Multidisciplinary Response to Crime Victims With Disabilities Community Guide

This guide walks you through a seven-step model for improving your community’s capacity to respond to crime victims with disabilities:

• Step 1. Partnering.
• Step 2. Assessing the Community’s Needs.
• Step 3. Developing a Strategic Plan.
• Step 4. Taking Action.
• Step 5. Taking Measure.
• Step 6. Evaluating the Project’s Impact.
• Step 7. Sustaining the Momentum.

Every step in the model, which was originally developed by SafePlace of Austin, Texas, and was replicated by three pilot sites, is designed to change your response to crime victims with disabilities permanently. If you follow each step, you will—

• Be connected with people and agencies in your community who are also invested in improving services for crime victims with disabilities.
• Have heard from and responded to persons with disabilities and other stakeholders about which changes your agency and other service providers should make.
• Have made a plan based on the needs of your particular community, which may include the following:
• Tracking crimes against community members who have disabilities.
• Changing agency policies and practices that pose barriers to crime victims with disabilities.
• Providing education/training for persons with disabilities, your own staff and volunteers, partner agencies, disability service providers, law enforcement, and others.