Some 20 years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, people may assume that all Americans—including those with disabilities—have complete access to victim services and legal protections. In reality, persons with disabilities still face daily obstacles to safety and justice and remain at high risk for caregiver abuse, domestic and sexual violence, exploitation, and other crimes.
In 2007, OVC awarded funds to two grantees to adapt and replicate their innovative, multidisciplinary response models that serve crime victims with disabilities. The replication guides in this set—one statewide and one community based—are the products of this 3-year project.
Describes the Building Partnerships for the Protection of Persons with Disabilities Initiative (BPI), which uses a prosecution-based multidisciplinary team approach to address abuse committed against persons with disabilities.
Describes a seven-step model developed by SafePlace and replicated by three pilot sites. The adaptable model covers collaboration, needs assessment, strategic planning, outreach, education and training, evaluation, and sustainability.
Message From the Director
Despite being at a higher risk for violent crime than the general population, persons with disabilities are underserved and largely uncounted in the criminal justice and victim services fields. To address this issue, OVC supported victim service agencies in the Multidisciplinary Response to Crime Victims With Disabilities project to improve community services and to begin collecting data on crimes against persons with disabilities.
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