About

This digital guide, All Adults SAFE, was developed by The SAFE Alliance’s Disability Services Program in Austin, Texas. Since its 1996 beginnings, SAFE’s Disability Services Program is recognized as a leader in domestic and sexual violence prevention and intervention for people with disabilities (physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities, sensory, cognitive, communication, and mental health related).

The SAFE Alliance’s Deaf SHARE, Disability Services, and Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy Programs worked collaboratively to ensure this resource includes proven and practical information for professional responders including: Sexual Assault Advocates, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) and other medical staff, Law Enforcement officers; and Protective Services staff— to support adults with disabilities and Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Late-Deafened, and Hard of Hearing community members (DDBDDLDHH) that have experienced sexual assault and other forms of violence, abuse, and neglect.

Inspiration for this guide is drawn from All Kids SAFE, a digital guide developed for Child Protective Services, victim service, law enforcement, and criminal justice personnel. SAFE thanks the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leadership and local direct service staff for contributing to development of the guide and participating in interviews and in-depth consultation regarding the technological needs, and reviews of the draft guide.

Information that defines the structure, accessibility features, and critical content for this guide is based on interviews with people with a range of disabilities and DDBDDLDHH community members, professionals, parents and other family members of youth and adults with disabilities, law enforcement officers, disability advocacy and service professionals, survivors of domestic, sexual, and care-providers abuse, victim service advocates, sexual assault advocates, and Texas Department of Family and Protective Services staff. Other stakeholder’s contributed by responding to 3 state-wide surveys.

The SAFE Alliance is dedicated to ending violence through prevention, advocacy, and comprehensive services for people with disabilities, families, and communities that have been affected by abuse.

This project is supported by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities through a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C. 20201, with a 100% federal funding award totaling $6,161,072. Council efforts are those of the grantee and do not necessarily represent the official views of nor are endorsed by ACL, HHS, or the U.S. government.

Acknowledgements:

First, thank you to the survivors with a history of violence and abuse who have shared their stories and insights that guided our development of this resource. We also draw shared knowledge and inspiration from SAFE’s dedicated and knowledgeable staff who welcome all survivors…including survivors with disabilities.

The SAFE Alliance wants to acknowledge and gratefully thank the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (TCDD) and its governing board for their vision, oversight, and the support that has allowed us to bring All Adults SAFE to life. More specifically, we thank Sylvia Medina, Evan Marczynski, Genessee Klemm, Scott Daigle, and Dr. Beth Stalvey for their insights, guidance, and ongoing supports for development and publication of this new resource.

Major contributors to All Adults SAFE, include Holly Bowles, Director of SAFE’s Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy Program; Joe Gallagher, Outreach/Education Manager of Deaf SHARE; and Teresa Solis, Disability Services Project Coordinator and Educator. Thank you all deeply for sharing your expertise and knowledge of victim advocacy, trauma-informed responding, and service delivery focused on justice, healing, and recovery. Your commitments to strengthening support for all victims and survivors of violence, abuse, and exploitation are outstanding.

Thank you Leigh Anne McKingsley, for your knowledgeable review of this resource. As Director and Founder of The Arc’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability, Leigh Anne clearly recognizes the needs, unique barriers, and practicality of a digital guide— available at a moment’s notice— to increase the accessibility of victim services, supports, and access to justice.

A special thank-you and appreciation to Eric Castro, for sharing his expertise with The SAFE Alliance to design accessible, easy to use guides that supports working more effectively with crime victims with disabilities and who are Deaf/DeafBlind/DeafDisabled /Late-Deafened/Hard of Hearing.

This resource also reflects an expansion of Dianne King’s contributions as editor of All Kids SAFE, and the dedication, expertise, and advocacy within SAFE’s Disability Services program since 1996. We acknowledge the foundational work of former leadership and staff who built the strong framework upon which this guide could be developed. We extend sincere appreciation to: Wendie Abramson, Rebecca Adams, Lee Ann Cameron, Sheryl Civjan, Celia Hughes, Heather Kamper, Dianne King, Cema Mastroleo, Rand Metcalfe, Terri Stellar, Katherine Brouillette Serbian, and Kimberly Wisseman. Your commitments to ending violence against and promoting healthy and safer relationships and justice for community members with disabilities made this resource possible. Thank you for your lasting legacy. Michelle (Shell) Schwartz, Disability Services Program Director (Project Director and Editor).