In order to further foster Syracuse University community participation; Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) is currently working on a project referred to as Project EMERGE in collaboration with two community agencies, Vera House and ARISE.
It has been documented that women with disabilities of all types – mobility, cognitive, sight, hearing and mental health – face domestic and sexual violence at vastly disproportionate numbers, with 85% of women in the United States with disabilities reporting abuse and violence as a top priority of topics affecting their lives (Colorado Department of Health, 2008). The unique vulnerabilities to abuse experienced by women with disabilities are associated largely with the general barriers to seeking services which include architectural and attitudinal accessibility of programs, lack of adaptive equipment, and inaccessible victim service agencies (Zweig, Schilichter, & Burt, 2002; Frantz, Carey, & Bryen, 2006).
Project EMERGE therefore aims to identify specific gaps in service, barriers to safety and accessible support, and system inadequacies for women with disabilities and deaf women who are survivors of domestic and sexual violence. This project, funded by a grant from the Office on Violence Against Women, strives to ensure access, equality, and system inadequacies at both Vera House and ARISE.