N
NNNNe
eeeee
eeeed
dddds 
ssssA
AAAAs
sssss
sssse
eeees
sssss
ssssm
mmmme
eeeen
nnnnt 
ttttR
RRRRe
eeeep
ppppo
oooor
rrrrt 
ttttT
TTTTh
hhhhe 
eeeeE
EEEEq
qqqqu
uuuua
aaaal 
llllA
AAAAc
ccccc
cccce
eeees
sssss 
sssst
tttto 
ooooS
SSSSa
aaaaf
ffffe
eeeet
tttty 
yyyyI
IIIIn
nnnni
iiiit
tttti
iiiia
aaaat
tttti
iiiiv
vvvve 
eeeeH
HHHHa
aaaam
mmmmp
ppppd
dddde
eeeen 
nnnnC
CCCCo
oooou
uuuun
nnnnt
tttty
yyyy, 
,,,,M
MMMMa
aaaas
sssss
ssssa
aaaac
cccch
hhhhu
uuuus
sssse
eeeet
ttttt
tttts 
ssssE
EEEEx
xxxxe
eeeec
ccccu
uuuut
tttti
iiiiv
vvvve 
eeeeS
SSSSu
uuuum
mmmmm
mmmma
aaaar
rrrry 
yyyy

In 
order 
to 
effectively 
meet 
the 
needs 
of 
people 
with 
disabilities 
and 
Deaf 
people 
who 
have 
experienced 
domestic 
violence 
and/or 
sexual 
assault 
the 
Equal 
Access 
to 
Safety 
Initiative 
conducted 
a 
needs 
assessment. 
This 
document 
is 
an 
overview 
of 
the 
goals, 
process, 
information 
gathered, 
key 
findings, 
and 
conclusions. 


B
BBBBa
aaaac
cccck
kkkkg
ggggr
rrrro
oooou
uuuun
nnnnd 
dddd

The 
Equal 
Access 
to 
Safety 
Initiative 
is 
a 
collaboration 
between 
Goodwill 
of 
the 
Pioneer 
Valley 
(Goodwill) 
and 
the 
YWCA 
of 
Western 
Massachusetts 
(YWCA). 
The 
Initiative 
is 
funded 
by 
a 
three 
year 
grant 
from 
the 
U.S. 
Department 
of 
Justice 
Office 
on 
Violence 
Against 
Women 
to 
enhance 
services 
for 
people 
with 
disabilities 
and 
Deaf 
people 
in 
Hampden 
County, 
Massachusetts, 
who 
have 
experienced 
domestic 
violence 
and/or 
sexual 
assault. 


The 
Initiative 
Team 
met 
for 
a 
number 
of 
months 
to 
build 
an 
effective, 
mutually 
beneficial 
collaboration. 
As 
a 
part 
of 
the 
planning 
process 
significant 
time 
was 
spent 
on 
developing 
understanding 
of 
shared 
mission, 
vision, 
goals, 
values, 
and 
assumptions. 
The 
second 
step 
in 
the 
planning 
process 
was 
the 
development 
of 
a 
Needs 
Assessment 
Plan. 
The 
purpose 
of 
the 
needs 
assessment 
has 
been 
to 
gather 
practical 
information 
from 
program 
participants, 
staff, 
and 
board 
members 
from 
the 
two 
agencies 
to 
inform 
the 
Initiative 
Team 
of 
strengths 
and 
areas 
in 
need 
of 
improvement 
at 
Goodwill 
and 
the 
YWCA. 
The 
Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
was 
reviewed 
and 
approved 
by 
the 
funder. 


The 
information 
gathered 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment 
will 
be 
used 
to 
develop 
a 
Strategic 
Plan 
with 
manageable 
and 
achievable 
goals 
in 
keeping 
with 
our 
Initiative 
goals. 
The 
focus 
of 
the 
Initiative 
is 
on 
the 
YWCA 
and 
Goodwill. 
It 
is 
on 
organizational 
change 
within 
the 
two 
organizations 
and 
on 
the 
relationship 
between 
the 
two 
organizations. 


Equal 
Access 
to 
Safety 
Initiative 
– 
Needs 
Assessment 
Report 
– 
Executive 
Summary 
Page 
1 
of 
4 



N
NNNNe
eeeee
eeeed
dddds 
ssssA
AAAAs
sssss
sssse
eeees
sssss
ssssm
mmmme
eeeen
nnnnt 
ttttG
GGGGo
ooooa
aaaal
lllls 
ssss

Each 
organization 
in 
the 
Initiative 
has 
a 
long-standing 
commitment 
to 
a 
participantcentered 
approach 
to 
service 
delivery, 
and 
to 
policies 
and 
procedures 
that 
focus 
on 
the 
needs 
of 
participants. 
Both 
organizations 
are 
committed 
to 
providing 
appropriate, 
responsive, 
safe, 
accessible, 
quality 
service, 
including 
embracing 
new 
approaches 
to 
service 
delivery 
and 
systems 
change. 
Both 
organizations 
are 
committed 
to 
respecting 
differences, 
including 
but 
not 
limited 
to 
language, 
race, 
gender, 
religion, 
age, 
ethnicity, 
sexual 
identity, 
socio-economic 
status, 
abilities, 
and 
disabilities. 
This 
includes 
treating 
participants, 
colleagues, 
and 
others 
with 
respect 
and 
acceptance. 
In 
working 
toward 
our 
goals 
for 
the 
Needs 
Assessment, 
Strategic 
Plan, 
and 
Implementation 
following 
the 
Strategic 
Plan, 
these 
commitments 
will 
always 
be 
kept 
in 
the 
forefront. 


G
GGGGo
ooooa
aaaal 
llll1
1111: 
::::
Identify 
programmatic 
and 
physical 
barriers 
to 
receiving 
timely, 
appropriate, 
quality 
services 
at 
each 
agency, 
as 
well 
as 
strategies 
that 
support 
and 
facilitate 
access 
and 
increase 
responsiveness. 


G
GGGGo
ooooa
aaaal 
llll2
2222: 
::::
Identify 
cultures 
and 
attitudes 
of 
each 
organization 
that 
support 
or 
limit 
a 
welcoming, 
accessible, 
safe, 
and 
supportive 
environment 
for 
survivors 
with 
disabilities. 


G
GGGGo
ooooa
aaaal 
llll3
3333: 
::::
Identify 
the 
existing 
policies, 
procedures, 
and 
practices 
-strengths 
and 
areas 
in 
need 
of 
improvement 
-and 
those 
that 
are 
missing 
at 
each 
organization 
to 
provide 
timely, 
appropriate 
quality 
services. 


G
GGGGo
ooooa
aaaal 
llll4
4444: 
::::
Identify 
knowledge 
and 
attitudes 
at: 


• 
Goodwill 
related 
to 
domestic 
violence 
and 
sexual 
assault; 
• 
YWCA 
related 
to 
disability, 
Deaf 
culture, 
and 
accessibility; 
• 
Both 
agencies 
related 
to 
the 
intersection 
of 
these 
issues. 
G
GGGGo
ooooa
aaaal 
llll5
5555: 
::::
Identify 
how 
the 
YWCA 
and 
Goodwill 
can 
work 
together 
most 
effectively 
to 
serve 
survivors 
with 
disabilities 
within 
the 
context 
of 
the 
greater 
social 
service 
system 
in 
Hampden 
County, 
Massachusetts. 


N
NNNNe
eeeee
eeeed
dddds 
ssssA
AAAAs
sssss
sssse
eeees
sssss
ssssm
mmmme
eeeen
nnnnt 
ttttP
PPPPr
rrrro
ooooc
cccce
eeees
sssss 
ssss

The 
Equal 
Access 
to 
Safety 
Initiative 
used 
three 
methods 
for 
gathering 
information 
from 
YWCA 
and 
Goodwill 
staff 
and 
program 
participants: 
focus 
groups, 
interviews, 
and 
surveys. 
Recruitment 
was 
done 
by 
trained 
agency 
staff 
recruiters 
who 
hand 
delivered 
letters 
of 
invitation 
and 
RSVP 
forms. 
All 
questions 
asked 
were 
designed 
and 
approved 
by 
the 


Equal 
Access 
to 
Safety 
Initiative 
– 
Needs 
Assessment 
Report 
– 
Executive 
Summary 
Page 
2 
of 
4 



Initiative 
Team 
and 
received 
prior 
approval 
from 
the 
funder. 
Safety 
considerations, 
access 
considerations, 
confidentiality, 
mandatory 
reporting, 
and 
the 
consent 
process 
were 
all 
addressed 
in 
recruiting 
people 
to 
participate 
in 
the 
process 
and 
during 
the 
information 
gathering. 


Through 
the 
focus 
groups 
and 
interviews 
we 
spoke 
directly 
to 
157 
people: 
99 
program 
participants 
and 
58 
agency 
staff. 
Survey 
responses 
were 
received 
from 
68 
staff 
and 
board 
members 
combined. 


N
NNNNe
eeeee
eeeed
dddds 
ssssA
AAAAs
sssss
sssse
eeees
sssss
ssssm
mmmme
eeeen
nnnnt 
ttttK
KKKKe
eeeey 
yyyyF
FFFFi
iiiin
nnnnd
ddddi
iiiin
nnnng
ggggs 
ssss

Through 
a 
Needs 
Assessment 
the 
Equal 
Access 
to 
Safety 
Initiative 
identified 
six 
key 
findings. 
It 
should 
be 
noted 
that 
there 
is 
some 
overlap 
between 
findings. 


1
1111. 
....P
PPPPo
ooool
lllli
iiiic
cccci
iiiie
eeees
ssss/ 
////P
PPPPr
rrrro
ooooc
cccce
eeeed
ddddu
uuuur
rrrre
eeees
ssss/ 
////I
IIIIn
nnnnt
tttta
aaaak
kkkke
eeee/ 
////M
MMMMa
aaaan
nnnnd
dddda
aaaat
tttte
eeeed 
ddddR
RRRRe
eeeep
ppppo
oooor
rrrrt
tttti
iiiin
nnnng 
ggggThere 
is 
a 
need 
for 
clearer 
policies 
and 
procedures 
to 
better 
meet 
the 
needs 
of 
survivors 
with 
disabilities 
and 
Deaf 
people 
and 
to 
increase 
application 
of 
those 
that 
currently 
exist. 
We 
need 
to 
aid 
staff 
in 
using 
the 
mandated 
reporting 
requirements 
to 
support 
survivors 
with 
disabilities 
and 
Deaf 
people. 
We 
need 
to 
refine 
our 
intake 
procedures 
to 
more 
fully 
understand 
the 
needs 
of 
survivors 
with 
disabilities 
and 
Deaf 
people. 
2
2222. 
....A
AAAAc
ccccc
cccce
eeees
sssss
ssssi
iiiib
bbbbi
iiiil
lllli
iiiit
tttty
yyyy/
////B
BBBBa
aaaar
rrrrr
rrrri
iiiie
eeeer
rrrrs 
ssssWe 
found 
that 
there 
are 
areas 
for 
improvement 
in 
both 
agencies 
in 
accessibility 
of 
services 
to 
support 
full 
participation 
for 
survivors 
with 
disabilities 
and 
Deaf 
people. 
Barriers 
to 
access 
include 
physical, 
environmental, 
communication, 
attitudinal, 
and 
programmatic 
in 
varying 
degrees 
in 
different 
programs 
within 
each 
agency. 
3
3333. 
....W
WWWWe
eeeel
llllc
cccco
oooom
mmmmi
iiiin
nnnng
gggg/
////S
SSSSa
aaaaf
ffffe 
eeeeWe 
found 
that 
survivors 
were 
able 
to 
disclose 
violence 
or 
abuse 
in 
their 
lives 
if 
they 
felt 
safe 
and 
welcome 
at 
the 
agencies 
which 
includes 
being 
respected, 
listened 
to, 
acknowledged, 
and 
allowed 
to 
proceed 
at 
their 
own 
pace 
without 
judgment. 
Generally, 
program 
participants 
feel 
safe 
at 
both 
agencies. 
Generally, 
program 
participants 
feel 
welcome 
at 
both 
agencies, 
with 
some 
variability 
in 
specific 
programs. 
4
4444. 
....C
CCCCo
oooon
nnnnf
ffffi
iiiid
dddde
eeeen
nnnnt
tttti
iiiia
aaaal
lllli
iiiit
tttty 
yyyyBalancing 
privacy 
and 
confidentiality 
to 
the 
satisfaction 
of 
program 
participants, 
staff, 
funders 
and 
legal 
entities 
is 
always 
a 
challenge. 
Both 
agencies 
would 
benefit 
from 
ongoing 
dialogue 
on 
how 
to 
maintain 
this 
balance 
and 
how 
to 
communicate 
these 
challenges 
to 
program 
participants 
and 
staff. 
5
5555. 
....K
KKKKn
nnnno
oooow
wwwwl
lllle
eeeed
ddddg
gggge
eeee/
////T
TTTTr
rrrra
aaaai
iiiin
nnnni
iiiin
nnnng
gggg/
////A
AAAAw
wwwwa
aaaar
rrrre
eeeen
nnnne
eeees
sssss 
ssssWe 
found 
a 
lack 
of 
knowledge 
and 
awareness 
at 
both 
agencies 
on: 
abuse; 
disabilities; 
riskassessment; 
accommodations; 
mandated 
reporting; 
communication 
skills; 
confidentiality; 
Equal 
Access 
to 
Safety 
Initiative 
– 
Needs 
Assessment 
Report 
– 
Executive 
Summary 
Page 
3 
of 
4 



policies 
and 
procedure; 
participant 
intimacy; 
sexual 
harassment 
prevention 
in 
the 
workplace; 
as 
well 
as 
the 
programs 
and 
services 
offered 
by 
the 
other 
agency 
in 
addition 
to 
their 
own. 
Additionally, 
there 
is 
a 
need 
for 
opportunities 
for 
experiential 
learning. 
All 
should 
be 
incorporated 
into 
orientation 
and 
offered 
on 
an 
ongoing 
basis. 


6
6666. 
....O
OOOOt
tttth
hhhhe
eeeer 
rrrrStaff 
managers, 
staff 
leaders, 
and 
board 
members 
at 
both 
agencies 
expressed 
strong 
support 
for 
the 
Initiative 
goals 
but 
are 
realistic 
as 
to 
the 
challenges 
of 
implementing 
organizational 
change. 
C
CCCCo
oooon
nnnnc
ccccl
llllu
uuuus
ssssi
iiiio
oooon
nnnns 
ssss

Through 
the 
needs 
assessment 
process 
we 
have 
identified 
strengths 
and 
areas 
in 
need 
of 
improvement. 
The 
information 
gathered 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment 
will 
be 
used 
to 
develop 
a 
strategic 
plan 
with 
manageable 
and 
achievable 
goals 
in 
keeping 
with 
our 
Initiative 
goals. 
Staff 
and 
board 
members 
involved 
in 
the 
process 
expressed 
a 
continued 
committed 
to 
providing 
appropriate, 
responsive, 
safe, 
accessible, 
quality 
service, 
including 
embracing 
new 
approaches 
to 
service 
delivery 
and 
systems 
change. 
All 
understand 
that 
there 
will 
be 
challenges. 


Initiative 
Team 
members 
have 
demonstrated 
a 
high 
degree 
of 
investment 
of 
time. 
From 
the 
beginning 
they 
have 
spent 
considerable 
time 
thinking 
about 
the 
Initiative. 
They 
have 
worked 
hard 
to 
analyze 
the 
information 
that 
has 
been 
identified 
as 
a 
result 
of 
the 
needs 
assessment 
and 
to 
think 
about 
how 
to 
utilize 
the 
information. 
The 
two 
agencies 
had 
not 
worked 
together 
prior 
to 
the 
Initiative. 
A 
strong 
partnership 
has 
developed 
and 
has 
already 
born 
fruit. 
As 
a 
result 
of 
the 
trust 
that 
has 
developed 
between 
members 
of 
the 
Team 
program 
participants 
from 
each 
organization 
have 
directly 
benefited 
from 
the 
expertise 
of 
the 
other 
organization. 
We 
have 
an 
excellent 
foundation 
for 
our 
work 
together. 


Equal 
Access 
to 
Safety 
Initiative 
– 
Needs 
Assessment 
Report 
– 
Executive 
Summary 
Page 
4 
of 
4