Survivors with Disabilities CARE to Stop Violence / University of Maryland, College Park
IN TRODU CTION
VU LN ERABILITIES AN D BARRIERS
People with disabilities experience sexual and relationship
Abusers often use abuse and neglect tactics specific to their
violence at higher rates across the lifespan than people
target?s disabilities. Plummer and Findley (2012) identified five
without disabilities. Despite this population?s unique
factors contributing to the higher prevalence of abuse:
vulnerabilities to many forms of violence, there are still
Isolat ion :
significant gaps in the literature about prevention of and
Lower mobility, higher social isolation, and lack of accessibility can increase the likelihood of experiencing abuse, in addition to restricting the ability to respond to abuse (Plummer & Findley, 2012).
response to a diverse range of possible survivor experiences.
REALITY People with disabilities are over three times as likely than people without disabilities to experience sexual assault (Harrel, 2017). Additionally, the rate of sexual assault against persons with multiple types of disabilities (2.8 per 1,000) is twice that of
Roles of Per pet r at or s: People with disabilities are most likely to be abused in their place of residence, with 32% of assaults committed by family members and acquaintances, and 44% by other individuals with caretaking relationships to the victim/survivor (Davis, 2009). For this reason, survivors may be reluctant to identify their abusers, who are usually perceived as sources of significant care and support.
persons with a single disability (1.4 per 1,000) (Harrel, 2017).
Depen den cy:
Survivors with disabilities are also more likely to experience
Survivors may be dependent on their abusers for numerous reasons, such as "medication, access to mobility devices, ... personal care, and attendance at doctor 's appointments" (Plummer & Findley, 2012).
multiple victimizations and to be abused over a more extended period of time (Young et al., 1997; Valenti-Heim, 1995). - Among Deaf an d h ar d of h ear in g in dividu als, the prevalence of childhood sexual assault is 50%, in contrast to 25% of hearing females and 10% of hearing males (Sullivan et al., 1987). - The rate of serious violent crime, including sexual assault and rape, against people w it h visu al disabilit ies (11.3 per 1000) is almost three times higher than the rate against people without disabilities
W ORKS CITED Lack of Iden t if icat ion : Survivors may not know they were abused or how to report abuse (Curry, 2001). For example, women with intellectual disabilities are significantly less likely to receive formal sexual education (Kempton & Kahn, 1991). Furthermore, service providers may not be able to identify the abuse, especially in the exploitation of disability-related limitations (Gilson, Depoy & Cramer, 2001).
am bu lat or y disabilit ies (13.1 per 1000) is over three times higher than the rate against people without disabilities (Harrel, 2017). -
- Among all people with disabilities, those with in t ellect u al, developm en t al, an d/ or cogn it ive disabilit ies experience the highest rates of serious violent crime (22.3 per 1,000) (Harrel, 2017).
Violence Against Women, 7(1), 60-79. 2.Davis, L., M.S.S.W., M.P.A. (2009) People with Intellectual Disability and Sexual Violence, The Arc, Washington, DC http://www.thearc.org/page.aspx?pid=2457 3.Gilson, S. F., DePoy, E., & Cramer, E. P. (2001). Linking the assessment of self-reported functional capacity with abuse experiences of women with disabilities. Violence Against Women, 7, 418-431. 4.Harrel, E. (2017). Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009?2015 - Statistical Tables, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. 5.Kempton, W., & Kahn, E. (1991). Sexuality and people with intellectual disabilities: A historical perspective.
(4 per 1000) (Harrel, 2017). - Similarly, the rate of serious violent crime against people w it h
1.Curry, M. A., Hassouneh-Phillips, D., & Johnston-Silverberg, A. (2001). Abuse of Women With Disabilities.
Sexuality and Disability, 9(2), 93-111
Syst em an d Cu lt u r al Bar r ier s:
6.Obinna, J., Krueger, S., Osterbaan, C., Sadusky, J. M., DeVore, W. (2005). ?Understanding the Needs of the Victims of Sexual Assault in the Deaf Community.? https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/212867.pdf
There are several systemic and cultural reasons why survivors may not be able to report or seek help. Deaf survivors find that services are generally unavailable to them at hearing service agencies, even when accessibility measures are advertised (Obinna et al., 2005). Resource disparities also stem from pervasive stereotypes in society, such as the assumption that all people with disabilities are asexual.
7.Plummer, S.-B., & Findley, P. A. (2012). Women With Disabilities?Experience With Physical and Sexual Abuse: Review of the Literature and Implications for the Field. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 13(1), 15?29. 8.Sullivan, P. M., Vernon, M., & Scanlan, J. M. (1987). Sexual abuse of deaf youth. American Annals of the Deaf, 132(4), 256-262. 9.Valenti-Hein, D., Schwartz, L. 1995. The Sexual Abuse Interview for those with Developmental Disabilities.) 10. Young, M. E., Nosek, M. A., Howland, C., Chanpong, G., & Rintala, D. H. (1997). Prevalence of abuse of women with physical disabilities. Archives of Physical Medical Rehabilitation, 78, 34-38.