Protect Yourself!

Increasing numbers of people with Developmental Disabilities (DD) live independently in the community. While this change has afforded many benefits, it has left individuals with DD more vulnerable to victimization. The high rates of abuse – sexual, physical, and verbal -- experienced by individuals with disabilities is a significant problem. One recent large scale study found rates of abuse of people with disabilities to be over 70%. Factors that increase the possibility of victimization include dependence on others for their care, social isolation, outer-directedness and limited experience in recognizing, avoiding, and escaping dangerous situations.

The goal of this program is to address the current deficiencies by creating a program that will guide individuals who have developmental disabilities and a Learning Partner (LP - care provider, relative, group home staff) in developing a comprehensive Individual Response Plan (IRP) that can be used before, during, and after an abusive event. Video and workbook activities will help the LP to effectively implement the abuse prevention and response strategies, thus increasing the potential for generalization in the natural environment and long-term maintenance of skills.

This introductory program consists of the first three modules: (1) Introduction – for the caregiver (the Learning Partner), (2) Basic Knowledge – for the person with developmental disabilities (The Learner) and Planning for the Learner. The content covers the first part of The Individual Response Plan – what to know and do before abuse happens. We hope to finish the complete curriculum in the near future and cover what to do during and after an abuse event occurs.

Individuls and their caregivers will also learn and practice mindfulness. Mindfulness, or being present, is simply paying attention to what is happening right now. What is happening inside of us -- our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. And paying attention to what is around us – what we see, what we hear, what we smell, what we taste, what we feel.