Safe and Able Lives Victims’ Services Project

One study indicated that more than 70% of women with disabilities have been the victims of violent sexual encounters (Stimpson & Best, 1991). In addition to the increased risk, the maltreatment is often chronic and more severe (Sobsey, 1994). The Safe and Able Lives Victim’s Services Project, funded by the US Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women, is focused on increasing access to and quality of services to women with disabilities in two domestic violence programs, one serving urban counties and one serving rural counties in Georgia. These communities were selected to be representative of the population, as well as communities in which strong support of the issue exists. The Partnership Against Domestic Violence (PADV) in Atlanta is a primary partner in the project.

The project builds on the collaborative efforts of the Safe and Able Lives Coalition. Formed in 1999 at the request of women with disabilities, the coalition is an informal group of women with disabilities, advocates, disability related services providers, and victims' service providers who have organized to address the issue of violence against women with disabilities in our state.

Safe and Able Lives Judicial Training Project

Cases involving violence and sexual assault against individuals with disabilities are often complex and present unique challenges. Currently, however, no training exists developed specifically for members of the judiciary to assist them in making decisions.

Through this project, IHDD is developing a training curriculum and providing training on violence and sexual assault of individuals with disabilities for members of the judiciary. The curriculum is being developed by a strong partnership between four state agencies, two private nonprofit organizations serving individuals with disabilities, and two private nonprofit organizations serving victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The curriculum will be geared for each class of court, and will include information needed for decisions in all phases of cases. Each section of the curriculum will be designed to be used independently or in conjunction with the other modules. The curriculum will be piloted in training for Georgia judges, revised based upon participant evaluation and a judicial review panel. Two thousand copies of the final curriculum will be disseminated nationally on CD-rom. The curriculum will also be posted on the web.

An estimated 300 members of the Georgia Judiciary from Probate, Magistrate, Juvenile, State, and Superior Court will participate in the training through the mandatory certification and re-certification courses provided by the Institute for Continuing Judicial Education at the University of Georgia. This project is funded by the US Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women. Primary partners in the project are the Institute for Continuing Judicial Education and the State ADA Coordinator’s Office.