Women with Disability and Domestic and Family Violence: A Guide for Policy and Practice
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Women with Disability
and Domestic and
Family Violence:
A Guide for Policy
and Practice
People with Disability Australia (PWDA) PO Box 666 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 Ph: (02) 9370 3100 Email: pwd@pwd.org.au Website: www.pwd.org.au Domestic Violence NSW (DVNSW) PO Box 3311 Redfern NSW 2016 Ph: (02) 9698 9777 Email: admin@dvnsw.org.au Website: www.dvnsw.org.au The information in these documents was prepared as part of a collaboration between People with Disability Australia and Domestic Violence NSW. © PWDA and DVNSW 2021
most recent incident of physical assault by a
Part 1: Women with man, fewer than one in three (29 per cent)
reported the incident to police (ABS 2021).
disability are at high risk of
What’s more, the data used in the ABS
experiencing domestic and disability and violence report excludes
family violence residential care and institutional facilities,
such as group homes. It also excludes
Women with disability experience participants who need third party assistance
significantly higher levels of all forms of with communication.
violence, including domestic and family
violence (DFV) (Frawley et al 2015, pp5-6). Understanding disability
According to a recent Australian Bureau of
Statistics (ABS) disability and violence In this guide, we use the term disability within
report, women with disability are almost twice the context of the internationally recognised
as likely as women without disability to have social model of disability (Kayess & Sands
experienced physical or sexual violence by a 2020, pp6-10). Born out of the civil rights
cohabiting partner over a 12-month period movement of the 1960s and 70s, the social
(2.5 per cent compared with 1.3 per cent) model focuses on the person, not their
(ABS 2021). The likelihood of emotional impairment. It describes disability as an
abuse by a cohabiting partner is also interaction between people with impairments
significantly increased (6.3 per cent and the barriers created by society to their
compared with 4.1 per cent) (ABS 2021). full and effective participation on an equal
An intellectual or psychological disability puts footing with others. The social model of
women further at risk. A woman with an disability is outlined in the UN Convention on
intellectual or psychological disability is the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
almost three times more likely than a woman (CRPD).
with a physical disability to experience Under the social model of disability, equality
physical or sexual violence by a cohabiting of access is a shared responsibility. Physical,
partner (ABS 2021). She is more than twice attitudinal and communication barriers
as likely to experience emotional abuse by a reduce the opportunities afforded to people
cohabiting partner (ABS 2021). with impairments, resulting in exclusion
While women with disability experience all and/or discrimination. These barriers may
the same forms of DFV that other women also exist in DFV services. Ratified by
experience, they are at risk of additional Australia in 2008, the CRPD outlines the
forms of DFV, including forced sterilisation, obligations your service has to people with
seclusion and restrictive practices. Their disability. These include ensuring access to
need for disability supports also means they physical locations, information, employment,
experience DFV in a range of institutional adequate standards of living, support
and service settings, such as in residential services and assistive technologies.
institutions and aged care facilities
(Frohmader et al 2015, p12).
Language used in this guide
It is widely accepted that violence against
women with disability is significantly under- The terms ‘people with disability’ and ‘women
reported. Although three in four (74 per cent) with disability’ are used throughout this
women with disability experienced anxiety or manual. However, some people prefer other
fear for their personal safety, following their language, such as ‘disabled woman’ or
‘woman with a disability’.
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 1WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 2
Part 2: The Intersection of during care giving, sexual
activity being demanded or
Disability, Gender and DFV expected in return for care,
taking advantage of a
Gender is not the only factor that affects a physical impairment to
woman’s experience of DFV. Disability, class, force sexual activity, and
age, geographical location, Aboriginal and control of reproductive
Torres Strait Islander identity, culturally and processes (Healey 2013,
linguistically diverse (CALD) background, pp39-40).
sexuality, and/or gender diversity also
intersect to affect how DFV is experienced. ■ Emotional abuse, such as denial of
‘Intersectionality’ is a theoretical term that is disability, threats to withdraw care or
now widely used to describe how these services, threats to institutionalise,
different factors interact to shape a person’s violation of privacy, neglect,
experience. abandonment and deprivation
(Healey 2013, p39).
‘Intersectionality’ recognises that women with
disability experience unique forms of DFV not ■ Economic abuse, such as theft of
experienced by women without disability, due disability-related payments, abuse of
to the way gender and disability-based Powers of Attorney and refusal to
discrimination intersect (Frohmader & Sands pay for essential medication or
2015, pp16-18). It also recognises that disability-related equipment (Healey
women with disability experience DFV in a 2013, p39).
broader range of settings and encounter ■ Coercive control that results
barriers that are not experienced by women from existing hierarchies between
without disability (Frohmader et al 2015, p12; people with disability and people
Mitra-Kahn et al 2016, pp26-27). without disability, such as people
with disability being led to believe
Unique Types of DFV that the abusive behaviours occur
in all relationships (Healey 2013,
Experienced by Women
p44; Maher et al 2018, pp36-40).
with Disability
DFV commonly includes physical, emotional, Women with disability experience DFV in a
sexual and financial abuse. However, women variety of contexts. Settings include large
with disability experience forms of abuse, in residential institutions, group homes, respite
each of these categories, which are not centres, boarding houses, private homes, and
experienced by women without disability. on the street.
Some of the unique forms of DFV perpetrated Perpetrators include intimate, cohabiting
against women with disability include: partners, family members, formal or paid
■ Physical abuse, such as the carers, informal or unpaid carers, staff in
withholding of food, water, residential institutions, other residents in
medication or support services, residential institutions, and disability support
the use of chemical or physical workers (Healey 2013, pp40-41).
restraints, and the destruction or The Crimes (Domestic and Personal
withholding of disability-related Violence) Act 2007 (NSW) reflects the
equipment (Healey 2013, p38). intersectional experience of violence for
■ Sexual violence, such as women with disability. This is an excellent
inappropriate touching legislative model for services and refuges.
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 3Barriers to Assistance for normalise their experiences of violence and
oppression (Maher et al 2018, pp36-40).
Women with Disability
People may respond inappropriately to
Survivors may face challenges accessing disclosure of DFV by women with disability.
DFV services because community need This is often the result of discrimination
often outstrips resources (Equity Economics caused by social myths and stereotypes.
2021). For women with disability, this is Some people hold the misconception that
compounded by accessibility issues. The people with disability do not have sexual
number of DFV services accessible to people feelings or are incapable of sustaining
with disability is poorly documented in relationships. Others believe people with
Australia. However, a 2011 UK study found disability to be ‘hypersexual’ or lacking the
that 76 per cent of the DFV services ability to control themselves. Such myths
surveyed did not comply with the UK shift the blame from the perpetrator to the
Disability Discrimination Act (Frawley et al person being abused (Healey 2013, p43).
2015, p13).
There is also a perception that women with
Other barriers women with disability face in disability are a burden to those supporting
accessing DFV services include: them. This discriminatory idea of carer
sacrifice means authorities can fail to
• They may be socially and/or recognise the abuse of women with disability
physically isolated (Dowse et al, by formal and informal supporters.
2013, p54).
Women with disability may be reluctant to
• They may have difficulty report DFV due to a fear of losing custody of
accessing spaces where they can their children. This fear is not unjustified;
safely disclose DFV (Dowse et al, women with disability do disproportionately
2013, p46). have children removed from their care
• They may not recognise their (Pearce, 2012; Maher et al 2018, p69).
experiences as DFV. Community Without accessible crisis accommodation,
education may not be available or women with disability may not leave a violent
appropriate to them (Healey situation due to a fear of losing support
2013, p44; Dowse, pp46, 55). services or other care provisions.
• Information may be actively Women with disability may not have access
denied to them by the to alternative supports, even if their current
perpetrator, or it may not be support worker or informal carer is abusing
available in accessible formats them. This results in unequal power relation-
(such as Easy Read, Auslan and ships that can lead to exploitation, neglect
braille) (Healey 2013, p47). and abuse (Maher et al 2018, pp43-47).
Women with disability may be afraid that
Providing women with disability with accessing DFV services will result in them
accessible information about DFV may being institutionalised. This is a reasonable
increase their ability or willingness to leave fear. Accessible housing is limited. They may
abusive situations. not have financial resources to support their
Women with disability are frequently not independence and may face discrimination
believed upon disclosing their experiences of when applying for rental properties (Healey
DFV (Healey 2013, p43), which may make 2013, pp19-21). Forty-five per cent of
them less likely to disclose. It can also Australians with disability live in poverty.
Mitra-Kahn et al, Oct 2020, p5).
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 4WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 5
Part 3: Access to DFV because they are the experts on their own
lives (Frawley et al 2017, p2).
Services for Women with
Disability Targeted accommodation,
Accessibility isn’t just about physical
programs and supports
modifications, such as wheelchair ramps, or
DFV services are not experts in disability and
providing Auslan interpreters.
meeting some women’s access needs can
It also includes: be challenging (Frawley et al 2017, p3). For
example, some women’s disabilities are not
• how services think about ‘officially’ recognised by disability services or
disability (attitudinal factors), government organisations (Frawley et al
• how information about services is 2017, p3). The experiences of women with
made available (communication psychosocial disability – that is, a disability
factors), and arising from a mental health issue – can be
particularly complex. These women may not
• going beyond the minimum identify as having mental illness and may
access requirements set out in consequently be seen as ‘difficult’ service
the Commonwealth Disability users. To meet the needs of women with
Discrimination Act (1992) disability, DFV services need to provide
(Frawley et al 2017, p3). programs and supports that are tailored to
their needs.
An accessible service is ‘approachable, Whether or not they have a disability, women
acceptable, affordable and available’ who have experienced trauma demonstrate a
(Levesque et al 2013). Women with disability range of coping strategies, including
need to know such services exist and they emotional outbursts, anger, sadness,
must feel comfortable accessing them. confusion, withdrawal, increased sensitivity,
isolation, or other seemingly erratic
Inclusive Policies behaviours. These are normal responses to
trauma (including the trauma of experiencing
Women with disability may be excluded from DFV) and should be responded to
services if the service does not recognise the appropriately. Ensuring staff safety by
particular kinds of DFV women with disability excluding these women is inadequate.
experience (Frohmader et al 2015, pp15,17).
To be inclusive of women with disability, a To develop appropriate and targeted
service’s policies should address these forms supports, your service should:
of DFV and the ways in which gender and 1. Train your staff to support women
disability discrimination intersect. Cross- with disability and/or trauma. This
sector collaboration – between DFV and includes vicarious trauma training.
disability specialists – is vital in this process
(Frawley et al 2017, p4). 2. Develop partnerships with
appropriate disability and/or
Women with disabilities should also be mental health organisations, at
actively included, in the planning and an organisational level, to assist
strategic stages of service development, these women.
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 6Addressing Barriers to inclusion so they can confidently refer
women with disability to your service.
Access for Women with
Your website should have an accessible
Disability design and should comply with the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Under the Commonwealth Disability
Discrimination Act 1992, it is unlawful to Distribute brochures in places that are
discriminate against people on the basis of frequented by women with disability, such as
their disability, or perceived disability. disability services, advocacy organisations,
Changes must be made to ensure that doctor’s offices, supermarkets, community
women with disability are not (intentionally or centres, and accessible bathrooms.
unintentionally) discriminated against.
Information should be available in braille,
This means your service has an obligation to large print, Easy Read, audio and
develop inclusive policies, procedures and electronically. Some of these formats are
practices, to review them regularly, and to also useful to women from culturally and
implement the necessary changes to ensure linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds
women with disability are not (intentionally or and to women with low literacy.
unintentionally) discriminated against.
During intake, assess a woman’s
Below are some barriers your service accessibility and communication needs. For
should address. example, women with intellectual disability
may have difficulty remembering large
Barrier 1: Inaccessible amounts of information. Be clear and
concise. Think about breaking the intake
Information and session into stages.
Communication Provide information in writing (including in
braille, large print and Easy Read), so
Information provided by services is not
women have a hard copy to refer back to.
always accessible, nor communicated
Recorded versions of the information could
effectively, to women with disability. As a
also assist with comprehension and
result, women with disability may be unaware
retention.
of the services available to them. Inacces-
sible information and inappropriate Auslan and other interpreters should be
communication techniques can also cause made available (the woman should choose
problems within refuges, because women her own interpreter). Keep in mind that
are unaware of the rules, regulations and cultural/linguistic communities are often quite
expectations. small and confidentiality is a complex matter.
Recommendations to Barrier 2: Physical
address barrier 1: Inaccessibility
Highlight the work you have done around Physical access doesn’t just apply to
access and inclusion so women with wheelchair users. Women with vision
disability know your service is ‘approachable impairment, sensory sensitivity and/or
and acceptable’. psychosocial disability also face significant
barriers.
Inform local disability organisations about the
work you have done around access and
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 7Recommendations to Include women with disability in your
governance body. Make inclusiveness part of
address barrier 2: your organisation’s strategic plan.
Perform an access audit. Consult women Ensure disability awareness training is part of
with different disabilities to get a first-hand your induction process.
account of the accessibility of your service,
Disability awareness training should be
and how it can be improved.
provided by disability services or by women
Minor changes include minimising clutter, with disability. People With Disability
providing adequate storage, eliminating trip Australia (PWDA) offers training packages.
or slip hazards, ensuring adequate lighting
Ensure all staff are involved in the creation of
and installing handrails.
an Inclusion Action Plan (IAP). Allocate
Women with vision impairment often rely on specific tasks or responsibility for a particular
memory to navigate buildings. Simple aspect of the plan.
designs, clear walkways and set places for
Make asking about a reasonable adjustment
furniture will help.
plan for individual staff members part of their
Ensure other women are mindful of the supervision agenda, whether a staff member
impact they can have on the physical identifies as having a disability or not.
accessibility of your service. For example,
Make staff aware of the ways in which
care should be taken to place items back in
language can reinforce negative stereotypes
cupboards, and doors should be left
and exclude people with disability. For more
consistently close or consistently open. Loud
information, see PWA’s inclusive
noise should be kept to certain areas, and
Language Guide.
minimised where possible.
Let women with disability know that this Barrier 4: Perceived
information has been communicated to the
other women who are using the service.
Discrimination
It may take time for women with disability to Women with disability often perceive DFV
adjust to the new environment. Support them services to be unsafe, unapproachable and
to gain confidence and independence. inaccessible (Healey 2013, p 47). They fear
these services will discriminate against them
Barrier 3: Organisational on the basis of their disability. This fear may
prevent them from accessing DFV services
Attitudes and Experience and increase their risk of homelessness.
The attitudes of staff, managers and
governance bodies can be a significant
Recommendations to
barrier to women with disability. Myths and address barrier 4:
stereotypes are often deeply entrenched.
To demonstrate your anti-discrimination
Recommendations to policies, ensure women with disability are
represented among your staff. There is little
address barrier 3: evidence, to date, of women with disabilities
being involved in services beyond their role
Hire people with disability, or disability- of client (Frawley et al 2017, p5).
specific training since they will address
discrimination from within.
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 8Your IAP should implement equal
employment measures. This also applies to
governance bodies. Advertise jobs in
accessible locations and use your networks
to ensure women with disability have an
equal chance to apply. Women with disability
should be included in any promotional
pathways that exist within your service.
Consider employing a specialist disability
worker. This will improve the experience of
women with disability who engage with your
service.
Looking Forward
Creating an accessible, approachable service
will be a dynamic process. Ensure guidelines
are being consistently implemented through
your organisation’s strategic plan. (You might
want to include an annual audit.) Host regular
workshops with women with disability,
disability advocacy organisations, and
disability services. Regular feedback from
women with disability will help to keep track
of progress.
Keep in mind that you are not the only service
making these changes. Share IAPs with
similar organisations to develop a community
of practice around accessibility. Liaise with
your local disability services, especially
advocacy organisations, to increase cross-
sector collaboration.
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 9WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 10
NSW Disability Advocacy
Organisations
■ First Persons Disability Network
fpdn.org.au
■ Synapse
biansw.org.au
■ Central Coast Disability Network
ccdn.com.au
■ Disability Advocacy NSW (DA)
da.org.au
■ Illawarra Advocacy
illawarraadvocacy.org.au
■ Intellectual Disability
Rights Service (IDRS)
idrs.org.au
■ Multicultural Disability Advocacy
Association (MDAA)
mdaa.org.au
■ Council for Intellectual Disability
cid.org.au
■ Penrith Disabilities
Resource Centre
pdrc.org.au
■ People With Disability Australia
(PWDA)
pwd.org.au
■ Physical Disability Council of
NSW (PDCN)
pdcnsw.org.au
■ Self Advocacy Sydney Inc
sasinc.com.au
■ Side By Side Advocacy Inc
sidebysideadvocacy.org.au
WOMEN WITH DISABILITY AND DOMESTIC AND FAMILY VIOLENCE: A GUIDE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE 11Endnotes Frohmader C., Dowse L., Didi A., (2015)
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statistics/april-2021.
Frohmader, C., and Sands, T. (2015).
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