Safeguarding Your Self

"Women have been beaten, had their wheelchairs taken away and their phones smashed, and have been locked in their rooms without access to the bathroom. We have had our medications taken away or withheld until we are good girls. Women in institutions also have medications withheld as a means of discipline; we have been over-medicated, slapped, neglected and physically and sexually abused with no avenue of complaints or counselling." -- Submitted to the British Columbia Task Force on Family Violence by DAWN Canada: DisAbled Women s Network Canada, 1992

A 1993 Statistics Canada National Survey on Violence Against Women found that three in ten women were physically or sexually abused by a husband, ex-husband or common-law partner. Women, simply by virtue of their gender, are potential victims of violence.

By including women who are abused by a current or ex- dating partner in this study, and expanding the definition of abuse to include other common tactics of control such as using threats and intimidation or emotional or financial abuse, it is estimated that approximately one in four women are abused by their intimate or ex-intimate partners.

Woman abuse is the intentional and systematic use of tactics to establish and maintain power and control over the thoughts, beliefs and conduct of a woman. Such tactics include, but are not limited to, emotional, financial, physical and sexual abuse, as well as intimidation, isolation, using the children, and using social status and privilege.

Abused women are our mothers, sisters, aunts, friends and neighbours. These women are subjected to threats, coercion, slapping, kicking, sexual assault, name calling, mind games and intimidating looks and gestures. They have had their valuables deliberately destroyed, had their paycheques confiscated, been blamed for causing the abuse, and had their sleeping, eating, medications and physical needs controlled.

As startling as it is to learn that one in four women is abused, the statistics specifically involving women with disabilities are more horrific. DAWN (DisAbled Women s Network) estimates that women with disabilities are twice as likely as non-disabled women to be sexually assaulted.

While women with disabilities experience similar tactics of power and control as non-disabled women, they also experience additional ones. For instance, a woman who requires medication may have it withheld from her. She may also be told that she has already received it in order to make her appear to be crazy.

Another example of a physically abusive incident using the tactic of isolation is a woman with multiple sclerosis having her cane taken away by her partner, who leaves her stranded in bed while he leaves town for the weekend.

Why women stay with their abusers is a commonly asked question by friends, family and the community in general when it is discovered that a woman is in an abusive relationship. (Ironically, the question "Why doesn�t the abuser stop abusing?" rarely gets asked.)

In asking why women stay, it is important to recognize that the question itself arises out of a lack of understanding of the complexities and dangers of woman abuse. On another level, it is a question that ultimately puts responsibility for the abuse, and for ending it, upon the woman.

The fact is, there are many reasons why women remain in abusive relationships. For many women, leaving their abusers is just not an option. Many are threatened that if they disclose the abuse or leave their abuser, they and/or their loved ones will be injured or killed. This threat is reinforced by the high number of abused women who are seriously injured or murdered following their departure from an abusive partner.

Also, many women are economically dependent on their partners and stay because of financial cutbacks to social assistance, cuts to legal aid, or because they fear losing custody of their children.

Women with disabilities face additional barriers to leaving an abusive situation. Many abused women with disabilities are isolated from family members, friends and community resources. For them, reaching out is often hampered by social attitudes, discrimination or fear of losing their caregiver. In fact, many abused women with disabilities report being disbelieved and blamed for the abuse when they reach out to others.

Another factor which makes it difficult for abused women with disabilities to seek assistance is a lack of accessible services. In fact, DAWN reveals that women-centred services are too often inaccessible to women with disabilities. Too few women-centred agencies provide outreach services to organizations that work with women with disabilities and, consequently, consumers are not made aware of the services available to them. Moreover, even if abused women with disabilities are aware of appropriate services, many women-centred service providers are not adequately trained on the issues and experiences of abused women with disabilities.

Another obstacle in seeking support is that many organizations lack essentials such as TTY service, or learning materials in Braille or large print or on audio cassette or ASL-translated video cassette. Thus, while there have been recent attempts by women-centred organizations to become more attitudinally and physically accessible, abused women with disabilities continue to report these barriers to their seeking information, support and safety planning.

The London Battered Women s Advocacy Centre (LBWAC) in London, Ontario, has attempted to address the continuing reports that women-centred services are inaccessible to abused women with disabilities. LBWAC has developed an action plan that is committed to recognizing and understanding the unique needs of abused women with disabilities, and the centre is working to ensure that women with disabilities are able to access all community-based services independently.

LBWAC recognizes its responsibility to inform the community about accessible services and to share information and knowledge about woman abuse. To this end, LBWAC, in collaboration and cooperation with Women�s Community House (a London shelter for abused women), has established a Networking Advisory Committee involving women-centred agencies, consumer groups, and organizations which work with women with disabilities.

The purpose of the committee is to facilitate better the coordination of existing services by sharing information and resources and acting as advisors to one another. The committee recognizes that not all women-centred organizations are fiscally able to become accessible. Therefore, the Networking Advisory Committee has made a commitment to share information and resources. For example, LBWAC recently transcribed educational materials such as its personalized safety plan kit into Braille, large print and audio. Copies of this and other materials will be sent to women-centred services in London and area, and to organizations which work directly with women with disabilities to serve better the needs of abused women with disabilities.

The committee plans to identify service gaps and create an action plan to coordinate existing services. For instance, the community is currently updating emergency-response protocols such as transportation, attendant services and sign interpretation to ensure that abused women with disabilities are able to access emergency services quickly.

And since, through consultation with consumer groups and organizations which work with women with disabilities, it is apparent that service providers for the most part are untrained in handling and facilitating disclosures of abuse, both LBWAC and Women s Community House are developing a training manual for service providers who work with women with disabilities. This manual will help to educate service providers about the issues of woman abuse, how to establish protocols around disclosures, and ways of supporting abused women with disabilities. Information about the services offered by area women-centred, anti-violence organizations and their levels of physical accessibility is also included.

The committee hopes to follow in the footsteps of similar collective actions begun in Winnipeg and British Columbia in addressing the needs of abused women with disabilities and ensuring that such women are receiving the services they desperately need. Networking with sister agencies to address community gaps in services for abused women with disabilities is the first step.

Abused women with disabilities must be given the same quality of services in mainstream organizations as non-disabled women. Services can no longer justify a lack of understanding of the issues and a lack of accessibility based on financial constraints. As London is discovering through the Networking Advisory Committee, service agencies can reach their goals by working in collaboration with one another.

If you suspect or know someone you care about is being abused, contact your local community s women s shelter, woman s advocate or nearest DAWN chapter about supportive actions you can take. If you are being abused or have experienced abuse, please consult the front page of the telephone book or ask a telephone operator for the number of the Abused Women�s Help Line or your local shelter.

(Laura Kovacic is the Accessibility and Outreach Coordinator at the London Battered Women s Advocacy Centre. LBWAC is a non-residential organization committed to ending violence against women and offers free, short-term counselling and safety planning to women who have been assaulted and/or abused by their current or ex- husband, common-law partner, boyfriend, or lesbian partner. LBWAC can be contacted at (519) 432-2204 (voice/TTY) or by e-mail: [email protected].)

TACTICS OF POWER AND CONTROL:

The Power and Control Wheel

Originally developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, Duluth, U.S.A. Further adapted by the London Battered Women�s Advocacy Centre.

The Power and Control Wheel is a visual tool that is useful in understanding how tactics are used by an abuser to gain and maintain power and control over a woman. It can also be a guide to identifying abusive behaviours. The abuser may be an intimate partner, an ex-partner, or a caregiver or attendant.

USING ISOLATION

- controlling what she does, who she sees and talks to, where she goes, limiting her outside involvement

- using jealousy to justify actions

- sabotaging friendships, new relationships

USING EMOTIONAL ABUSE

- putting her down, calling her names, making her feel bad about herself

- playing mind games, making her think she is crazy

- humiliating her in front of friends and/or work

USING CHILDREN

- using visitation (access) to harass her

- using children to relay messages

- telling them bad things about her

- threatening to take children away

- making her feel bad about her parenting

USING INTIMIDATION, COERCION & THREATS

- making her afraid by using looks, actions, gestures

- smashing things

- threatening to report her to welfare, immigration, etc.

- purchasing or displaying weapons

- abusing pets or destroying cherished items

MINIMIZING, DENYING & BLAMING

- making light of the abuse

- saying the abuse didn�t happen

- saying she caused the abuse

- blaming abuse on stress, alcohol, drugs, etc.

PHYSICAL ABUSE

- hitting, slapping, punching, biting, kicking, pushing or harming her in any way

- confining her, holding her, preventing her from leaving

- withholding or preventing her getting physical care, food or medication

USING SOCIAL STATUS & PRIVILEGE

- reinforcing control over her by use of gender, race, class, sexual orientation, immigration, status, age, occupation, wealth, or physical or developmental ability

- using institutions to reinforce power or privilege

ECONOMIC ABUSE

- preventing her from getting or keeping a job

- taking her money

- making her ask for money or an "allowance"

- not allowing her participation in financial decision making

SEXUAL ABUSE

- any sexual activity that is unwanted or coerced

- sexual name calling or accusations

- uninformed sexual activity, i.e., non-disclosure of STD/HIV status

- forced pregnancy or termination of pregnancy

RESOURCES:

PUBLICATIONS:

"Violence Against Women with Disabilities: Annotated Bibliography of Available Resources and Statement of Need"

Produced by DisAbled Women�s Network (DAWN) Ontario, funded by the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation

Cost: $12

Contact: DAWN Ontario

P.O. Box 781, Stn. B

Sudbury ON P3E 4S1

Phone/TTY: (705) 671-0825

Toll-free in Ontario: 1-800-561-4727.

Fax: (705) 671-0829

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.dawn.tyenet.com

"Disability, Violence and Prevention Resources"

An annotated bibliography of violence and abuse resources for people with disabilities and service providers. Presents over 450 pieces of information.

Produced by the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT), Inc.

Cost: $20 (consumers with disabilities may be exempt from this charge)

Contact: CILT

205 Richmond St. W., Ste. 605

Toronto ON M5V 1V3

Phone: (416) 599-2458

Fax: (416) 599-3555

"Harm�s Way: The Many Faces of Violence and Abuse Against Persons with Disabilities"

Produced by: The Roeher Institute

Cost: $28

Order Number: 1-895070-56-2

Contact: The Roeher Institute Publications

Kinsmen Bldg., York University

4700 Keele St.

North York ON M3J 1P3

Phone: (416) 661-9611

Toll-free: 1-800-856-2207

TTY: (416) 661-2023

Fax: (416) 661-5701

E-mail: [email protected]

VIDEOS:

"Disabled Women and Abuse"

Seven women with disabilities discuss the issues.

Produced by: Foundation on Independent Living

Length: 24 minutes

Cost: $25 (for home viewing)

Order No.: 876-31-102

Contact: Magic Lantern Communications Ltd.

Tel.: (905) 827-1155

Toll-free: 1-800-263-1717

Fax: (905) 827-1154

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.magiclantern.ca

"Your Safety... Your Rights"

A personal safety and abuse prevention program for adults with disabilities.

Produced by: NOVA (Network of Victim Assistance), Pennsylvania

Length: 17 minutes

Cost: $49.95 U.S. (for home viewing)

Contact: Fanlight Productions

Phone: 1-800-937-4113.

Fax: (617) 524-8838

ORGANIZATIONS:

DisAbled Women�s Network (DAWN) Canada

3637 Cambie St., Ste. 408

Vancouver BC V5Z 2X3

Phone: (604) 873-1564

Fax: (604) 294-6842

Website: http://www.indie.ca/dawn/index.html

Sexual Health Resource Network (SHRN)

(Provides information on sexual abuse prevention and intervention for youth with disabilities.)

c/o Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children

3644 Slocan St.

Vancouver BC V5M 3E8

Phone: (604) 434-1331

Toll-free: 1-800-331-1533

Fax: (604) 431-7395

E-mail: [email protected]

International Coalition on Abuse and Disability

Website: http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/ddc/ICAD/icad.html

(Distributes an electronic mail network on the topic of abuse and disability. Membership encompasses 200 people in 12 countries.)

ACCESSIBLE CRISIS SERVICES:

Akwesasne Women�s Shelter (Akwesasne Reserve)

Cornwall ON

(613) 937-4473

Evangeline Women�s Shelter (Salvation Army)

Toronto ON

(416) 762-9636

Homeward Family Shelter

Scarborough ON

(416) 724-1316

Maison Baldwin House

Cornwall ON

(613) 938-2958

Maison Interlude House

Hawksbury ON

(613) 632-1591

La Montee d�Elle

Alexandria ON

Toll-free: 1-800-461-1842

Naomi�s Family Resource Centre

Winchester ON

(613) 774-2838

Toll-free: 1-800-267-0395

Yellow Brick House

Aurora ON

(905) 727-1944

Toll-free: 1-800-263-3247

YWCA Women�s Shelter

Toronto ON

(416) 923-8454

If you know of any additional crisis services that are accessible by women with disabilities, please let us know at ABILITIES, 489 College St., Ste. 501, Toronto, ON, M6G 1A5; fax: (416) 923-9829; e-mail: [email protected].

This special feature was made possible with support from Human Resources Development Canada -- Office for Disability Issues.