A recently published article on Women’s E-News reports on the difficulties facing women with disabilities who also experience domestic violence. The author, Annemarie Taddeucci, focuses on the failure of many support centers to adequately address the needs of disabled clients. Often, domestic violence shelters and facilities are not adequately equipped to provide complete care to women who are physically or mentally disabled. Taddeucci notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that 37% of women with disabilities experience domestic violence. An estimated 21% of women without disabilities that suffer intimate partner abuse. The article reports that an upcoming meeting will address issues that arise when care providers, law enforcement officers and courts encounter women with disabilities who have experienced intimate partner abuse. The meeting, held from 16-17 December 2008, will bring increased awareness to this important issue.
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Compiled from: Taddeucci, Annemarie, “Feds Focus on Disabled as Hidden Victims of Abuse”, Women’s E-News, 28 November 2008.