Curriculum on Abuse Prevention and Empowerment (CAPE)
Adults with disabilities face special risks related to abuse as well as special challenges in reporting abuse. To reduce the incidence of abuse, the World Institute on Disability created a comprehensive training curriculum in English and Spanish to educate people with disabilities, services providers, and family members about abuse awareness and prevention strategies.
CAPE explores:
- fundamental issues of abuse
- best-practices training approaches
- personal stories of resisting and recovering from abuse
CAPE resources are designed to support individuals with disability in living safely and independently. Topics covered in the curriculum include:
- developing self-respect
- asserting boundaries
- getting help
- disclosing abuse
- knowing one’s rights
- learning self-advocacy skills
- practicing safety planning
- building resilience.
As the website explains, “These are the ‘CAPE-abilities’ that can interrupt and prevent abusive behavior and help those recover who have experienced abuse. CAPE is unique in its focus on peer support in abuse prevention and its multimedia format, based on proven educational theory and practice. CAPE uses attractive, motivating multimedia educational resources relevant to daily life, such as movies, quizzes, learning games, comic-book images, and stories by and about people with disabilities.”
Comments
Rachel, thanks for your work on this helpful series on disability and abuse. It's painful to read the statistics of how people with disabilities are much more vulnerable to abuse and sexual assault than the general population. Readers may like to know that Disability Rights Wisconsin has produced a number of guides and background papers that may be helpful.
Thanks for the link to additional resources, Mark! This is an important issue. Many parents with children and adult children living with disabilities have told me that abuse is a big worry. So I am most certain that these resources are appreciated!
Yes, I'll echo the thanks for the good information posted about abuse and those with disabilities being more vulnerable. Thanks Rachel!
An article reviewing President Barak Obama's remarks about mental health in a speech made on June 3, 2013, says, "The president also pointed out that persons with mental illnesses statistically are far more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators, and the vast majority of gun violence in America is not linked to people with mental problems. 'I want to be absolutely clear the overwhelming majority of people who suffer from mental illnesses are not violent,' he declared."
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