Wisconsin’s Violence Against Women with Disabilities and Deaf Women Project

Disability Rights Wisconsin continues in its seventh year of collaboration with the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV) and Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA) to address domestic and sexual violence against women with disabilities and Deaf/deaf women. Through a federal grant funded through the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, our statewide organizations have joined together to promote our collaborative vision:

Women with disabilities and deaf/Deaf women who experience sexual assault and/or domestic violence will be supported by people who have actively prepared for access and who think about the meaning of respect one woman at a time.

Throughout these seven years, we have sought to ensure that the objectives and activities of this Project continue to be centered around:

• the distinctive dynamics of domestic violence (DV), sexual assault (SA) and stalking against women with disabilities,
• the paramount importance of victim safety in all of its undertakings,
• the necessity for appropriate and effective services to women victims with disabilities, and
• equal access through compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Our activities and efforts have relied on two primary strategies:

1. Elevate collaboration within pilot communities among sexual assault, domestic violence and disability programs; and
2. Enhance the community’s capacity to serve women victims with disabilities and Deaf women in a manner that is accessible, supportive and culturally affirmative.

These strategies have been employed specifically with three pilot communities: the Ashland/Bayfield area; Brown County; and with a newly emerging statewide Deaf-run/Deaf services organization, Deaf Unity Against Domestic Violence.

Within each of these communities, Disability Rights Wisconsin along with our collaborative partners are working to foster informal and formal relationships among organizations and groups located within these communities, while simultaneously integrating knowledge of and enhanced capacity to respond to issues of disability, trauma, violence, abuse and safety. Various trainings, accessibility assessments and community organizing activities are underway.

For more information about this Project:

Amy Judy, Project Coordinator, Disability Rights Wisconsin
608- 267-0214 (Voice)
888- 758-6049 (TTY)
800-928-8778 (Toll free for consumers and family members only)
amyj@drwi.org

Project Publications Available On-Line

All Project publications are available in alternate formats (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, CD-Rom). Several project publications are available to download free of charge in PDF format. Click here to view the available Project publications or select from the list below:

• Cross Training Workbook: Violence Against Women with Disabilities (April 2004)
• Accessibility Guide for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Service Providers (April 2004)
• Self Assessment Tool for Ensuring Access for People with Disabilities: For use by sexual assault and domestic violence service providers (April 2004)
• Background Information — Confidentiality of Information and Records: A Guide for Programs Working with Women with Disabilities who are Survivors of Sexual Assault or Domestic Violence (April 2004)
• Background Information — Informed Consent, Competency, And Substitute Decision-Makers: Strategies For Working With Individuals With Mental Disabilities Who Are Survivors Of Sexual Assault Or Domestic Violence (April 2004)
• Victims/Survivors Who Use Service Animals: A Background Paper and Sample Program Policy for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Programs (November 2006)
• P&As Can’t Do It Alone: Forging Alliances to Address & End Violence Against Women with Disabilities and Deaf Women