disabilityrights WISCONSIN

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.

Click here to download the Service Animal guide.

DRW, in collaboration with the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), devised this Resource Guide for Protection & Advocacy agencies (P & As) across the country. It is designed to promote the necessity for and benefits to P & As joining with sexual assault and domestic violence programs to forge partnerships on issues of violence against women with disabilities. 2006

Click here to download Resource Guide: Addressing and Ending Violence Against Women with Disabilities

This Tool is to be used by sexual assault and domestic violence programs to review their programs and services to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access and an equal opportunity to participate. Accessibility includes removing not only physical barriers to participation, but also cultural and attitudinal barriers. This Self Assessment Tool for Ensuring Access for People with Disabilities should be used in conjunction with the Accessibility Guide. The Accessibility Guide also gives practical suggestions and useful ideas to incorporate when using the Tool. April 2004

Click here to download Self Assessment Tool for Ensuring Access for People with Disabilities

This publication is a workbook that begins with brief background information on domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and women with disabilities. It truly is a workbook that acknowledges and encourages you to individualize a process that you can and will use, wherever you are, on your own and as part of an organization, to address the needs of each person who might need your help. There are issues and questions raised throughout these materials. When you see questions, we encourage you to pause long enough to consider them on your own and with others. Spend some time with someone else who cares as you do about these issues. Ask others what they think, what they need, what they have experienced, what they want to learn, who they know who might be an additional resource. April 2004

Click here to download Cross Training Workbook: Violence Against Women with Disabilities

Strategies for Working with Individuals with Mental Disabilities who are Survivors of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence

This paper represents background information for a “work in progress” of the Violence Against Women with Disabilities Project. The information contained within this paper explains Wisconsin law on issues of informed consent, competency, and substitute decision-makers, such as guardians. April 2004

Click here to download Informed Consent, Competency, and Substitute Decision-Makers

This paper represents background information for a “work in progress” of the Violence Against Women with Disabilities Project. The information contained within this paper provides a foundation for understanding Wisconsin laws and regulations in practical terms to raise our collective awareness about confidentiality of information and records. Sample forms are included. April 2004

Click here to download this document

This Guide was developed to assist sexual assault and domestic violence staff and agencies to embark on an action-oriented process to address more common accessibility barriers. The areas of accessibility focus include physical barriers, communication barriers, programmatic barriers and attitudinal barriers. Background information about civil rights laws affecting the access of people with disabilities is included, along with Wisconsin and federal technical assistance resources. April 2004

Click here to download Accessibility guide for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Service Providers

In collaboration with the National Disability Rights Network, Disability Rights Wisconsin devised this Resource Guide for protection and advocacy agencies (P&As) across the country and in the U.S. Territories. It is designed to promote the necessity for and benefits to protection and advocacy organizations joining with state and local sexual assault (SA) and domestic violence (DV) coalitions and programs to forge powerful partnerships on issues of violence against women with disabilities and Deaf women. This jointly developed publication is intended to provide the impetus for implementing a concerted effort among state P&As, DV and SA coalitions and programs to initiate and sustain collaborative activities that will forge a collective force in each state and territory to effectively address sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking against women with disabilities and Deaf women. December 2006

Click here to download P&As Can’t Do It Alone

Many domestic violence and sexual assault agencies have questions about addressing requests for service animals as a reasonable accommodation or modification for program participants with disabilities. As part of Wisconsin’s Violence Against Women with Disabilities Project, Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW), Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA) and Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV) worked together to create this fact sheet and sample policies. We hope that you will find our suggestions helpful and will use the sample policies provided as a template to develop your own best practices. November 2006

click here to download Victims & Survivors of Domestic Violence Who Use Service Animals

The purpose of this workbook is to provide some introductory information about language, culture, and respectful interactions between hearing and Deaf. You are invited to think about your roles and opportunities, as well as your responsibilities, to make your services and support more available to Deaf. April 2004

Click here to download When Deaf and Hearing Meet Part 1
Click here to download When Deaf and Hearing Meet Part 2