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If you are in danger, please use a safer computer, call 911 or your local hotline or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233 voice), 1-800-787-3224 (tty). There is always a computer trail, but you can click ESCAPE to leave the site quickly.

Environmental stressors may exacerbate conditions for someone with a mental health condition:

  • Lack of privacy and solitude when managing symptoms -  the room should be arranged to allow some choice for survivors to take a break from the group by stepping aside for a time into a more private space.

  • Group seating arrangements. A survivor may have anxiety sitting between people or near certain people during support groups and may insist on a particular seating position.

  • Position relative to doors and windows. Someone may have an intense fear of not being able to escape unless always near a door or window.

  • See Noise, Color, Lighting, and Temperature in Waiting Areas, Intake, and Individual Counseling

The universal design solution to seating is to have multiple styles, so that people can choose what works best.

  • People with limited agility will not want to sink too deeply. 

  • People with strength or mobility limitations may need chairs with arms to rise from sitting.

  • Chairs that are heavy enough to provide a sense of stability are important for anyone with a balance limitation.