Better Support for Disabled Sexual Assault Survivors | BU Today

Note: In this article we use identity-oriented language (“disabled people”), consistent with the preference of many members of the disability self-advocacy community. We are aware that some people prefer their own native language (“people with disabilities”).

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a disabled person is four times more likely to be sexually abused during their lifetime than a non-disabled person. They are also less likely to report it.

To enable sexual violence survivor advocates in New York State to better serve disabled people who report assault, six Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences doctoral students in occupational therapy (OT) have studied the topic and will will present their findings via Zoom at the organization’s annual meeting New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NYSCASA) on May 14, 2024.

Each student has researched and will present on a different category of disabilities: intellectual disability, developmental delay, physical disability, hearing impairment, visual impairment and serious mental illness. They will define each, discuss its prevalence, outline the specific considerations when supporting a survivor with a specific disability, and provide advocates with resources for further learning.

“There is a lot of information out there about sexual assault in general. But when it comes to sexual assault and disability, we want to help people not lump people with disabilities together,” says Gia Baldassano (Sargent’25), whose presentation focuses on survivors with physical disabilities. “For example, someone who may have a visual impairment might have different advocacy needs than someone who has Down syndrome.”

Anne Cunningham (Sargent’25) will speak about the advocacy needs of survivors with intellectual disabilities. She says she has found that disabled people, particularly those with intellectual disabilities, are sometimes labeled as asexual, which can make it even harder for them to recognize when they have experienced abuse and make it more difficult to access services take.

“I feel like I can’t emphasize enough the need for comprehensive sexuality education that is accessible and available not only to people with disabilities, but (also to) all youth and all people in general,” Cunningham says.

The opportunity for Sargent graduate students to speak was the result of a conversation between NYSCASA Interim Executive Director William Rivera and Emily Rothman, Sargent Professor and Chair of Occupational Therapy, about one of Rothman’s research studies on counseling autistic sexual assault survivors at the college. Rivera indicated he would like to address the issue at the 2024 training for advocates and counselors for sexual assault survivors. Rothman immediately thought of her students.

“I said to Will, ‘I know a number of students who are passionate about providing information about how to help people with disabilities and who are also passionate about sexual violence prevention.’ “So I see a real solution here,” says Rothman.

Within an hour of emailing 42 entry-level OT graduate students asking for six volunteers to help with the presentation, Rothman had assembled her group. She says the students, who were not paid for their work, got involved because they are passionate about caring for assault survivors in the disability community. Some of the students, Rothman says, teamed up with people who had previous experiences with disabilities to build their sections of the presentation.

“I am very impressed with the students and grateful to them,” says Rothman. “As a teacher, one of the things I appreciate about this opportunity is that we have found a way to harness students’ raw energy and enthusiasm to address real-world challenges that require us to be our best selves.” Teachers, as learners and as members of the community. I see them learning in leaps and bounds because they learn the way they do. So it’s a win-win situation all around.”