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• Girls with illnesses and disabilities (girlshealth.gov)
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Violence against women with disabilities

• More information on violence against women with disabilities

Research suggests that women with disabilities are more likely to suffer domestic violence and sexual assault than women without disabilities. And women with disabilities report abuse that lasts longer and is more intense than women without disabilities.

Like other women, women with disabilities usually are abused by someone they know, such as a partner or family member. In addition, women with disabilities face the risk of abuse by health care providers or caregivers. Caregivers can withhold medicine and assistive devices, such as wheelchairs or braces. They can also refuse to help with daily needs like bathing, dressing, or eating.

If you are being abused by someone you rely on to take care of you, you may feel trapped. If you can, reach out for help to someone you trust, such as a doctor, family member, friend, or neighbor.

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More information on violence against women with disabilities

Explore other publications and websites

• Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing Outreach (Copyright © National Domestic Violence Hotline) — This fact sheet discusses what deaf women can do if they are in an abusive situation.
  http://www.thehotline.org/get-educated/deaf-deaf-blind-and-hard-of-hearing-outreach/
• Responding to Abuse Against Women with Disabilities: Broadening the Definition of Domestic Violence (Copyright © Family Violence Prevention Fund) — Women with disabilities tend to suffer from additional types of abuse. This paper explains power and control in a care-giving relationship and how health care providers can help.
  http://www.endabuse.org/userfiles/file/HealthCare/responding_to_abuse.pdf
• Safety Planning: A Guide for Individuals with Physical Disabilities (Copyright © National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life) — This safety plan helps adults with physical disabilities deal with violence, stay safe when leaving an abusive situation, and understand restraining orders.
  http://www.vaw.umn.edu/documents/safetyplandisability/safetyplandisability.pdf
• Safety Planning: How You Can Help (Copyright © National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life) — This booklet lists a variety of ways to help people with cognitive disabilities with safety planning if they are being harmed.
  http://www.vaw.umn.edu/documents/safetyplancogdis/safetyplancogdis.pdf
• Sexual Violence Awareness Fact Sheet: People With Disabilities (Copyright © Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance) — This fact sheet discusses myths, facts, and barriers for people with a mental disability who have experienced sexual assault.
  http://www.vadv.org/secPublications/svapwd.pdf
• Victims With Disabilities Face Unique Challenges (Copyright © National Center for Victims of Crime) — This article discusses the unique challenges facing people with disabilities who are stalked or abused. It talks about the prevalence of stalking and abuse among women with disabilities, describes how an abuser might manipulate a person with a disability, and explains why protection from an abuser can be hard for women with disabilities to get.
  http://www.ncvc.org/src/AGP.Net/Components/DocumentViewer/Download.aspxnz?DocumentID=46631
• Violence Against Women With Disabilities — Prevalence (Copyright © Center for Research on Women with Disabilities) — This fact sheet provides statistics on the prevalence of abuse of women with physical disabilities.
  http://www.bcm.edu/crowd/index.cfm?pmid=1325

Connect with other organizations

• Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services
  http://www.adwas.org/
• Disability.gov
  http://www.disability.gov/
• National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life
  http://www.ncall.us/
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
  http://www.thehotline.org/
• National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women
  http://www.vawnet.org/
• Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice
  http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/
• Office on Violence Against Women, DOJ
  http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/

Content last updated May 18, 2011.

Resources last updated May 18, 2011.

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