The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #65795

Pamela A. Dickens, MPH¹, Anna B. Brown, MPH¹, and Sandra L. Martin, PhD². (1) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC Office on Disability and Health, Campus Box 8185, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8185, 919-966-0871, pam_dickens@unc.edu, (2) Department of MCH, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, CB#7445, 401 Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445

At least 85% of women with disabilities have experienced domestic abuse (Feuerstein, 1997), and much of this abuse is chronic or severe (Sobsey, 1994). Yet, women with disabilities face serious barriers to accessing existing programs to help remove violence from their lives (Nosek, M.A. and Howland, C.A., 1998). This presentation will describe an effective and feasible community-based approach for improved access for women with disabilities which directly addresses the needs and recommendations identified in the N.C. Domestic Violence Programs Survey, Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1999. Access for All is a focused initiative designed to strengthen collaborative relationships among sexual assault and domestic violence programs in North Carolina, the North Carolina Office on Disability and Health, and community disability agencies. Project activities, including access audits, plans of action, staff and volunteer training, cross-training with disability agencies, and modifications to improve access will be discussed. This project features a complete training curriculum and accessibility survey tools that will be shared with participants.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Recognize the magnitude of sexual assault and domestic violence that women with disabilities face.
• Describe a community-based approach for increasing access to services for women with disabilities.
• Describe a training curriculum and accessibility survey tool that can be used to improve access in existing programs.

Keywords: Domestic Violence, Disability

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: North Carolina Office on Disability and Health
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.