WISCONSIN
Announcing two new Violence Against Women with Disabilities and Deaf Women Project Resources available through DRW
CREATING SAFETY by Asking What Makes People Vulnerable? July 2011
Developed through the Violence Against Women with Disabilities and Deaf Women Project of Wisconsin and authored by Mark Sweet, Trainer and Consultant at Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW), this guide is a ground-breaking culmination of open thought, keen observation and practical understanding of how many people with disabilities experience human interactions and relationships designed to provide them support. While people who provide paid support or caregiving to individuals with disabilities are the primary audience for whom this guide was designed, for domestic and sexual violence advocates, human services workers, social workers or counselors, and even family members, the ideas broached and questions raised throughout this piece are important considerations for any of us who work with, support, advocate or love someone with a disability. Through exploring linkages among assertiveness, vulnerability, compliance models and imbalances of power in caregiving relationships, readers will begin to glimpse the often hidden reality of how these linkages make some individuals more vulnerable… more vulnerable to abuse.
Click here to download Creating Safety.
Victims/Survivors Who Use Service Animals: An Updated Background Paper and Sample Policy for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Programs September 2011
This booklet was originally developed and now updated by the Violence Against Women with Disabilities and Deaf Women Project of Wisconsin to assist domestic violence and sexual assault organizations, and other service organizations that have questions about addressing requests for service animals as a reasonable accommodation or modification for program participants with disabilities. People with disabilities use service animals to perform tasks related to their disabilities. The assistance these animals provide can lessen symptoms or help remove day-to-day barriers people with disabilities experience. This booklet is designed to inform organizations about the legal requirements and practical expectations when service animals are present within your agency and its programs. Learning about the legal requirements, developing your agency’s own service animal policy, and training staff to apply it consistently helps to alleviate potential liability issues — for both illegal discrimination and presence of an animal on-site.
