Responding to Crime Victims with Disabilities

From September 30-October 2, 2009, the Joint Center on Violence and Victim Studies and the National Center for Victims of Crime co-hosted a conference entitled, “Responding to Crime Victims with Disabilities.”  The conference provided core training on the differences in treatment and prevention necessary for crime victims with physical and/or developmental disabilities and non-disabled victims.  Forty-five states and Washington, D.C., as well as Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, India and Uganda were represented with nearly 400 allied professionals in attendance.  FCASV was represented by Ebony Tucker, Legal Assistance to Victims Project Director.  The conference began with an opening plenary from Joye Frost, Director for Office of Victims of Crime and included a presentation by Sharon D’Eusanio, Assistant Director for the Division of Victim Services and Criminal Justice Programs in the Office of the Florida Attorney General.  Ms. D’Eusanio’s presentation focused on her personal experience as a crime victim with a physical disability and her work within the sexual assault prevention and treatment community.  Her willingness to share her story and her perspective on the state of advocacy for crime victims moved the entire audience and became one of the most memorable moments of the conference. 

The workshop topics varied from prevention, treatment and access to the criminal justice system for victims with a wide range of disabilities.  The sessions helped to build unique communication skills and better facilitation of treatment between professionals and clients with disabilities.  Each session focused on either physical or developmental disabilities, with several sessions focused on treatment for victims within deaf and hard of hearing communities, autistic victims and victims with fetal alcohol syndrome, respectively.  These sessions centered mainly on proper communication skills and effective forensic interviewing.  One session in particular, entitled “Sexual Abuse Prevention and Healthy Sexuality: Understanding the Link”, gave tremendous insight on the importance of learning to communicate effectively with developmentally disabled victims to not only treat but prevent abuse.  This session emphasized how factors such as a lack of sex education, isolated living and social conditions and a focus on obedience for developmentally disabled individuals can often contribute to a sexually abusive environment. 

“Accessing the Criminal Justice System,” gave current ADA public access requirements, while disability awareness workgroups gave information on how to spread awareness throughout one’s community, particularly rural and smaller communities, of disability related sexual assault issues.  At the end of each day of the conference, participants were given the opportunity to meet with other allied professionals working within their state.  During these ninety minute sessions, brainstorming was encouraged and groups focused on ways to create better support services for crime victims with disabilities in their state. 

For more information about this conference, including conference materials, and other projects sponsored by the National Crime Institute, vist the National Center for Victims of Crime.