Women living with disabilities are at increased risk for interpersonal abuse and violence when compared to women without disabilities. The purpose of this research project is to develop and evaluate an innovative, multi-session abuse education and safety planning program for women with disabilities. The conceptual model for the project identifies knowledge about safety planning, self-efficacy, and social connectedness as three protective factors that influence safety behaviors and safety itself. The goal of the project is to strengthen the three protective factors. It is hypothesized that a group of women with disabilities who are randomly assigned to participate in a program consisting of traditional centers for independent living (CIL) services, plus an abuse education and safety planning intervention program will report greater improvements on measures of self-efficacy, knowledge about safety behaviors, and social connectedness after the intervention and at three- and six- month follow-ups, compared to a group of women with disabilities who are randomly assigned to participate in traditional CIL services only.
The intervention program, called ASAP for Women, will consist of six to eight weekly sessions that cover topics such as self-empowerment, self-advocacy, the nature of abuse and violence, safety planning strategies, healthy relationships, and self-esteem. The curriculum is based on SafePlace?s ?Stop the Violence, Break the Silence? curriculum. The class sessions will include self-efficacy training, goal-setting, and problem-solving, as well as interactive activities to encourage mutual support. Ten centers for independent living will be selected to participate in the study. A staff member from each participating center will complete a leader training program, recruit participants, teach the class, and perform other tasks related to the study. The pilot test for this study will be sponsored by Summit Independent Living Center in Missoula, Montana, during the summer of 2008.
This research study, which is designed to be applicable to service providers in domestic violence programs and disability-related service providers, involves a prevention program designed specifically for women with disabilities who often lack access to community-based safety planning and abuse prevention programs.
This project is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). For additional information, contact Dr. Rosemary Hughes, Principal Investigator, at The University of Montana Rural Institute,
[email protected].
