Vera House, Inc. announces
new services for women
with disabilities
a message from program coordinator  .  CRYSTAL COLLETTE

During a recent morning drive to work, I heard a dramatic segment on National Public Radio profiling members of our country’s military who suffer from PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The thought-provoking commentary focused on a growing sentiment within the military that PTSD is a “cop-out” and that those who have special psychiatric needs and seek mental health services are simply “weak”. This important NPR story serves to illustrate the harsh reality that individuals with mental health disabilities are one of the last marginalized groups in our society, against whom it is still socially acceptable to openly discriminate. And how sadly ironic, that as we strive to alleviate the impact of violence in our community and work towards peace in our families, there is not peace in our world.

In the context of this awareness, I am so proud to tell you about our newest initiative at Vera House, Inc. We recently received confirmation that in partnership with ARISE, the Federal Office on Violence Against Women has awarded our community $750,000 to administer over the next three years through the Education and Technical Assistance Grant to End Violence Against Women with Disabilities. This will be an intensive, solution-focused partnership to improve community response to women who have disabilities and are survivors of sexual and/or domestic violence.

Women with disabilities of all types - mobility, cognitive, sight, hearing and mental health - face domestic and sexual violence at vastly disproportionate numbers, with 92% of women with disabilities reporting abuse and violence as a top priority of topics affecting their lives.

Vera House and ARISE will partner with over twenty local organizations to identify specific gaps in service, barriers to safety and accessible support, and system inadequacies. Over the term of the grant, we will develop a Disability Task Force as part of the Syracuse Area Domestic & Sexual Violence Coalition, consult with community partners to review their policies, and offer free in-service training on improving service delivery for women with disabilities who are victims of violence.

Learn about even more community programs & organizations
serving the needs of people with disabilities:

 

This new project will enable us to debunk misguided viewpoints (such as those unmasked in the NPR coverage of PTSD in the military) and other issues of “attitudinal accessibility” – skewed judgments that limit our community’s ability to serve women with disabilities. Together, we will find new and enlightened ways to help bring an end to violence in their lives.

It will be your commitment to these tasks
and your agency’s participation
that will make this project a success
and will truly make a difference in our community!

___________________

for more information
call Crystal Collette at #315.425.0818 ext234
or