Domestic Violence and People with Disabilities
Red flags for a person with a disability experiencing nontraditional signs of abuse may include a partner who:
The Americans With Disabilities Act ensures that shelters and offices be accessible to people with disabilities and:
- People with disabilities may be more vulnerable to domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse.
- People with disabilities often experience nontraditional forms of abuse.
- People with disabilities may face additional barriers when seeking help.
Red flags for a person with a disability experiencing nontraditional signs of abuse may include a partner who:
- Steals or withholds their financial support including money and their disability check.
- Tells them that because they are disabled they can not be a good parent.
- Uses their disability to shame and humiliate them.
- Withholds medication, over medicates them, or mixes medications in a nonprescribed way.
- Initiates sexual activity although their partner is not able to consent.
- Withholds medical treatment.
- Threatens to ‘out’ their disability.
- Threatens to harm, or does harm, their service animal.
- Tells them they ‘deserve’ the abuse due to their disability.
- Refuses to help them with life tasks when they previously had done, or agreed to do.
- Breaks, hides, damages, withholds assistive devices.
The Americans With Disabilities Act ensures that shelters and offices be accessible to people with disabilities and:
- Allow people with disabilities to have equal access to programs, services, shelter, and activities. Provide reasonable accommodations if not significantly difficult or expensive for the program to do so. For example; Providing a bedroom on a lower floor if the person is not able to climb stairs.