Project Purpose - Crime Victims with Disabilities OVC Bulletin :: National Organization for Victim Assistance® (NOVA) ::

The Symposium participants came together to develop an action plan for victim service providers and other allied professionals to improve their capacity to identify and respond to crime victims with disabilities. Over the course of 2 days, participants identified issues, service gaps, and barriers to access; recommended needed changes; and spotlighted successful programs and promising practices that reach and serve crime victims with a wide array of disabling conditions. The Symposium provided an opportunity for a candid exchange of ideas among a diverse array of individuals and the organizations that they represented. Although unanimity did not always reign, participants were united in their quest of affording all crime victims fundamental justice and comprehensive services.

In the months before the Symposium, NOVA and OVC staff identified knowledgeable people from the fields of disability rights, protection and advocacy, crime victim assistance, law, and research. A number of these pioneers were invited to attend the 2-day transfer-of-knowledge Symposium. Resource materials were identified for Symposium attendees to review, and an agenda was designed that included presentations from experts, facilitated discussion, and small working groups. Symposium participants focused on promising practices currently in use and identified areas for future action. The Symposium was recorded so that a full transcript would be available to aid in developing the recommendations report and subsequently this Bulletin.

1. How do we begin to understand the experiences of crime victims who are disabled?

What are the psychological, economic, social, and legal experiences of people with disabilities who come in contact with the law enforcement, judicial, correctional, emergency medical, and victim service systems?
How has the passage of the ADA affected the criminal justice system's response to these victims?

2. How do we improve service delivery to crime victims who are disabled?

How can we improve reporting of crimes against people with disabilities?
How can we perform better outreach to crime victims with disabilities?
How can we better serve victims whose perpetrators are their primary caregivers?
What may be different for those who were disabled prior to their victimization than for those who became disabled as a result of the criminal assault?
How do we prepare victim service programs to serve all victims with disabilities?
What do victims with disabilities need/want from the system?
What strategies can be employed to ensure that people with disabilities do not "fall through the cracks" of the service delivery system, especially those who are institutionalized or hospitalized for long periods of
time and those who rely on the care of a personal assistant or home health care system?

3. What do crime victim advocates need to know to effectively respond to people with different kinds of disabilities (i.e., victims with developmental disabilities and their families, newly-disabled victims, victims with physical disabilities, and victims with other types of cognitive or mental disabilities)?

4. What do crime victim advocates need to know about the Americans With Disabilities Act and its enforcement?

Unique Issues Identified
During the Symposium, participants raised many issues that criminal justice and victim assistance professionals need to consider when working with crime victims with disabilities. Although this list is not exhaustive, it is representative of some of the main concerns of the group.