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Abuse Prevention“Too many people with disabilities are being abused. This has to stop, so we have declared war on abuse!” (James Smith, self-advocate) The Abuse Prevention TeamThe Abuse Prevention Team is a group of self-advocates who teach people with developmental disabilities how to be their own first line of defense against abuse. Their presentation focuses on the right to privacy, confidentiality, self-advocacy, relationships and intimacy. The presentation also includes how to recognize abuse, how to stop it, and how to report it.
CAAT (Consumer Abuse Awareness Team)Also known as the “radical arm” of the Abuse Prevention Team, this group’s mission is to educate professionals and support staff who work both inside and outside the developmental disabilities service system. The group focuses on the “culture of abuse” that surrounds people with developmental disabilities. This culture thrives not because people are disabled, but because they have been denied personal boundaries and privacy, in addition to being taught dependency and unquestioned compliance by those who are supposed to protect them. The team tells of the ways in which we can all change this culture of abuse so that people can live safe and happy lives. The Ring of Safety is a concept borne from clinical practice that suggests that people with disabilities need a set of skills that give them the ability to either repel unwanted advances or to report advances immediately upon occurrence (Hingsburger, 1994).
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