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Tita Yanez
Mrs. Greene
Capstone- 7
03 November 2016
Domestic Violence and the Disabled
Domestic violence does not discriminate; anyone can fall victim to it regardless of age,
gender, religion, and race. Living with a disability does not make you less likely to be a victim of
violence. Those that are diagnosed with a disability, physical or mental, are in fact more likely to
be victims of domestic violence and are prone to be more helpless than others in these cases.
Those with disabilities already face many issues in trying to lead a normal life. In order to
get by, they entrust others to help them, but often those they trust are the same ones that hurt
them. Not enough studies have been conducted to allow for the conclusion that the disabled face
more abuse than those without disabilities. However, studies do show that violence toward the
disabled is common. A study was conducted to assess the prevalence of violence in the lives of
children with either a mental or physical disability, or both. The study showed that among these
children prevalence was 21% for the combined measure of violence, 27% for physical violence
and 15% for sexual violence (Jones et al). This shows that of the children studied, about one in
five of them have experienced a form of domestic violence, be it physical or sexual. Something
that enables such a high percentage of abuse is that the disabled are often pushed away and
treated as if they were invisible or nonexistent. A study was conducted in Orissa, India to see
how domestic violence played a role in the lives of disabled women that resided there and it was
concluded that despite the various violations these women faced, one of the main violations was
that of visibility. They found that the disabled woman is violated in her most intimate and
deepest dimension - of physical identity, emotion, thought and, of great importance to everyone,

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personal relationships. The violence consists in the incapacity of others to recognise that disabled
women are capable of these dimensions and therefore exclude them(Mohapatra and Mihir).
This exclusion of the victim can in a sense dehumanize them and cause others to feel
indifference toward their suffering.
The indifference of a loved one toward a disabled victim of abuse can be dangerous and
may lead to abusers feeling a sense of justification for the violence they caused. In a study

conducted in Poland, they found that many people felt indifferent toward domestic violence
entirely. In the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, the authors wrote that many people who
witness acts of violence against elders and the disabled do not react(Radkiewicz and
Korzeniowski). This is largely due to the idea that a caretaker has the ability to treat those under
their care whichever way they wish. This mentality leads to extreme cases of passivity in the face
of violence and although it is less common, it can result in people finding justifications for this
mistreatment. This sense of justification, however, turned out to be mainly a function of
environmental exposure to violence(Radkiewicz and Korzeniowski). This meaning that those
who grew up in an environment where domestic violence was prevalent and with a predisposed
exposure to abuse were the same ones that attempted to justify abuse toward disabled victims.
Caretakers that agree with this idea are more likely to abuse their victims at a higher rate, thus
decreasing the victims chance to leave them.
It is often difficult for victims to leave their abusers because of the care they require due
to their disability. This makes it more likely that a disabled victim will stay with their abuser
rather than attempt to leave. In fact, although research on this topic shows that disabled and
nondisabled women are at similar risk for abuse, women with disabilities may be at risk of

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experiencing longer durations of abuse than women without disabilities (Moracco and Dulli).
This is largely due to a nondisabled woman being able to leave her abuser much easier, and a
woman with a disability will often stay because she recognizes how difficult it will be for her to
leave. Someone with a disability is usually aware of all the care they require. If their abuser is
their primary caregiver, that makes it all the more difficult for them to leave. Although there are
many places that provide care for women that are abused, there arent many shelters that are
adapted to the needs a disabled victim may have. As mentioned by Moracco and Dulli in Helping
Women with Disabilities and Domestic Violence: Strategies, Limitations, and Challenges of
Domestic Violence Programs and Services, disabled victims may require special transportation,
communication aides, accommodations, and other types of services to address their special
needs, many of which may not be available at traditional domestic violence programs(Moracco
and Dulli). These accommodations are not things that are readily available at this time, and this
may hinder a victim from seeking help as they are aware that the help they receive will most
likely not be sufficient for their needs. In order to better help disabled victims of domestic
violence shelters will have to eventually undergo changes and adapt to the needs of these
victims. Some changes may include things as simple as building a ramp so that a victim in a
wheelchair may access the building or making the bathroom stalls larger. Some of the more
complex changes would be to have a staff that is ready and able to care for disabled victims that
require more attentive care. These changes, both small and large, are crucial to getting a victim
the help they need and not letting them fall through the cracks of society as many other victims
do.

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People with disabilities are often belittled because of their impairment and may end up
being shunned by others. This seclusion from society results in emotionally harming the
individual and can lead to a passive attitude toward them by their loved ones. This allows for
domestic violence to take root in the lives of the disabled and it is very difficult for them to
escape this pattern of abuse. In order to aid victims of domestic violence, shelters need to be
modified in order to better accommodate these victims and truly get them the help they need.

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Works Cited
Jones, Lisa, Mark A. Bellis, Sara Wood, Karen Hughes, Ellie McCoy, Lindsay Eckley, Geoff
Bates, Christopher Mikton, Tom Shakespeare, and Alana Officer. "Prevalence and Risk
of Violence Against Children with Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
of Observational Studies." The Lancet 380.9845 (2012): 899-907. The Lancet. 12 July
2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Mohapatra, Sruti, and Mihir Mohanty. "Abuse and Activity Limitation: A Study on Domestic
Violence Against Disabled Women in Orissa, India." (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
Moracco, Kathryn E., and Lisa Dulli. "Helping Women with Disabilities and Domestic Violence:
Strategies, Limitations, and Challenges of Domestic Violence Programs and Services."
Journal of Women's Health 12.7 (2003): 699-708. Research Gate. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Radkiewicz, P., and K. Korzeniowski. "Justification and Indifference: Diverse Permissive
Attitudes Toward Witnessed Violence Against the Elderly and Disabled." Journal of
Interpersonal Violence (2015): n. pag. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.