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Sexual Violence of People with Disabilities: Primary Prevention Worksheet
Nancy M. Fitzsimons, PhD, MSW
Department of Social Work, Minnesota State University, Mankato
[email protected]
Level of Spectrum
Influencing Policy
and Legislation
Enacting laws and
policies that support
healthy community
norms and a
violence-free, barrier
free, inclusive society
for people with
disabilities.
Changing
Organizational
Practices
Adopting regulations
and shaping norms
within organizations
to break down
barriers and to sexual
violence, and
improve safety for
people with
disabilities, enhance
well-being, and
eliminate oppression
and ableism.
Ecological
Model
Societal Level
Broad social
forces
(inequalities,
oppression,
organized
belief systems,
relevant public
policies)
Barriers
Community
Level
Norms,
customs,
experiences
with local
institutions
N. M. Fitzsimons, PhD, MSW, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Department of Social Work
Primary Prevention
2
Level of Spectrum
Fostering Coalitions and
Networks
Bringing together groups
and individual, including
collaborating as partners
with people with
disabilities, to break
down barriers, to change
organizational practices,
to influence policy and
legislation in order to
prevent sexual violence
of people with
disabilities, improve
safety, enhance wellbeing, and eliminate
oppression and ableism.
Ecological Model
Relationship Level
Influence of parents,
sibling, peers, intimate
partners, service
providers (formal and
informal/paid and
unpaid), neighbors, and
community members.
Barriers
Use relationships to
make community level
and societal level
changes.
N. M. Fitzsimons, PhD, MSW, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Department of Social Work
Primary Prevention
3
Level of Spectrum
Ecological Model
Educating Providers
Relationship Level
Informing providers,
Influence of parents,
including disability
sibling, peers, intimate
services, victim services,
partners, care providers,
criminal justice services,
service providers
adult protection services, (formal and
and a wide array of other informal/paid and
providers who will
unpaid), neighbors, and
transmit knowledge and
community members.
skills to others and model
positive norms in order to Use relationships to
prevent sexual violence
make community level
of people with
and societal level
disabilities, improve
changes.
safety, enhance wellbeing, and eliminate
oppression and ableism
Promoting Community
Relationship Level
Education
Influence of parents,
Reaching groups of
sibling, peers, intimate
people within the
partners, service
community with
providers (formal and
information and
informal/paid and
resources to prevent
unpaid), neighbors, and
sexual violence of people community members.
with disabilities, promote
safety, broaden the
Use relationships to
spectrum of allies within
make community level
the community, change
and societal level
norms, and eliminate
changes.
oppression and ableism.
Barriers
N. M. Fitzsimons, PhD, MSW, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Department of Social Work
Primary Prevention
4
Level of Spectrum
Strengthening Individual
Knowledge & Skills
Enhancing the capacity of
people with disabilities to
prevent sexual violence.
promote safety, enhance
well-being, promote
relationships based on
equality and
interdependence, and
maximize the
empowerment and selfdetermination of people
with disabilities.
Ecological Model
Individual Level
Person’s knowledge,
attitudes, behavior,
history, demographics
or biology
Barriers
Primary Prevention
Modeled off of the Prevention Institute, Spectrum of Prevention, http://www.preventioninstitute.org/pdf/1PGR_spectrum_of_prevention_web_020105.pdf
Lee, D.S., Guy, L., & Perry, B. (2007). Sexual violence prevention. The Prevention Research, 142(2), 15-20. Retrieved from
http://www.acha.org/sexualviolence/docs/ACHA_PSV_toolkit.pdf
N. M. Fitzsimons, PhD, MSW, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Department of Social Work