling and referral for female consumers who are being abused • Become educated on abuse to create safe environment for women to disclose abuse

31. Supporting Female Consumers, cont. • Educate providers of abuse-related services to be more responsive and accessible to consumers with disabilities • Educate abuse intervention programs on full accessibility

32. Assisting Female Consumers in Shelters • Obtain personal assistants • Replace assistive devices or medications lost when the woman left home • Offer transitional services to establish independence from her abuser

33. Questions and Answers

34. Collaboration • Cross-referral between CILs and abuse intervention programs – very successful • Outreach efforts enabled them to more effectively reach women with disabilities who were being abused

35. Outreach Activities and Crime Prevention Initiatives • Include persons with disabilities in planning, execution, and evaluation stages of each initiative • Avoid labeling, stereotyping, and tokenism • Collaborate with key players • Engage the person with a disability by making sure that accommodations are in place to ensure effective communication and full participation

36. Suggestions • Hold staff training on violence/abuse • Ask questions about abuse during intake, PAS supervision visits, consumer appointments • Develop policy and procedures for staff to follow when they suspect abuse • Ask victim service agencies to talk about their programs at staff meetings

37. Suggestions, cont. • Visit your local victim service agencies • Display posters and brochures to raise awareness of abuse, allowing consumers to see you as a safe environment • Read about abuse and violence against people with disabilities

38. Finding Funding • Office on Violence Against Women: http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/ • Office for Victims of Crime: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/fund/welcome.html • Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-Injury, Violence and Safety http://www.cdc.gov/InjuryViolenceSafety

39. Additional Resources • The National Domestic Violence http://www.ncadv.org/ • The Rape, Abuse & Incest, National Network (RAINN) http://www.rainn.org/ • National Center for Victims of Crime http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/Main.aspx • Stalking Resource Center http://www.ncvc.org/src/Main.aspx • Dating Violence Resource Center http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbID=DB_DatingViolenceResourceCenter101

40. Additional Resources • Online Directory of Crime Victim Services http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/findvictimservices/ • Professional Online Resources on Abuse and Disability http://www.disability-abuse.com/ • OVC Publications http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/welcome.html • Victims of Crime With Disabilities Resource Guide http://www.uwyo.edu/wind/resourceguide/resources/resources.asp • National Disability Rights Network http://www.napas.org/index.htm • National Adult Protective Services Association http://apsnetwork.org/

41. Final Questions and Answers

42. Wrap-Up and Evaluation The End