This Is Not Okay

It has been a frustrating few weeks. A woman was sexually assaulted. She is experiencing trauma. She happens to have an intellectual disability. She cannot access counseling services because she is “too low”. That is discrimination.

I understand the concept of ‘do no harm’ in this situation. We should not further harm a victim of sexual assault through our interventions. But isn’t it harmful to deny services to someone who desperately needs them? Isn’t it harmful to tell the family “your daughter is too low”? I believe that a very harmful assumption has been made in this situation. I wish I could tell you this is unusual but it is not. It appears to be somewhat common practice to deny people who communicate in a non-traditional manner access to quality victim services. I am appalled and saddened by this.
Yes, it has been a frustrating few weeks. A different woman was sexually assaulted. She happens to have a developmental disability. The assault happened nearly three years ago. The family is fighting for justice in a criminal justice system that does not see this victim as credible. This, too, feels like discrimination.

I understand that this ‘case’ might take more time to collect evidence and to prosecute than in ‘easier’ cases. I believe that everyone communicates and that many people with communication disabilities can testify in court. I also know that sometimes an evidence-based prosecution may be the best course of action, but do we even try that when the victim may not be able to testify in court? I do not understand when people whose job it is to protect the public do not even try. I understand very clearly that the message to perpetrators of sexual violence across the nation is this: Sexually assault people with disabilities and nothing will happen to you. And unfortunately, the message to the victims with disabilities is often this: We do not care. I am appalled at these messages! We can do better!

Yes, it has been a frustrating few weeks. An excellent prosecuting attorney, who believes that the voice of every sexual assault victim should be heard in court, contacted me. A woman with developmental disabilities was sexually assaulted by staff at her group home. There was physical evidence. There was access. There was testimony. The jury voted not-guilty. The defense attorney called the victim evil and referred to the victim as an object. The offender on the other had was called a ‘person with a family’. So the victim (who has a disability) was painted as bad and the person who sexually assaulted her was painted as a person whose life has value. Apparently the jury believed this hateful story. When will the public be outraged at this targeted violence against people with disabilities? When will the public see people with disabilities as having equal value with other human beings?

Yes, it has been a frustrating few weeks. A young student was sexually assaulted at school. The student attends Special Education classes and has had no prevention education. Other students in the same school receive education on bullying, respect, healthy relationships, and reporting abuse….but not the Special Ed students. This feels like discrimination. And now I am not sure what I understand—why would we not educate the students who are at the greatest risk of experiencing bullying and other forms of violence?

Yes, I have felt a lot of frustration the past few weeks. So what happens next? Well, those of us in this movement at the intersection of violence and people with disabilities channel our frustration into our passion to make changes. We walk or roll side by side with people with disabilities and speak up about the issues. We work with families and schools and victim services and criminal justice personnel and hospital personnel and others. We use our voices and our actions to say this is not okay-- and we will not stop. I am grateful to all of you who are in this movement to stop sexual violence against people with disabilities. We are stronger together. Together we rise above the discrimination and create a world of equality and safety.