ILLINOIS 
IMAGINES 


NEEDS 
ASSESSMENT 
REPORT 


1 



BACKGROUND/INTRODUCTION 


In 
2006, 
the 
Illinois 
Department 
of 
Human 
Services 
(DHS) 
received 
a 
three-year 
grant 
from 
the 
Office 
on 
Violence 
Against 
Women 
(OVW) 
to 
examine 
and 
propose 
changes 
to 
the 
systems 
responding 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
DHS’ 
grant 
project, 
called 
Illinois 
Imagines, 
is 
designed 
to 
strengthen 
the 
service 
delivery 
systems 
so 
that 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
survive 
sexual 
violence 
will 
receive 
a 
proactive, 
individualized, 
compassionate 
response 
to 
their 
experience. 


Illinois 
Imagines 
convened 
a 
project 
team 
including 
representatives 
of 
key 
agencies 
working 
in 
the 
fields 
of 
disability 
and 
sexual 
assault. 
Each 
one 
brings 
a 
wealth 
of 
expertise 
and 
resources 
to 
the 
project: 
self 
advocates; 
members 
of 
the 
DHS 
Divisions 
of 
Community 
Health 
and 
Prevention, 
Rehabilitation 
Services, 
Mental 
Health, 
and 
Developmental 
Disabilities; 
representatives 
from 
the 
Illinois 
Coalition 
Against 
Sexual 
Assault 
(ICASA); 
Illinois 
Family 
Violence 
Coordinating 
Council 
(IFVCC); 
Illinois 
Network 
of 
Centers 
for 
Independent 
Living 
(INCIL); 
Illinois 
Voices, 
and 
the 
Blue 
Tower 
Training 
Center. 
While 
bringing 
together 
partners 
from 
various 
areas 
of 
study 
can 
be 
challenging, 
all 
project 
team 
members 
share 
a 
common 
vision 
of 
justice, 
compassion, 
person-centered 
services, 
and 
the 
empowerment 
of 
all 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
survived 
sexual 
violence. 


The 
team 
members 
met 
twice 
monthly 
for 
the 
first 
year 
of 
the 
project 
to 
establish 
a 
charter, 
educate 
one 
another 
about 
the 
people 
they 
serve 
and 
fields 
of 
work 
that 
they 
each 
represented 
and 
to 
achieve 
consensus 
on 
the 
project 
focus 
and 
goals. 


As 
part 
of 
that 
foundation 
work, 
Illinois 
Imagines 
developed 
a 
mission 
statement. 
That 
mission 
is 
“to 
develop, 
implement, 
formalize, 
and 
sustain 
integrated 
systems 
in 
Illinois 
that 
will 
achieve 
the 
following 
goals. 


1. 
Empower 
women 
with 
disabilities 
to 
actively 
shape 
those 
systems. 
2. 
Prohibit 
and 
interrupt 
sexual 
violence 
perpetrated 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
3. 
Support 
and 
empower 
women 
to 
report 
sexual 
violence 
to 
any 
provider, 
agency 
or 
law 
enforcement 
official. 
4. 
Provide 
survivor-centered 
crisis 
response, 
advocacy 
and 
counseling 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
5. 
Remove 
all 
obstacles 
faced 
by 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence.” 
This 
mission 
statement 
guided 
the 
Needs 
Assessment 
process 
for 
each 
of 
the 
five 
mission 
areas. 
The 
team 
developed 
global 
questions 
related 
to 
each 
area 
of 
the 


2 



mission. 
The 
questions 
for 
each 
of 
the 
mission 
areas 
shifted 
focus 
depending 
on 
whether 
we 
were 
asking 
individual 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
community-based 
service 
providers 
or 
representatives 
of 
the 
state 
systems 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence. 
The 
global 
questions 
centered 
on 
several 
key 
areas. 
See 
Appendix 
A 
for 
global 
questions. 


• 
Needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
may 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence 
or 
know 
someone 
who 
has 
and 
their 
experiences 
in 
accessing 
services; 
• 
Policies, 
procedures, 
and 
practices 
of 
the 
state 
service 
delivery 
system 
responsible 
for 
the 
administration 
of 
disability 
and 
sexual 
assault 
services; 
• 
Policies, 
procedures, 
and 
practices 
of 
disability 
service 
providers 
and 
sexual 
violence 
service 
providers 
at 
the 
community 
level; 
• 
Capacity 
of 
sexual 
assault 
centers 
to 
provide 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
• 
Capacity 
of 
disability 
service 
providers 
to 
identify 
sexual 
violence 
and 
link 
women 
with 
disabilities 
to 
sexual 
assault 
services; 
• 
Linkages 
among 
agencies 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
sexual 
violence 
survivors; 
and 
• 
Involvement 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
in 
making 
and 
implementing 
policy/protocol 
of 
agencies 
that 
serve 
them. 
The 
areas 
of 
the 
Needs 
Assessment 
which 
focused 
on 
women 
with 
disabilities 
was 
directed 
toward 
their 
ideas 
about 
what 
would 
be 
useful 
if 
they 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
With 
service 
providers 
and 
state 
agencies, 
the 
Needs 
Assessment 
focused 
on 
awareness, 
knowledge, 
skills, 
and 
resources 
related 
to 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
responding 
to 
sexual 
violence. 
Attitude 
assessment 
was 
woven 
throughout 
the 
surveys, 
focus 
groups 
and 
interviews. 
Collectively, 
the 
process 
has 
informed 
the 
project 
team 
about 
opportunities 
for 
change 
at 
the 
individual, 
community 
and 
statewide 
levels. 


Now 
that 
the 
Illinois 
Imagines 
project 
team 
has 
assessed 
the 
current 
system’s 
strengths 
and 
challenges, 
it 
will 
engage 
in 
a 
strategic 
planning 
process 
to 
identify 
opportunities 
for 
enhancement. 
Development 
of 
a 
planning 
process 
which 
builds 
upon 
lessons 
learned 
through 
our 
work 
as 
a 
statewide 
collaborative 
will 
transfer 
these 
insights 
into 
a 
working 
model 
for 
community 
systems 
at 
the 
local 
level. 
Additionally, 
statewide 
systemic 
supports 
will 
be 
addressed, 
such 
as 
policy 
development, 
the 
improvement 
of 
a 
regional 
support 
system, 
more 
in-depth 
training 
requirements, 
and 
the 
creation 
of 
teaching 
tools 
and 
resources 
that 
address 
this 
life-altering 
topic. 
This 
two 
tier 
approach 
will 
promote 
sustainability 
and 
a 
customization 
of 
services 
to 
meet 
the 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 


3 



GUIDE 
TO 
TERMS 


The 
System 
– 
The 
system 
responding 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence 
in 
Illinois 
has 
multiple 
segments. 
A 
brief 
description 
of 
the 
central 
parties 
and 
their 
roles 
follow. 


Woman 
with 
Disabilities 
– 
woman 
who 
has 
a 
developmental 
disability, 
physical 
disability, 
mental 
illness 
and/or 
who 
is 
Deaf/Hard 
of 
Hearing. 


Illinois 
Department 
of 
Human 
Services 
(DHS) 
– 
state 
agency 
responsible 
for: 
1) 
administering 
funds, 
establishing 
standards, 
and 
monitoring 
services 
to 
women 
with 
developmental 
disabilities 
and 
mental 
illness 
through 
community 
based 
providers 
via 
the 
Division 
of 
Developmental 
Disabilities 
and 
the 
Division 
of 
Mental 
Health 
and 
2) 
providing 
direct 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
via 
the 
Division 
of 
Rehabilitative 
Services. 


Disability 
Provider 
Agency 
– 
local, 
community-based 
provider 
of 
direct 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
usually 
focused 
on 
developmental 
disabilities 
or 
mental 
health. 


Illinois 
Coalition 
Against 
Sexual 
Assault 
(ICASA) 
– 
statewide 
non-profit 
association 
of 
local 
sexual 
assault 
crisis 
and 
prevention 
centers. 
ICASA 
administers 
funds 
to 
and 
monitors 
local 
centers, 
conducts 
training, 
sets 
policy/standards. 


Rape 
Crisis 
Center 
– 
community-based 
agency 
providing 
a 
specific 
set 
of 
services 
to 
sexual 
assault 
victims, 
their 
significant 
others 
and 
community. 
Services 
must 
include 
24-hour 
hotline, 
24-hour 
medical/criminal 
justice 
advocacy, 
counseling, 
public 
education, 
professional 
training, 
institutional 
advocacy 
and 
information 
and 
referral. 
Services 
are 
free 
and 
confidential 
and 
is 
protected 
via 
state 
statute 
specific 
to 
sexual 
assault 
survivors. 


Required 
Reporters 
-any 
employee 
who 
suspects, 
witnesses, 
or 
is 
informed 
of 
abuse 
or 
neglect. 
An 
employee 
refers 
to 
any 
person 
currently 
(or 
formerly) 
providing 
services 
at 
the 
direction 
of 
the 
owner 
or 
operator 
of 
the 
facility 
or 
the 
community 
agency 
on 
or 
off 
site. 
The 
service 
relationship 
can 
be 
with 
the 
individual, 
the 
facility 
or 
agency. 
Also, 
any 
employee 
or 
contractual 
agent 
of 
the 
Department 
of 
Human 
Services 
involved 
in 
providing 
or 
monitoring 
or 
administering 
mental 
health 
or 
developmental 
services. 
This 
includes 
but 
is 
not 
limited 
to 
payroll 
personnel, 
contractors, 
subcontractors, 
and 
volunteers. 


Sexual 
Violence 
– 
Sexual 
violence 
is 
non-consensual 
or 
coercive 
sexual 
conduct. 
Sexual 
violence 
includes 
any 
unwanted 
behavior 
or 
contact 
of 
a 
sexual 
nature, 
from 
sexual 
harassment/bullying 
to 
sexual 
assault. 


4 



METHODOLOGY 


I. 
PARTICIPANTS/RECRUITMENT 
The 
Needs 
Assessment 
sought 
information 
at 
the 
individual 
level 
(women 
with 
disabilities), 
the 
community 
level 
(rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
disability 
service 
providers) 
and 
the 
state 
level 
(ICASA 
and 
DHS 
staff). 
It 
is 
anticipated 
that 
to 
be 
successful, 
enhancements 
of 
the 
system 
must 
address 
each 
of 
these 
levels. 
This 
multi-level 
approach 
was 
embedded 
into 
the 
plan 
in 
order 
to 
examine 
the 
experiences 
and 
perceptions 
through 
the 
unique 
lens 
of 
all 
those 
who 
comprise 
the 
service 
delivery 
system 
in 
Illinois. 
Additionally, 
we 
sought 
to 
ensure 
that 
we 
reached 
individuals 
from 
many 
different 
areas 
in 
Illinois, 
so 
that 
our 
findings 
would 
give 
us 
an 
accurate 
picture 
of 
the 
needs 
across 
the 
state 
and 
support 
our 
statewide 
change 
efforts. 


A. 
Women 
with 
Disabilities 
– 
Individual 
Level 
The 
collaboration 
sought 
to 
reach 
200 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
primarily 
through 
focus 
groups, 
but 
also 
using 
some 
individual 
interviews. 
Individual 
interviews 
were 
conducted 
with 
women 
who 
were 
unable 
to 
attend 
a 
focus 
group 
or 
preferred 
an 
interview. 
We 
wanted 
to 
have 
equal 
representation 
in 
terms 
of 
disability 
type, 
so 
we 
recruited 
approximately 
equal 
numbers 
of 
women 
with 
mental 
illness, 
women 
with 
developmental 
disabilities 
and 
women 
who 
utilized 
vocational 
rehabilitation 
services 
and/or 
Centers 
for 
Independent 
Living 
(CILs). 


Women 
with 
disabilities 
were 
recruited 
to 
participate 
in 
focus 
groups 
through 
groups 
that 
already 
worked 
with 
or 
serve 
the 
women. 
We 
also 
e-mailed 
flyers 
to 
advocacy 
organizations 
(Illinois 
Voices, 
The 
Arc 
of 
Illinois, 
INCIL), 
and 
disability 
service 
providers 
(home 
services 
program, 
vocational 
rehabilitation), 
so 
that 
they 
might 
convene 
a 
group 
of 
the 
women 
they 
serve. 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
were 
not 
asked 
to 
complete 
a 
survey 
instrument. 


B. 
Sexual 
Assault 
Service 
Providers 
– 
Community 
and 
Statewide 
Level 
The 
collaboration 
sought 
to 
reach 
50 
individuals 
who 
work 
in 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
Information 
from 
these 
community 
level 
providers 
was 
collected 
through 
focus 
groups 
and 
electronic 
surveys. 
Focus 
groups 
were 
conducted 
with 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
at 
pre-existing 
meetings 
of 
various 
subcommittees 
of 
ICASA. 
Surveys 
were 
sent 
via 
e-mail 
to 
the 
directors 
at 
all 
of 
the 
33 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
in 
Illinois. 


5 



Individual 
interviews 
were 
conducted 
with 
various 
staff 
members 
at 
ICASA. 
Those 
staff 
were 
selected 
because 
of 
their 
particular 
roles 
in 
leadership 
and 
in 
policy 
making 
at 
the 
statewide 
level. 


C. 
Disability 
Service 
Providers 
– 
Community 
and 
Statewide 
Level 
The 
collaboration 
sought 
to 
reach 
staff 
in 
disability 
service 
agencies 
through 
focus 
groups, 
and 
more 
of 
those 
staff 
through 
electronic 
surveys. 
Focus 
groups 
were 
conducted 
with 
at 
pre-existing 
meetings 
such 
as 
regional 
network 
meetings 
or 
agency 
staff 
meetings. 
Surveys 
were 
e-mailed 
to 
the 
network 
managers 
of 
the 
Division 
of 
Mental 
Health 
and 
Division 
of 
Developmental 
Disabilities 
within 
DHS. 
The 
network 
managers 
then 
e-mailed 
those 
surveys 
to 
community 
providers. 


Within 
the 
Division 
of 
Rehabilitation 
Services 
(DRS), 
surveys 
were 
e-
mailed 
to 
direct-line 
staff 
members. 
These 
counselors 
and 
case 
managers 
located 
in 
local 
offices 
across 
the 
state 
serve 
in 
a 
similar 
capacity 
as 
community-based 
providers. 


To 
gain 
the 
state 
level 
perspective, 
individual 
interviews 
were 
conducted 
with 
non-direct 
service 
staff 
in 
all 
three 
departments 
of 
DHS. 
These 
staff 
included 
training 
coordinators, 
bureau 
chiefs 
and 
network 
managers. 


6 



II. 
MEASURES 
The 
chart 
below 
details 
the 
projected 
numbers 
and 
the 
actual 
number 
of 
people 
reached 
via 
each 
method. 


TARGET 
POPULATION/ 
STRATEGY 
Projected 
Individuals 
Actual 
Individuals 
Projected 
Groups 
Actual 
Groups 
Women 
with 
Disabilities 
Focus 
Groups 
*Individual 
Interviews 
200 
20 
133 
3 
18 
-24 
20 
Rape 
Crisis 
Centers 
Surveys 
Focus 
Groups 
ICASA 
Key 
Informant 
Interviews 
30 
50 
undecided 
27 
24 
4 
3-5 
3 
Disability 
Community 
Surveys 
Focus 
Groups 
DHS 
Key 
Informant 
Interviews 
**DRS 
staff 
survey 
135 
50 
10 
137 
88 
15 
207 
9 
8 


* 
Individual 
interviews 
were 
offered 
as 
an 
option 
for 
women 
who 
preferred 
to 
provide 
feedback 
outside 
of 
a 
group 
setting. 
The 
projected 
numbers 
were 
not 
reflective 
of 
desired 
goals, 
but 
instead 
used 
to 
guide 
team 
planning. 
** 
Original 
projections 
included 
DRS 
staff 
as 
a 
part 
of 
the 
disability 
provider 
group. 
Respondents 
were 
later 
separated 
out 
due 
to 
data 
collection 
process. 


Note: 
Overall 
the 
number 
of 
focus 
groups 
conducted 
aligned 
with 
the 
projected 
numbers; 
however, 
some 
groups 
were 
not 
as 
well 
attended 
as 
expected. 
The 
needs 
assessment 
team 
reviewed 
target 
population 
reach 
throughout 
the 
process 
and 
determined 
that 
saturation 
had 
been 
obtained. 


The 
Needs 
Assessment 
utilized 
three 
different 
modes 
of 
data 
collection: 
focus 
groups, 
individual 
telephone 
or 
in-person 
interviews, 
and 
electronic 
surveys. 
The 
manner 
in 
which 
data 
was 
collected 
was 
dependent 
upon 
the 
target 
audience, 
and 
the 
type 
of 
information 
desired. 


Illinois 
Imagines 
developed 
its 
questions 
for 
each 
group 
based 
upon 
the 
global 
questions 
in 
the 
Needs 
Assessment 
plan. 
Separate 
sets 
of 
focus 
group 
questions 
varied 
depending 
on 
the 
target 
audience. 
The 
questions 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
focused 
on 
factors 
influencing 
disclosure 
of 
sexual 
violence, 
the 
desired 
response 
to 
that 
disclosure, 
and 
barriers 
that 
prevented 
the 
women 
from 
getting 
that 
desired 
response. 
Questions 
for 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
and 
disability 
service 
providers 
focused 
on 
awareness 
of 
the 
issues, 
current 
response 


7 



practices 
around 
sexual 
violence, 
obstacles 
they 
faced 
in 
improving 
their 
response 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
barriers 
to 
collaboration 
with 
other 
key 
players 
in 
the 
response 
system. 
Copies 
of 
the 
focus 
group 
questions 
can 
be 
found 
in 
Appendix 
B. 


Surveys 
were 
created 
for 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff, 
disability 
service 
providers, 
and 
direct 
service 
staff 
working 
for 
DHS. 
The 
questions 
in 
the 
surveys 
focused 
on 
the 
same 
issues 
discussed 
in 
the 
focus 
groups. 
Copies 
of 
the 
survey 
questions 
can 
be 
found 
in 
Appendix 
C. 


Individual 
interview 
questions 
were 
created 
for 
key 
informants 
at 
ICASA 
and 
upper 
management 
staff 
of 
DHS. 
In 
addition 
to 
themes 
covered 
in 
focus 
groups 
and 
surveys 
for 
disability 
service 
providers 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
noted 
above, 
the 
individual 
interviews 
for 
state 
system 
staff 
included 
questions 
about 
contractual 
requirements, 
monitoring 
services, 
and 
consumer 
involvement 
in 
policy 
making. 
Copies 
of 
the 
interview 
questions 
can 
be 
found 
in 
Appendix 
D. 


III. 
PROCEDURE 
A. 
Focus 
Groups 
Focus 
groups 
were 
held 
statewide, 
convening 
in 
rural, 
suburban 
and 
urban 
areas 
of 
the 
state. 
Focus 
groups 
were 
conducted 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
community-based 
disability 
provider 
agencies 
and 
community-
based 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
All 
groups 
were 
assured 
that 
participation 
was 
voluntary 
and 
that 
all 
comments 
were 
kept 
confidential. 


Focus 
groups 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
included 
women 
living 
with 
families, 
living 
independently, 
and 
living 
in 
group 
homes. 
The 
population 
included 
women 
with 
developmental 
disabilities, 
physical 
disabilities, 
mental 
illness 
and 
women 
who 
are 
Deaf/Hard 
of 
Hearing. 


Women 
with 
disabilities 
received 
$10 
each 
for 
participation 
in 
a 
focus 
group, 
and 
all 
their 
transportation 
costs 
were 
paid 
when 
necessary. 
Disability 
service 
providers 
and 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
were 
not 
paid 
for 
participating 
in 
focus 
groups. 
Accommodations 
were 
provided 
for 
all 
people 
with 
disabilities 
for 
focus 
groups. 


Many 
members 
of 
the 
collaboration 
either 
facilitated 
or 
recorded 
data 
in 
focus 
groups. 
Groups 
were 
always 
facilitated 
by 
team 
members 
whose 
affiliations 
would 
not 
create 
a 
conflict 
of 
interest. 
Groups 
with 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
were 
not 
facilitated 
by 
team 
members 
who 
were 
also 
ICASA 
staff. 
Groups 
of 
DHS 
service 
providers 
were 
never 
facilitated 
by 
team 
members 
employed 
by 
DHS 
that 
monitor 
their 
services. 


8 



Each 
focus 
group 
had 
two 
facilitators: 
one 
asked 
the 
questions 
and 
kept 
the 
conversation 
on 
task, 
and 
the 
other 
facilitator 
took 
notes. 
Notes 
were 
first 
recorded 
on 
a 
flip 
chart 
in 
summary 
form; 
this 
permitted 
participants 
in 
the 
group 
to 
correct 
the 
information 
recorded. 
The 
notes 
were 
then 
synthesized 
on 
a 
standard 
form 
and 
sent 
to 
the 
project 
coordinator 
to 
forward 
to 
Needs 
Assessment 
Team. 


When 
conducting 
groups 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
both 
the 
facilitator 
and 
recorder 
were 
female, 
and 
neither 
was 
a 
required 
reporter. 
A 
trained 
sexual 
assault 
counselor 
was 
present 
to 
provide 
support 
to 
group 
participants 
who 
wish 
to 
talk 
privately 
during 
or 
after 
the 
focus 
group 
meeting. 


B. 
Individual 
Interviews 
Individual 
interviews 
were 
conducted 
with 
key 
informants 
via 
telephone 
or 
in 
person. 
All 
participants 
were 
assured 
that 
their 
participation 
was 
voluntary 
and 
that 
their 
responses 
were 
confidential. 
As 
with 
the 
focus 
groups, 
interviews 
were 
conducted 
by 
team 
members 
who 
were 
not 
affiliated 
with 
the 
organization 
represented 
by 
the 
interviewee. 
Interviewers 
conducting 
interviews 
with 
key 
informants 
recorded 
interviewee 
responses 
on 
a 
standard 
form. 


C. 
Surveys 
Surveys 
were 
created 
using 
an 
Internet 
based 
tool 
and 
a 
custom-tailored 
survey 
instrument 
that 
was 
compatible 
with 
screen 
readers. 
Participants 
were 
given 
approximately 
two 
weeks 
to 
respond 
to 
the 
survey. 


IV. 
DATA 
ANALYSIS 
PROCESS 
The 
Needs 
Assessment, 
conducted 
February 
through 
March 
2008, 
yielded 
a 
great 
deal 
of 
data. 
Electronic 
surveys, 
completed 
using 
both 
Survey 
Monkey 
and 
a 
custom 
made 
electronic 
survey 
tool 
to 
enable 
participants 
with 
disabilities 
to 
participate, 
yielded 
quantitative 
data 
from 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
disabilities 
providers. 
Focus 
group 
and 
interview 
data 
was 
more 
qualitative. 


The 
four 
member 
Needs 
Assessment 
Team 
divided 
the 
work 
into 
three 
sections. 
Though 
each 
member 
read 
all 
of 
the 
responses 
from 
each 
target 
population, 
they 
each 
concentrated 
on 
a 
different 
area 
of 
the 
overall 
data 
analysis. 
Amy 
Walker 
and 
Jenn 
Scott 
analyzed 
feedback 
from 
DHS 
Services 
providers, 
Jenn 
Scott 
analyzed 
feedback 
from 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
Carol 
Corgan 
analyzed 
data 
from 
the 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Teresa 
Tudor 
read 
all 
the 
responses, 
reviewed 
the 
summaries 
and 
contributed 
observations. 


9 



V. 
IMPLICATIONS 
OF 
METHODOLOGY 
ON 
FINDINGS 
As 
noted 
previously, 
the 
needs 
assessment 
was 
multi-faceted. 
Three 
distinct 
levels 
of 
feedback 
were 
sought: 
individual, 
community, 
and 
state. 
To 
achieve 
as 
diverse 
of 
a 
perspective 
as 
possible, 
a 
variety 
of 
methods 
were 
utilized 
to 
collect 
data: 
surveys, 
focus 
groups, 
and 
individual 
interviews. 
Additionally, 
to 
obtain 
input 
that 
was 
representative 
of 
the 
entire 
state, 
individuals 
and 
agencies 
participating 
in 
the 
process 
were 
from 
across 
Illinois 
including 
rural, 
urban, 
suburban 
geographic 
areas. 


This 
broad 
brushed 
approach 
resulted 
in 
tremendous 
information 
to 
guide 
systems 
change 
in 
Illinois. 
The 
counterpoint 
of 
such 
an 
approach 
is 
that 
data 
was 
not 
collected 
at 
the 
level 
of 
individual 
communities 
nor 
by 
disability 
type. 
This 
has 
two 
major 
implications 
for 
the 
data 
and 
related 
findings: 
1. 
findings 
may 
appear 
to 
be 
in 
conflict 
between 
needs 
assessment 
participants 
and 
2. 
conclusions 
can 
not 
be 
definitively 
drawn 
by 
disability 
type. 


For 
example, 
overall 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
reported 
a 
more 
positive 
collaborative 
relationship 
with 
disability 
service 
providers 
while 
disability 
service 
providers 
did 
not 
report 
the 
same 
level 
of 
support. 
Several 
factors 
may 
have 
influenced 
these 
results. 
While 
it 
is 
possible 
that 
a 
disability 
provider 
and 
a 
rape 
crisis 
center 
in 
the 
same 
community 
may 
have 
a 
different 
perspective 
on 
their 
relationship, 
it 
is 
more 
likely 
that 
the 
data 
was 
representative 
of 
providers 
in 
different 
areas 
of 
the 
state 
or 
reflective 
of 
a 
relationship 
with 
one 
provider. 
Rape 
crisis 
centers 
were 
asked 
to 
rate 
their 
relationship 
with 
disability 
service 
providers, 
including 
community 
mental 
health 
centers, 
independent 
living 
centers, 
and 
developmental 
disability 
programs. 
The 
rape 
crisis 
center 
may 
have 
a 
strong 
relationship 
with 
the 
local 
DHS, 
Division 
of 
Rehabilitation 
Services 
office 
and 
have 
no 
ties 
with 
other 
disability 
service 
providers. 
The 
recorded 
response 
may 
have 
been 
a 
collaborative 
relationship. 
Additionally, 
the 
volume 
of 
disability 
service 
providers 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment 
process 
far 
outweighed 
the 
amount 
of 
input 
gathered 
from 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
(447/27). 
These 
factors 
may 
have 
created 
the 
conflicting 
perspective 
surrounding 
linkages 
between 
disability 
service 
providers 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
Despite 
the 
“messiness” 
of 
the 
data, 
feedback 
clearly 
points 
to 
the 
need 
for 
improved 
connections 
between 
the 
service 
systems. 


Secondly, 
methodology 
impacted 
the 
ability 
to 
pull 
out 
findings 
by 
disability 
groups. 
It 
was 
determined 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment 
plan 
that 
equal 
representation 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
across 
disability 
types 
would 
be 
strategic 
through 
the 
recruitment 
of 
disability 
service 
providers. 
However, 
women 
would 
not 
be 
asked 
during 
the 
focus 
groups 
to 
identify 
themselves 
or 
their 
disability(ies). 
Facilitators 
and 
recorders 
were 
able 
to 
pick 
up 
on 
some 
nuances 
related 
to 
intensity 
of 
services 
and 
level 
of 
independence 
in 
the 
community. 
These 
observations 
indicate 
differences 
in 
experiences, 
perceptions, 
and 
recommendations 
among 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
suggest 
a 
need 
for 
comprehensive 
system 
supports. 


10 



The 
strategic 
planning 
process 
will 
take 
these 
factors 
into 
consideration. 
They 
point 
to 
the 
need 
for 
a 
menu 
of 
intervention 
strategies 
and 
models 
to 
be 
developed 
through 
the 
strategic 
planning 
process. 
Illinois 
Imagines 
strives 
to 
offer 
choices 
to 
fit 
individual 
and 
community 
needs 
and 
most 
importantly 
enhance 
the 
service 
delivery 
system. 
The 
challenge 
in 
strategic 
planning 
will 
be 
ensuring 
quality 
service 
standards 
across 
the 
state 
while 
allowing 
for 
customized 
community 
responses 
which 
address 
local 
capacity, 
unique 
needs 
of 
individuals 
and 
agencies, 
and 
availability 
of 
resources. 


11 



NEEDS 
ASSESSMENT 
FINDINGS 


Needs 
assessment 
findings 
center 
around 
4 
key 
areas 
of 
exploration 
across 
every 
target 
population: 
Disclosure, 
Response, 
Connection 
to 
Services, 
and 
Policy/Rules. 
Common 
themes 
and 
recommendations 
are 
noted 
across 
groups 
and 
are 
highlighted 
in 
this 
section. 


I. 
WOMEN 
WITH 
DISABILITIES 
A. 
Overview 
We 
held 
20 
focus 
groups 
with 
133 
women 
with 
disabilities 
attending. 
An 
additional 
three 
women 
with 
disabilities 
participated 
in 
an 
individual 
interview. 
The 
level 
of 
services 
varied 
with 
some 
women 
residing 
in 
group 
homes 
and 
participating 
in 
sheltered 
workshops, 
while 
others 
lived 
alone 
in 
the 
community 
and 
were 
employed 
by 
an 
independent 
business. 
It 
should 
be 
noted 
that 
no 
women 
living 
in 
state 
operated 
facilities 
participated 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment. 


Questions 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
centered 
on 
what 
they 
or 
someone 
they 
know 
would 
want 
if 
they 
experienced 
sexual 
violence. 
The 
range 
of 
questions 
included 
whom 
they 
would 
tell, 
the 
response 
they 
would 
want, 
the 
barriers 
to 
getting 
their 
desired 
response 
and 
their 
advice 
about 
improving 
the 
service 
system. 


Despite 
the 
considerable 
diversity 
of 
the 
groups 
based 
on 
geography, 
type 
of 
disability, 
and 
current 
living 
situation, 
common 
themes 
emerged 
in 
the 
women’s 
responses 
to 
most 
of 
the 
questions 
posed 
in 
each 
focus 
group. 


B. 
Disclosure 
of 
Sexual 
Violence 
For 
women 
with 
disabilities 
information 
we 
gathered 
in 
the 
area 
of 
disclosure 
included 
exploring 
issues 
of 
trust 
and 
strategies 
for 
promoting 
disclosure 
of 
sexual 
violence, 
i.e. 
use 
of 
screening 
tools 
by 
service 
providers. 


Global 
questions 
addressing 
trust 
and 
disclosure 
were 
posed 
to 
focus 
groups 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
We 
asked 
what 
would 
make 
a 
person 
trustworthy 
to 
tell 
about 
sexual 
violence. 
The 
overwhelming 
response 
focused 
on 
three 
characteristics 
that 
make 
people 
in 
general 
trustworthy. 


1. 
The 
person 
must 
be 
a 
good 
listener. 
Definitions 
of 
a 
good 
listener 
varied, 
but 
generally 
included 
descriptions 
such 
as 
“not 
hurried,” 
“focused 
on 
me,” 
“talks 
directly 
to 
me.” 
12 



2. 
The 
person 
will 
keep 
the 
information 
private/confidential. 
This 
was 
identified 
over 
and 
over 
as 
a 
priority. 
Women 
said 
they 
would 
disclose 
to 
the 
person 
who 
had 
previously 
kept 
a 
confidence, 
was 
not 
a 
required 
reporter 
or 
was 
otherwise 
trusted 
to 
protect 
the 
privacy 
of 
a 
disclosure. 
3. 
The 
person 
is 
perceived 
as 
helpful. 
Helpful 
was 
described 
as 
being 
supportive, 
empathic, 
non-blaming, 
non-judgmental 
and, 
likely 
to 
believe 
the 
woman’s 
disclosure 
and 
take 
action 
to 
assist. 
Conversely, 
the 
women 
indicated 
they 
would 
distrust 
someone 
who 
would 
not 
keep 
a 
disclosure 
confidential, 
either 
because 
they 
weren’t 
trustworthy 
or 
because 
they 
were 
required 
reporters. 


When 
asked 
specifically 
whom 
they 
would 
trust, 
the 
women 
identified 
a 
variety 
of 
people, 
listed 
in 
rank 
order 
as 
follows: 


WHO 
WOULD 
YOU 
TRUST? 
NUMBER 
OF 
RESPONDENTS 
Staff 
100 
Family 
95 
Friends 
86 
Police 
67 
Caregivers 
45 
Others 
(those 
identified 
were 
medical 
personnel, 
pastor, 
guardian, 
counselors, 
rape 
crisis 
hotline, 
neighbor, 
God) 
Categories 
suggested 
by 
WWD 
were 
recorded 
without 
specific 
numbers 


* 
Respondents 
could 
report 
multiple 
people 
they 
trust. 
Though 
family 
members 
were 
the 
second 
most 
trusted, 
many 
women 
noted 
it 
would 
be 
hard 
to 
disclose 
sexual 
violence 
to 
family 
because: 
1) 
they 
might 
not 
believe 
it, 
especially 
if 
the 
perpetrator 
is 
a 
family 
member 
and 
2) 
the 
family 
would 
be 
stressed/hurt 
and/or 
feel 
guilty 
about 
not 
keeping 
the 
woman 
safe. 


Beyond 
an 
unsolicited, 
spontaneous 
disclosure, 
we 
wanted 
to 
know 
if 
women 
with 
disabilities 
would 
like 
to 
be 
asked 
if 
they 
had 
or 
were 
experiencing 
sexual 
violence. 
So, 
we 
asked 
whether 
disability 
service 
providers 
should 
inquire 
about 
sexual 
violence. 


The 
response 
to 
this 
question 
was 
split 
fairly 
evenly, 
with 
three 
emphatic 
viewpoints 
on 
this 
question. 


13 



Yes 
– 
Some 
women 
with 
disabilities 
said 
disability 
service 
providers 
should 
ask 
questions 
about 
sexual 
violence. 
Many 
women 
provided 
guidance 
on 
how 
to 
ask 
the 
questions, 
such 
as, 


• 
Only 
ask 
once, 
at 
intake. 
• 
Only 
ask 
if 
the 
person 
asking 
is 
trained 
and 
skilled 
enough 
to 
respond 
to 
a 
disclosure 
effectively. 
• 
If 
the 
question 
is 
asked 
on 
a 
paper 
intake 
form 
and 
the 
woman 
can 
choose 
not 
to 
respond. 
No 
– 
Some 
women 
said 
not 
to 
ask 
the 
question, 
because 
it 
is 
intrusive 
to 
ask, 
it 
could 
re-traumatize 
a 
woman 
and 
it 
invades 
her 
privacy. 


“Only 
If” 
– 
Several 
women 
with 
disabilities 
said 
it 
is 
only 
okay 
to 
inquire 
about 
sexual 
violence 
under 
certain 
circumstances. 
The 
various 
conditions 
specified 
follow. 


• 
If 
the 
woman 
initiates 
a 
conversation. 
• 
If 
the 
interviewer 
sees 
signs 
or 
indicators 
of 
abuse. 
• 
If 
the 
interviewer 
has 
a 
previous 
relationship 
of 
trust 
with 
the 
woman. 
The 
varied 
input 
from 
women 
regarding 
disability 
service 
providers 
asking 
about 
sexual 
violence 
suggests 
caution 
in 
the 
development 
of 
intervention 
strategies 
promoting 
disclosure, 
such 
as, 
screening 
tools 
and 
policy 
development. 
Such 
strategies 
must 
balance 
the 
viewpoints 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
would 
find 
the 
inquiry 
offensive 
and 
consequently 
would 
discontinue 
disability 
services 
to 
those 
women 
who 
would 
welcome 
the 
support 
and 
encouragement 
of 
workers 
addressing 
sexual 
violence. 
Responses 
from 
focus 
group 
participants 
suggest 
that 
a 
more 
intense 
level 
of 
services 
corresponded 
with 
stronger 
support 
for 
the 
inquiry, 
whereas 
the 
women 
less 
involved 
in 
services 
and 
more 
independent 
in 
the 
community 
viewed 
the 
questioning 
as 
invasive. 


C. 
Response 
to 
Sexual 
Violence 
Against 
Women 
with 
Disabilities 
After 
discussing 
disclosure, 
we 
focused 
upon 
global 
questions 
addressing 
the 
kind 
of 
response 
they 
would 
want 
in 
the 
event 
of 
sexual 
violence. 


1. 
What 
is 
Helpful? 
The 
Needs 
Assessment 
asked 
women 
with 
disabilities 
several 
questions 
about 
the 
response 
they 
wanted 
if 
they 
disclose 
sexual 
violence. 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
indicated 
similar 
desires 
in 
group 


14 



after 
group. 
Like 
other 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence, 
women 
with 


disabilities 
said 
that 
in 
the 
event 
of 
sexual 
assault, 
they 
want: 


• 
to 
be 
believed, 
to 
be 
treated 
with 
respect, 
and 
to 
have 
choices; 
• 
nonjudgmental, 
comforting 
response 
and 
help 
to 
heal; 
• 
to 
tell 
their 
story 
once, 
rather 
than 
multiple 
times; 
• 
help 
calling 
the 
police 
and 
dealing 
with 
all 
the 
steps 
of 
the 
court 
system; 
• 
medical 
care; 
and 
• 
safety 
– 
keeping 
the 
perpetrator 
away. 
Additional 
desires, 
particular 
to 
having 
a 
disability 
included: 


• 
responders 
to 
pay 
attention 
to 
the 
sexual 
violence, 
not 
the 
disability; 
• 
a 
rape 
crisis 
worker 
who 
is 
able 
to 
communicate 
without 
an 
interpreter; 
and 
• 
a 
rape 
crisis 
worker 
who 
is 
comfortable 
with 
the 
disability. 
D. 
Connection 
to 
Services 
Questions 
in 
this 
area 
prompted 
participants 
to 
explore 
the 
strength 
of 
connections 
between 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
Linkages 
to 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
(RCC), 
access 
to 
services, 
and 
resources 
were 
included 
in 
the 
discussion. 


1. 
Established 
Linkages 
Women 
responded 
to 
global 
questions 
addressing 
outreach 
and 
awareness 
of 
services. 
Some 
women 
knew 
about 
their 
local 
rape 
crisis 
center, 
but 
many 
did 
not, 
until 
after 
experiencing 
sexual 
violence 
or 
until 
the 
day 
of 
the 
focus 
group. 
Individuals 
who 
shared 
they 
had 
accessed 
rape 
crisis 
services 
indicated 
there 
was 
a 
strong 
connection 
and 
follow 
up 
services 
were 
always 
available. 
2. 
Access 
to 
Services 
Regarding 
difficulties 
with 
access 
to 
rape 
crisis 
services, 
women 
cited 
transportation 
as 
the 
number 
one 
barrier. 
In 
every 
focus 
group, 
women 
said 
they 
needed 
transportation 
to 
the 
crisis 
center; 
some 
said 
free 
transportation 
was 
essential. 
In 
response 
to 
the 
questions, 
“If 
you 
or 
someone 
you 
know 
wanted 
to 
access 
sexual 
assault 
services, 
what 
do 
you 
think 
would 
work 
best? 
and 
“What 
obstacles 
may 
stand 
in 
the 
way?” 
women 
indicated 
that 
physical 
access 
within 
the 
center 
was 
not 
a 
significant 
issue. 
However, 
concerns 
about 
communication 
access 
(interpreters, 


15 



assisted 
communication 
devices, 
materials 
written 
in 
an 
accessible 
format) 
were 
identified 
in 
several 
groups. 


Several 
groups 
also 
suggested 
that 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
conduct 
support 
groups 
at 
facilities 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
They 
said 
this 
would: 
1) 
enhance 
awareness 
among 
women 
with 
disabilities 
about 
sexual 
violence, 
2) 
improve 
the 
women’s 
access 
to 
services 
and 
3) 
remove 
the 
transportation 
barrier. 


In 
two 
groups, 
women 
indicated 
a 
need 
for 
more 
privacy 
and 
confidentiality. 
Specifically, 
they 
wanted 
to 
be 
able 
to 
call 
a 
rape 
crisis 
center 
without 
telling 
disability 
service 
staff 
first 
and 
they 
wanted 
more 
clarity 
about 
the 
definition 
of 
required 
reporters 
(e.g., 
of 
the 
staff 
and 
people 
who 
work 
with 
them, 
which 
ones 
are 
required 
reporters). 


3. 
Resources 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
reiterated 
that 
the 
needed 
resources 
to 
connect 
to 
sexual 
assault 
services 
centered 
around 
awareness 
and 
access. 
They 
overwhelmingly 
said 
they 
would 
want 
the 
help 
of 
the 
crisis 
center 
and 
that 
they, 
their 
families 
and 
their 
staff 
(residential/day 
treatment, 
drivers, 
counselors, 
caregivers, 
etc.) 
should 
know 
about 
how 
to 
get 
help 
from 
a 
rape 
crisis 
center. 
Suggestions 
for 
addressing 
the 
barrier 
of 
transportation 
included 
pick-up 
services, 
reimbursement 
or 
vouchers, 
and 
provision 
of 
on-site 
services. 
E. 
Policy/Rules 
We 
asked 
if 
women 
with 
disabilities 
knew 
of 
rules 
to 
help 
them 
if 
they 
experienced 
sexual 
violence. 
The 
question 
was 
often 
either 
unclearly 
stated 
or 
misinterpreted 
to 
be 
about 
rules 
of 
conduct 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
rather 
than 
rules 
guiding 
what 
should 
happen 
in 
the 
event 
of 
a 
sexually 
violent 
incident. 
Therefore, 
the 
responses 
were 
not 
especially 
germane 
as 
to 
whether 
there 
are 
rules 
to 
help 
a 
woman 
with 
disabilities 
to 
get 
help 
if 
she 
experienced 
sexual 
violence. 


F. 
Recommendations 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
identified 
recommended 
strategies 
for 
improving 
the 
service 
delivery 
system 
for 
survivors. 
Again, 
responses 
fell 
into 
similar 
themes 
in 
all 
the 
groups. 
Their 
priorities, 
in 
order 
based 
on 
number 
of 
responses 
(most 
to 
least), 
follow. 


• 
Awareness 
– 
Women 
with 
disabilities, 
their 
families 
and 
their 
service 
providers 
need 
to 
be 
aware 
of 
sexual 
violence 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
staff 
of 
disability 
service 
agencies 
should 
be 
aware 
of 
sexual 
violence 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
16 



• 
Get 
help 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
– 
They 
need 
to 
be 
able 
to 
identify 
sexual 
violence, 
to 
tell, 
to 
call 
a 
rape 
crisis 
center 
for 
help 
and 
to 
seek 
counseling. 
Services 
need 
to 
reach 
women 
with 
disabilities 
where 
they 
are 
at, 
i.e. 
groups 
held 
at 
disability 
provider 
agency. 
• 
Provide 
survivor-centered 
response 
– 
Responders 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence 
should 
focus 
on 
the 
incident 
of 
sexual 
violence 
rather 
than 
the 
disability. 
Responders 
should 
listen, 
make 
eye 
contact 
and 
ask 
what 
she 
needs. 
• 
Training 
– 
Rape 
crisis 
centers 
should 
be 
trained 
regarding 
disabilities 
and 
their 
services 
should 
be 
fully 
accessible. 
G. 
Observations 
The 
focus 
group 
team 
noted 
underlying 
perceptions 
and 
experiences 
which 
appeared 
to 
influence 
participant 
responses 
and 
should 
be 
taken 
into 
account 
when 
developing 
the 
strategic 
plan. 


• 
Although 
trust 
was 
a 
significant 
issue 
across 
the 
board 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
we 
noted 
that 
the 
dynamics 
of 
trust 
were 
influenced 
by 
level 
of 
independence 
and 
participation 
in 
services. 
Women 
engaged 
in 
higher 
levels 
of 
disability 
services 
and 
maintaining 
lower 
levels 
of 
independence 
corresponded 
to 
more 
trust 
in 
others 
and 
the 
system. 
Conversely, 
women 
in 
focus 
groups 
who 
were 
not 
as 
actively 
involved 
in 
services 
and 
lived 
more 
independently 
in 
the 
community 
expressed 
more 
concern 
about 
trusting 
others. 
Though 
we 
did 
not 
collect 
data 
to 
confirm 
this 
observation, 
it 
was 
reported 
by 
facilitators 
and 
by 
the 
Needs 
Assessment 
Team 
upon 
review 
of 
focus 
group 
reports. 
This 
may 
have 
been 
influenced 
by 
disability 
type 
and 
recruitment 
strategies. 
This 
observation 
points 
to 
the 
need 
for 
a 
variety 
of 
approaches 
to 
be 
incorporated 
into 
the 
strategic 
plan. 
• 
In 
response 
to 
being 
asked 
about 
their 
knowledge 
of 
available 
resources, 
women 
with 
disabilities 
frequently 
replied 
by 
sharing 
a 
history 
of 
sexual 
violence 
beginning 
in 
childhood. 
This 
appeared 
to 
influence 
their 
definition 
of 
sexual 
violence, 
the 
normalization 
of 
sexual 
violence, 
their 
ability 
to 
trust, 
and 
their 
perception 
of 
service 
systems. 
The 
reality 
of 
repeated 
trauma 
and 
its 
impact 
on 
women 
with 
disabilities 
will 
be 
an 
important 
factor 
in 
development 
of 
the 
strategic 
plan. 
This 
is 
especially 
significant 
for 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
as 
they 
provide 
services 
for 
a 
population 
that 
has 
a 
significant 
portion 
of 
women 
experiencing 
complex 
trauma. 
17 



• 
General 
service 
connection 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities 
is 
clearly 
with 
the 
disability 
service 
system. 
This 
theme 
was 
echoed 
throughout 
needs 
assessment 
activities 
by 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
To 
be 
effective, 
outreach 
and 
educational 
efforts 
need 
to 
reach 
women 
with 
disabilities 
where 
they 
are 
at. 
Although 
some 
general 
awareness 
strategies 
were 
suggested 
by 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
most 
emphasized 
the 
importance 
of 
targeted 
outreach 
by 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
through 
the 
disability 
services 
system. 
In 
sum, 
the 
disability 
service 
provider 
initiates 
the 
connection 
to 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
and 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
provides 
the 
ongoing 
support, 
counseling, 
and 
advocacy 
services. 
• 
Data 
gathered 
through 
needs 
assessment 
may 
be 
influenced 
by 
confusion 
about 
sexual 
assault 
and 
domestic 
violence 
services. 
In 
focus 
groups 
participants 
often 
referred 
to 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
as 
“the 
shelter” 
or 
“the 
crisis 
center.” 
At 
times 
the 
facilitators 
were 
aware, 
from 
the 
context 
of 
the 
remarks 
that 
the 
reference 
was 
to 
a 
domestic 
violence 
shelter, 
not 
the 
local 
rape 
crisis 
center. 
To 
further 
confuse 
the 
issue, 
in 
some 
communities, 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
is 
part 
of 
the 
domestic 
violence 
shelter, 
and 
in 
other 
communities 
they 
are 
two 
separate 
organizations. 
This 
may 
have 
influenced 
the 
input 
provided 
by 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
however, 
it 
is 
believed 
that 
the 
feedback 
and 
suggestions 
gathered 
in 
focus 
groups 
were 
mostly 
relevant. 
Experiences/perceptions 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
with 
domestic 
violence 
services 
may 
influence 
personal 
choice 
regarding 
future 
access 
of 
sexual 
assault 
services. 
Any 
outreach 
or 
educational 
efforts 
developed 
as 
a 
part 
of 
the 
strategic 
planning 
should 
address 
this 
misunderstanding 
of 
the 
service 
delivery 
system. 
II. 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
HUMAN 
SERVICES 
STAFF 
AND 
PROVIDERS 
A. 
Overview 
Data 
from 
DHS 
were 
multi-faceted. 
We 
used 
three 
methods 
to 
gather 
information 
from 
two 
divergent 
target 
groups: 
state 
level 
staff 
of 
DHS 
and 
the 
staff 
working 
in 
community-based 
disability 
provider 
agencies 
or 
local 
DHS 
offices 
throughout 
the 
state. 
Though 
both 
groups 
work 
daily 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
the 
scope 
of 
their 
work 
is 
quite 
different. 
The 
state 
level 
administrative 
personnel 
takes 
a 
macro 
approach 
with 
such 
tasks 
as 
formulating 
policy, 
administering 
contracts 
and 
evaluating 
statewide 
efforts. 
Staff 
in 
local 
provider 
agencies 
and 
local 
DHS 
offices 
are 
more 
focused 
on 
immediate 
responses 
to 
the 
daily 
living 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities. 


18 



1. 
Staff 
Awareness 
The 
input 
from 
disability 
service 
providers 
(local 
and 
state) 
began 
with 
establishing 
a 
baseline 
of 
awareness 
regarding 
the 
issue 
of 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
The 
first 
question 
on 
our 
Illinois 
Imagines 
electronic 
survey 
of 
136 
community 
agencies 
stated, 
“How 
big 
of 
a 
problem 
do 
you 
believe 
sexual 
violence 
is 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities?” 
Providers 
could 
choose 
a 
number 
between 
5 
(huge) 
and 
1 
(minor). 
Sixty-
six 
percent 
of 
those 
surveyed 
rated 
this 
issue 
as 
4-5 
with 
another 
27% 
rating 
it 
as 
a 
3. 
Validating 
their 
perception 
about 
the 
magnitude 
of 
the 
problem, 
65% 
of 
survey 
respondents 
said 
the 
agency 
had 
served 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
had 
experienced 
sexual 
violence 
within 
the 
past 
2-3 
years. 
Yet 
when 
asked 
about 
the 
number 
of 
times 
per 
year 
their 
agency 
responded 
to 
sexual 
assault 
of 
a 
woman 
with 
a 
disability, 
22% 
said 
never 
and 
37% 
said 
1-2 
times. 
This 
number 
of 
victims 
seems 
low 
compared 
to 
the 
incidence 
expected 
based 
on 
research. 
This 
may 
be 
explained 
by 
lack 
of 
outreach; 
89% 
said 
there 
is 
no 
outreach 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence. 


Recognition 
of 
the 
problem 
of 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities 
noted 
above 
was 
consistent 
with 
the 
responses 
from 
the 
DRS 
survey, 
focus 
groups 
and 
individual 
interviews 
of 
state 
level 
workers. 
Additionally, 
participants 
in 
all 
focus 
groups 
indicated 
their 
agencies 
had 
served 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
had 
experienced 
sexual 
violence. 


B. 
Disclosure 
of 
Sexual 
Violence 
Input 
from 
disability 
service 
providers 
around 
the 
global 
area 
of 
disclosure 
included 
both 
consumer 
and 
staff 
barriers. 
Consumer 
barriers 
related 
to 
factors 
influencing 
whether 
women 
with 
disabilities 
would 
make 
a 
disclosure, 
while 
staff 
barriers 
addressed 
issues 
impacting 
identification 
of 
sexual 
violence 
by 
disability 
service 
staff. 


1. 
Consumer 
barriers 
Across 
the 
board, 
respondents 
in 
all 
needs 
assessment 
activity 
types 
gave 
similar 
responses. 
The 
issues 
were 
markedly 
similar 
to 
the 
response 
given 
by 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Staff 
in 
response 
to 
global 
questions 
on 
obstacles 
to 
disclosure 
identified 
five 
key 
obstacles 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experienced 
sexual 
violence. 
Listed 
below 
in 
random 
order: 
• 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
are 
afraid 
of 
not 
being 
believed, 
being 
labeled 
as 
crazy 
and/or 
not 
being 
viewed 
as 
credible 
to 
law 
enforcement. 
19 



• 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
may 
be 
unaware 
of 
or 
confused 
about 
healthy 
sexuality 
versus 
sexual 
violence 
and 
their 
own 
rights 
regarding 
sexual 
relations. 
• 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
are 
concerned 
about 
privacy 
and 
confidentiality. 
• 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
were 
concerned 
about 
safety 
and/or 
privacy 
and; 
• 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
may 
not 
know 
how 
to 
get 
help 
One 
barrier 
was 
cited 
by 
focus 
groups 
that 
was 
not 
identified 
by 
the 
state 
level 
workers. 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
are 
afraid 
of 
losing 
independence 
or 
services 
if 
they 
disclose 
sexual 
violence. 
What 
this 
means 
is 
that 
women 
with 
disabilities 
applying 
for 
benefits 
from 
the 
state 
may 
perceive 
that 
disclosure 
of 
sexual 
violence 
jeopardizes 
their 
eligibility. 
Because 
DRS 
counselors 
do 
not 
use 
disclosure 
as 
a 
factor 
in 
determining 
eligibility, 
they 
may 
not 
be 
aware 
of 
that 
perceived 
fear 
and 
its 
influence 
on 
their 
work 
with 
the 
consumer. 


2. 
Staff 
Barriers 
One 
particular 
issue 
identified 
by 
disability 
service 
staff 
as 
an 
issue 
impacting 
handling 
of 
disclosure 
was 
training. 
Gaining 
knowledge 
and 
skills 
as 
it 
related 
to 
identifying 
possible 
indicators 
of 
sexual 
violence 
was 
mentioned 
most 
often. 
More 
general 
information 
on 
training 
will 
be 
described 
in 
the 
next 
section. 
C. 
Response 
to 
Sexual 
Violence 
Against 
Women 
with 
Disabilities 
Disability 
service 
providers 
were 
asked 
for 
feedback 
on 
issues 
impacting 
the 
response 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Such 
factors 
included, 
staff 
training 
and 
comfort 
level 
with 
sexual 
violence. 


1. 
Staff 
training 
Regarding 
global 
questions 
on 
knowledge 
and 
skills 
needed 
to 
respond 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
DRS 
workers 
surveyed 
indicated 
they 
have 
no 
training 
regarding 
indicators 
of 
abuse 
and 
how 
to 
respond 
to 
abuse. 
Workers 
perceived 
that 
their 
level 
of 
training 
impacted 
their 
ability 
to 
respond 
to 
sexual 
violence. 
42% 
of 
those 
surveyed 
indicated 
their 
comfort 
level 
was 
1, 
2 
or 
3 
on 
a 
5 
point 
scale. 
Only 
41% 
felt 
prepared 
to 
serve 
a 
woman 
with 
a 
disability 
who 
experienced 
sexual 
violence. 


Training 
requirements 
emerged 
as 
another 
priority, 
with 
98% 
indicating 
there 
are 
five 
or 
less 
hours 
of 
mandatory 
training 
on 
sexual 
violence 
in 
the 
agency. 
Department 
administrative 
staff 
interviews 
noted 
that 
training 
for 
staff 
and 
providers 
addresses 
abuse 
and 
neglect, 
this 


20 



training 
is 
not 
specific 
to 
sexual 
violence 
and 
generally 
does 
not 


feature 
women 
with 
disabilities 
as 
trainers. 


D. 
Connection 
to 
Services 
The 
global 
area 
of 
connection 
to 
services 
entailed 
several 
components: 
established 
linkages, 
access 
to 
services, 
and 
needed 
resources. 


1. 
Established 
linkages 
Lack 
of 
networking 
and 
established 
linkages 
was 
a 
prominent 
theme 
across 
all 
disability 
provider 
staff 
(community 
and 
state 
level). 
This 
was 
apparent 
in 
the 
provider 
survey 
as 
66% 
of 
community 
provider 
staff 
indicated 
they 
knew 
where 
sexual 
assault 
services 
are 
provided. 
However, 
50% 
said 
they 
do 
not 
work 
with 
the 
local 
rape 
crisis 
center 
on 
a 
regular 
basis. 
DRS 
staff 
further 
commented 
on 
the 
issue 
emphasizing 
that 
workers 
need 
to 
know 
where 
to 
refer 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
abused 
and 
be 
sure 
services 
will 
be 
free, 
prompt 
and 
responsive 
to 
women. 
The 
disconnection 
in 
the 
service 
delivery 
system 
occurred 
in 
several 
key 
points 
according 
to 
disability 
service 
providers: 
1. 
women 
with 
disabilities 
do 
not 
know 
where 
to 
get 
rape 
crisis 
services; 
2. 
disability 
providers 
do 
not 
know 
about 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
or 
believe 
they 
are 
unable 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
and 
3. 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
disability 
service 
providers 
do 
not 
coordinate 
services. 


2. 
Access 
to 
Services 
Disability 
service 
providers 
at 
all 
levels 
appear 
to 
be 
keenly 
aware 
of 
access 
issues. 
Most 
providers 
shared 
the 
concern 
that 
referrals 
outside 
of 
the 
disability 
system 
can 
be 
a 
challenge 
in 
terms 
of 
access. 
Specific 
access 
items 
included: 
• 
Physical 
barriers 
and 
communication 
can 
be 
a 
deterrent 
(both 
because 
of 
women’s 
expectations 
that 
services 
aren’t 
accessible 
and 
the 
actual 
response 
of 
medical, 
law 
enforcement 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers). 
• 
Transportation 
to/from 
services. 
The 
comments 
from 
providers 
reinforced 
the 
feedback 
from 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
• 
Rape 
crisis 
centers 
are 
not 
comfortable 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities 
or 
are 
otherwise 
unresponsive 
to 
referrals. 
Women 
with 
mental 
illness 
and 
developmental 
disabilities 
were 
mentioned 
as 
populations 
having 
difficulty 
accessing 
services 
outside 
of 
the 
disability 
service 
network. 
Note: 
This 
perception 
of 
access 
to 
services 
did 
not 
completely 
align 
with 
the 
feedback 
obtained 
from 
women 
with 
disabilities 
focus 
groups. 


21 



Women 
with 
disabilities 
did 
not 
report 
physical 
barriers, 
but 
did 
identify 
communication 
as 
an 
issue. 


3. 
Resources 
55% 
of 
community 
based 
disability 
service 
providers 
said 
their 
agency 
does 
not 
have 
the 
resources 
to 
serve 
these 
women 
and 
84% 
of 
respondents 
said 
both 
local 
and 
state 
resources 
for 
these 
women 
are 
insufficient. 
Resources 
that 
are 
needed 
were 
ranked 
as 
follows: 
Resource 
Percentage 
of 
Respondents* 
1. 
Training 
90% 
2. 
Educational 
materials 
for 
women 
with 
Disabilities 
73% 
3. 
Specialized 
staff 
59% 
4. 
Linkage 
with 
sexual 
assault 
center 
55% 
5. 
Peer 
support 
groups 
48% 
6. 
Policy 
32% 
7. 
Physical 
accommodations 
support 
23% 
8. 
Interpreters 
18% 


* 
Respondents 
could 
select 
multiple 
resources. 
E. 
Policy/Rules 
Global 
questions 
around 
policy 
and 
procedures 
asked 
about 
both 
formal 
and 
informal 
directives 
guiding 
several 
key 
issues: 
identification 
and 
response 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
linkages 
between 
disability 
service 
agencies, 
and 
training 
requirements. 


At 
the 
state 
level, 
most 
of 
the 
DHS 
administrators 
interviewed 
indicated 
that 
the 
Department 
has 
no 
specific 
requirements 
for 
local 
providers 
regarding 
how 
to 
identify 
and/or 
respond 
to 
sexual 
violence 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
beyond 
Rule 
50 
– 
the 
general 
rule 
for 
reporting 
abuse 
and 
neglect 
and 
investigative 
response 
in 
Illinois. 
Additionally, 
linkage 
agreements 
were 
not 
mandated 
and 
training 
requirements 
did 
not 
specifically 
address 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 


Most 
disability 
service 
providers 
at 
the 
community 
level 
indicated 
that 
they 
do 
not 
have 
formal 
policies 
and 
procedures 
to 
respond 
to 
disclosures 
of 
sexual 
violence 
(both 
past 
and 
current 
incidences 
of 
sexual 
violence). 
Clinical 
best 
practices, 
such 
as, 
clinical 
supervision, 
team 
staffings, 
and 
case 
file 
reviews 
were 
noted 
as 
the 
standards 
for 
guiding 
identification, 
response, 
and 
treatment 
planning 
for 
women 
with 


22 



disabilities 
who 
are 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence. 
Such 
standards 
guide 
the 
work 
on 
all 
consumer 
issues, 
including 
sexual 
assault. 


Across 
all 
levels 
of 
disability 
service 
staff 
opinions 
were 
split 
about 
whether 
more 
state 
requirements 
would 
be 
helpful. 
Some 
said 
development 
of 
new 
policies, 
rules 
and 
procedures 
to 
be 
implemented 
and 
monitored 
by 
DHS 
could 
support 
an 
improved 
response. 
Others 
said 
that 
– 
rather 
than 
mandates 
– 
DHS 
should 
provide 
support, 
resources 
and 
models 
to 
local 
providers 
to 
enable 
them 
to 
build 
better 
local 
responses. 


F. 
Recommendations 
The 
following 
recommendations 
were 
given 
by 
disability 
service 
providers 
in 
multiple 
venues 
(surveys, 
focus 
groups, 
and 
individual 
interviews). 


• 
Provide 
tools 
for 
providers 
to 
aid 
in 
identification 
and 
response 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
• 
Formalize 
collaboration 
between 
disability 
providers 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
• 
Develop 
referral 
protocols, 
training 
resources 
and 
options 
for 
sexual 
assault 
services 
to 
be 
provided 
on-site 
at 
disability 
service 
agencies. 
• 
Clarify 
definitions 
and 
guidelines 
to 
improve 
shared 
understanding 
regarding 
guardianship 
and 
confidentiality 
for 
both 
disability 
providers 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
• 
Provide 
tools 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
to 
promote 
awareness 
of 
sexual 
violence, 
their 
rights 
and 
how 
to 
access 
services. 
• 
Provide 
transportation 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
to 
rape 
crisis 
center. 
• 
Ensure 
that 
local 
agencies 
have 
the 
resources 
to 
develop 
effective 
collaborative 
responses 
(training, 
communication, 
etc.). 
• 
Provide 
immediate 
access 
to 
resources/services 
when 
a 
woman 
with 
a 
disability 
experiences 
sexual 
violence. 
• 
Develop 
and 
conduct 
public 
awareness 
campaigns 
to 
make 
women 
with 
disabilities 
more 
aware 
of 
sexual 
violence 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
• 
Provide 
information 
lines/hotlines/Internet, 
information 
about 
sexual 
violence 
and 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
disability 
providers. 
• 
Involve 
consumers 
(women 
with 
disabilities) 
in 
decision-making 
and 
systemic 
changes. 
• 
Develop 
training 
and 
print 
material 
to 
increase 
worker’s 
awareness 
of 
sexual 
violence. 
23 



G. 
Observations 
The 
focus 
group 
team 
noted 
underlying 
perceptions 
and 
experiences 
which 
appeared 
to 
influence 
participant 
responses 
and 
should 
be 
taken 
into 
account 
when 
developing 
the 
strategic 
plan. 


• 
Data 
gathered 
through 
needs 
assessment 
may 
be 
influenced 
by 
confusion 
about 
sexual 
assault 
and 
domestic 
violence 
services. 
In 
focus 
groups 
participants 
often 
referred 
to 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
as 
“the 
shelter” 
or 
“the 
crisis 
center.” 
At 
times 
the 
facilitators 
were 
aware, 
from 
the 
context 
of 
the 
remarks, 
that 
the 
reference 
was 
to 
a 
domestic 
violence 
shelter, 
not 
the 
local 
rape 
crisis 
center. 
To 
further 
confuse 
the 
issue, 
in 
some 
communities, 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
is 
part 
of 
the 
domestic 
violence 
shelter, 
and 
in 
other 
communities 
they 
are 
two 
separate 
organizations. 
This 
may 
have 
influenced 
the 
input 
provided 
by 
disability 
service 
providers; 
however, 
it 
is 
believed 
that 
the 
feedback 
and 
suggestions 
gathered 
in 
focus 
groups 
were 
mostly 
relevant. 
• 
Perceived 
philosophical 
and 
programmatic 
differences 
between 
disciplines 
also 
emerged 
during 
focus 
groups. 
Confidentiality 
and 
stigma 
were 
two 
themes 
that 
came 
up 
in 
several 
groups. 
For 
example, 
disability 
providers 
mentioned 
not 
receiving 
referrals 
from 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
To 
quote 
one 
group, 
“referrals 
are 
a 
one 
way 
street.” 
In 
reality 
due 
to 
confidentiality, 
RCC 
may 
be 
making 
referrals, 
but 
this 
is 
done 
in 
a 
less 
direct 
manner 
than 
typical 
social 
service 
system 
referrals. 
Associated 
stigma 
with 
being 
a 
“rape 
victim” 
was 
noted 
as 
influencing 
the 
connection 
between 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
providers, 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
• 
Training 
was 
frequently 
mentioned 
by 
disability 
staff 
at 
all 
levels 
as 
a 
recommended 
strategy 
to 
improve 
system 
response 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Although 
this 
approach 
has 
much 
support 
and 
can 
be 
a 
viable 
piece 
of 
the 
strategic 
plan, 
it 
will 
not 
be 
the 
focal 
point 
of 
Illinois 
Imagines. 
The 
strategic 
plan 
will 
concentrate 
on 
interventions 
which 
support 
systemic 
change 
now 
and 
into 
the 
future. 
Training 
may 
be 
addressed 
through 
agency/ 
professional 
requirements, 
adaptation 
of 
current 
training 
systems, 
and 
development 
of 
resources. 
Through 
the 
strategic 
planning 
process, 
alternate 
methods 
to 
match 
respondents’ 
desired 
outcomes 
of 
training 
will 
be 
explored. 
24 



III. 
RAPE 
CRISIS 
CENTERS 
A. 
Overview 
Data 
from 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
were 
also 
multi-faceted. 
We 
utilized 
three 
different 
methods 
of 
data 
collection 
with 
two 
target 
audiences: 
state 
level 
staff 
of 
ICASA 
and 
local 
staff 
working 
in 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
across 
the 
state 
of 
Illinois. 
Both 
of 
these 
groups 
work 
to 
serve 
people 
dealing 
with 
sexual 
violence, 
but 
their 
roles 
are 
quite 
different. 
Local 
center 
staff 
work 
directly 
with 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence 
to 
address 
their 
immediate 
needs. 
Much 
of 
the 
work 
done 
by 
local 
center 
staff 
is 
shaped 
by 
the 
communities 
that 
they 
serve. 
The 
state 
coalition, 
on 
the 
other 
hand, 
takes 
a 
broader 
approach 
with 
tasks 
such 
as 
formulating 
policy, 
standardizing 
training 
and 
education 
requirements 
and 
overseeing 
the 
local 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 


1. 
Staff 
Awareness 
In 
concert 
with 
the 
disability 
service 
provider 
input, 
the 
discussion 
with 
rape 
crisis 
staff 
(local 
and 
state) 
began 
with 
establishing 
a 
baseline 
of 
awareness 
regarding 
the 
issue 
of 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Overwhelmingly, 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
were 
aware 
of 
the 
scope 
of 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
The 
first 
question 
on 
the 
electronic 
survey 
sent 
to 
center 
directors 
asked 
how 
big 
the 
problem 
of 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities 
was. 
Ninety-six 
percent 
of 
respondents 
responded 
to 
the 
survey 
with 
a 
4 
or 
5. 
A 
score 
of 
5 
corresponded 
to 
“huge” 
as 
a 
descriptor. 
Further, 
85% 
of 
centers 
indicated 
that 
their 
agency 
had 
served 
at 
least 
one 
woman 
with 
a 
disability 
in 
the 
past 
2-3 
years. 
This 
survey 
information 
was 
reinforced 
within 
the 
focus 
groups. 
All 
of 
the 
center 
staff 
in 
the 
focus 
groups 
stated 
that 
their 
agency 
had 
served 
at 
least 
one 
individual 
with 
a 
disability 
within 
the 
last 
few 
years. 
B. 
Disclosure 
of 
Sexual 
Violence 
No 
direct 
questions 
about 
issues 
impacting 
women 
with 
disabilities 
disclosing 
to 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
were 
asked. 
However, 
in 
response 
to 
a 
focus 
group 
question 
about 
barriers 
to 
working 
with 
disability 
service 
providers 
the 
following 
perceptions 
were 
identified: 


• 
disability 
providers 
do 
not 
take 
disclosures 
of 
violence 
seriously 
enough, 
and/or 
do 
not 
respond 
in 
a 
victim-centered 
manner; 
• 
disability 
providers 
have 
misconceptions 
about 
sexuality, 
sexual 
expression 
and 
sexual 
violence 
as 
it 
pertains 
to 
people 
with 
disabilities. 
25 



C. 
Response 
to 
Sexual 
Violence 
Against 
Women 
with 
Disabilities 
Rape 
Crisis 
Center 
staff 
were 
asked 
for 
feedback 
on 
issues 
impacting 
their 
ability 
to 
respond 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Such 
factors 
included 
training 
and 
personal 
comfort 
level 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities. 


We 
asked 
survey 
respondents 
how 
comfortable 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
were 
with 
working 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Thirty-one 
percent 
said 
staff 
were 
very 
comfortable 
(5 
on 
a 
5 
point 
scale), 
and 
another 
31% 
responded 
with 
a 
score 
of 
“4.” 
Center 
staff 
mentioned 
that 
they 
were 
aware 
of 
the 
privileges 
that 
come 
with 
not 
having 
a 
disability, 
and 
that 
such 
awareness 
was 
part 
of 
the 
reason 
that 
they 
felt 
they 
could 
use 
more 
training 
around 
being 
comfortable 
around 
individuals 
with 
disabilities. 
Survey 
respondents 
indicated 
they 
would 
be 
more 
comfortable 
and 
informed 
if 
they 
had 
more 
information 
about: 


• 
identifying 
and 
serving 
women 
with 
all 
types 
of 
disabilities; 
• 
knowledge 
of 
state 
and 
local 
resources 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
• 
working 
with 
alternative 
forms 
of 
communication; 
• 
strategies 
for 
increasing 
accessibility. 
All 
of 
the 
survey 
respondents 
said 
that 
they 
received 
less 
than 
five 
hours 
of 
training 
annually 
on 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
and 
63% 
said 
they 
had 
no 
training 
at 
all. 
This 
echoes 
the 
feedback 
received 
from 
interviews 
with 
ICASA 
staff. 


Comments 
in 
the 
focus 
groups 
reinforced 
that 
training 
was 
a 
huge 
component 
of 
need. 
No 
one 
felt 
they 
had 
had 
significant 
training 
on 
the 
topic 
previously. 
Some 
respondents 
expressed 
a 
desire 
for 
information 
about 
types 
of 
disabilities, 
but 
the 
majority 
of 
training 
requests 
were 
about 
being 
able 
to 
communicate 
more 
effectively 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
being 
able 
to 
feel 
more 
comfortable 
around 
them. 


D. 
Connection 
to 
Services 
The 
global 
area 
of 
connection 
to 
services 
entailed 
several 
components: 
established 
linkages, 
access 
to 
services, 
and 
needed 
resources. 


1. 
Established 
linkages 
88.9% 
of 
survey 
respondents 
were 
aware 
of 
the 
disability 
agencies 
in 
their 
communities, 
73% 
indicated 
that 
they 
were 
networking 
on 
a 
regular 
basis 
with 
those 
agencies. 
Further, 
centers 
were 
asked 
to 
rate 
the 
quality 
of 
their 
relationship 
with 
disability 
service 
providers. 
84% 
26 



described 
their 
relationship 
as 
either 
collaborative 
or 
cooperative. 
In 
contrast, 
focus 
groups 
indicated 
that 
their 
relationships 
with 
disability 
service 
providers 
could 
be 
improved. 


Several 
individuals 
stated 
that 
there 
are 
no 
formal 
referral 
systems 
or 
linkage 
agreements 
between 
providers, 
but 
that 
informal 
referrals 
do 
happen. 
Those 
that 
do 
get/give 
referrals 
have 
had 
greater 
success 
working 
with 
mental 
health 
providers 
than 
with 
developmental 
disability 
service 
providers. 
One 
member 
of 
a 
focus 
group 
stated 
that 
their 
local 
disability 
service 
provider 
was 
extremely 
closed 
to 
the 
idea 
of 
collaboration. 


Specific 
comments 
were 
provided 
about 
what 
made 
establishing 
linkages 
difficult. 
Firstly, 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
stated 
that 
they 
do 
not 
have 
relationships 
with 
staff 
at 
disability 
provider 
agencies. 
Secondly, 
RCC 
staff 
felt 
that 
disability 
service 
providers 
lacked 
an 
understanding 
of 
2 
major 
tenets 
of 
rape 
crisis 
center’s 
work: 
the 
victim 
centered 
philosophy 
and 
the 
confidentiality 
policies 
applied 
to 
rape 
crisis 
workers. 
These 
philosophical 
differences 
made 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
hesitant 
to 
pursue 
collaboration 
further. 


Note: 
the 
responses 
from 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
about 
linkages 
with 
disability 
service 
providers 
do 
not 
match 
the 
information 
obtained 
from 
disability 
service 
providers. 
This 
could 
be 
influenced 
by 
a 
variety 
of 
factors. 
Most 
importantly, 
it 
should 
be 
kept 
in 
mind 
during 
the 
strategic 
planning 
process 
as 
efforts 
directed 
at 
building 
collaborative 
relationships 
at 
the 
local 
level 
are 
developed. 
Specifically, 
recruitment 
efforts, 
team 
building 
strategies, 
shared 
planning 
activities, 
and 
reciprocal 
working 
agreements. 


2. 
Access 
to 
Services 
Survey 
respondents 
indicated 
that 
69% 
of 
staff 
were 
very 
prepared 
to 
respond 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
Rape 
Crisis 
Center 
staff 
had 
encountered 
individuals 
who 
sought 
out 
services, 
but 
those 
individuals’ 
guardians 
did 
not 
want 
them 
seeking 
services. 
Thus, 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
were 
unsure 
what 
steps 
they 
should 
take 
in 
serving 
these 
women. 
Many 
were 
unclear 
about 
how 
confidentiality 
and 
guardianship 
affected 
one 
another, 
as 
well 
as 
how 
guardianship 
affected 
the 
client’s 
ability 
to 
access 
services 
and 
their 
rights 
in 
terms 
of 
confidentiality. 
3. 
Resources 
Additionally, 
groups 
said 
that 
they 
needed 
more 
educational/informational 
materials 
that 
they 
could 
use 
for 
clients 
with 
developmental 
disabilities 
and 
clients 
who 
were 
blind/low 
vision 
or 
Deaf/Hard 
of 
Hearing. 
27 



ICASA 
staff 
also 
informed 
us 
that 
they 
do 
not 
provide 
their 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
with 
brochures 
or 
material 
addressing 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
ICASA’s 
materials 
have 
a 
broader 
target 
audience, 
and 
individual 
centers 
create 
their 
own 
materials 
if 
a 
need 
arises. 


E. 
Policy/Rules 
Global 
questions 
around 
policy 
and 
procedures 
asked 
about 
both 
formal 
and 
informal 
directives 
guiding 
several 
key 
issues: 
provision 
of 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence, 
linkages 
between 
disability 
service 
agencies, 
and 
training 
requirements. 


On 
our 
survey, 
we 
asked 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
if 
they 
had 
policies 
and 
procedures 
regarding 
serving 
individuals 
with 
disabilities. 
Seventy-three 
percent 
stated 
their 
center 
had 
policies 
pertaining 
to 
accessibility 
of 
services 
and 
84% 
said 
they 
had 
policies 
in 
regard 
to 
providing 
clients 
with 
reasonable 
accommodations. 
Only 
48% 
said 
they 
had 
a 
policy 
pertaining 
to 
working 
with 
disability 
service 
providers. 
Less 
than 
40% 
had 
policies 
around 
working 
with 
survivors 
who 
utilize 
TTY 
relay 
services, 
sign 
language 
interpreters 
or 
service 
animals. 


When 
we 
asked 
about 
policies 
in 
the 
focus 
groups, 
no 
one 
was 
aware 
that 
their 
agencies 
had 
written 
policy 
pertaining 
specifically 
to 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Some 
said 
that 
they 
had 
informal 
agreements 
with 
landlords 
about 
building 
accessibility 
or 
that 
they 
arrange 
to 
meet 
clients 
in 
accessible 
spaces. 
Some 
cited 
the 
core 
value 
of 
“victim-centered 
services” 
(mandated 
by 
ICASA) 
which 
dictates 
that 
center 
staff 
serve 
all 
the 
individuals 
who 
seek 
their 
services. 
The 
“victim-centered 
philosophy” 
also 
dictates 
that 
the 
client 
gets 
to 
decide 
what 
they 
need/want 
in 
terms 
of 
assistance 
from 
center 
staff. 
No 
one 
mentioned 
the 
need 
or 
desire 
for 
any 
kind 
of 
separate 
policy, 
as 
the 
one 
already 
in 
place 
seemed 
all-
encompassing. 
Only 
12% 
of 
survey 
respondents 
indicated 
a 
need 
for 
policy 
around 
this 
issue. 
Overall, 
local 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
reported 
that 
they 
did 
not 
have 
policy 
mandating 
training 
for 
center 
staff 
addressing 
working 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities. 


These 
findings 
were 
echoed 
at 
the 
state 
level. 
Each 
of 
the 
ICASA 
staff 
interviewed 
were 
aware 
of 
the 
obstacles 
faced 
by 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
but 
stated 
that 
ICASA 
does 
not 
have 
standards 
or 
mandatory 
policies 
specific 
to 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
For 
example, 
ICASA 
does 
not 
require 
centers 
to 
have 
linkage 
agreements 
with 
local 
disability 
service 
agencies. 
Instead, 
ICASA 
mandates 
that 
centers 
serve 
all 
clients 
who 
seek 
services. 
This 
is 
included 
in 
both 
ICASA’s 
philosophy 
and 
a 
code 
of 
ethics. 


28 



ICASA 
monitors 
all 
of 
its 
centers 
through 
site 
visits, 
quarterly 
reports, 
and 
annual 
funding 
applications 
to 
ensure 
they 
are 
serving 
all 
of 
their 
clients 
well. 
Services 
provided 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
are 
not 
specifically 
monitored. 


In 
addition 
to 
policy 
requirements, 
we 
asked 
staff 
about 
training 
for 
local 
center 
staff 
on 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
ICASA 
mandates 
that 
all 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
and 
volunteers 
complete 
40 
hours 
of 
training; 
disability 
issues 
are 
not 
covered 
within 
that 
training. 
At 
the 
moment, 
women 
with 
disabilities 
do 
not 
facilitate 
any 
of 
these 
ICASA 
trainings, 
but 
guest 
trainers 
with 
disabilities 
have 
presented 
workshops 
at 
statewide 
conferences. 


Note: 
A 
comparison 
of 
rape 
crisis 
center 
data 
from 
surveys 
and 
focus 
groups 
noted 
a 
significant 
difference 
in 
responses 
about 
policy. 
This 
could 
be 
a 
result 
of 
the 
methodology 
and/or 
the 
level 
of 
staff. 


F. 
Recommendations 
The 
following 
recommendations 
were 
given 
by 
sexual 
assault 
service 
providers 
in 
multiple 
venues 
(surveys, 
focus 
groups, 
and 
individual 
interviews). 


• 
Change 
policy 
so 
that 
a 
women 
with 
a 
disability 
does 
not 
need 
a 
guardian’s 
permission 
to 
access 
services 
• 
Clear 
up 
confusion 
about 
how 
guardianship 
affects 
the 
survivor’s 
confidentiality 
rights 
• 
Hire 
women 
with 
disabilities 
to 
be 
on 
staff 
at 
ICASA 
• 
Get 
the 
input 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
in 
developing 
trainings, 
policies, 
and 
resources 
• 
Develop 
formal 
networking 
agreements 
and 
cross 
training 
plans 
between 
rape 
crisis 
center’s 
and 
disability 
service 
providers 
• 
Educate 
each 
other 
on 
what 
the 
various 
providers 
do/their 
responsibilities 
Finally, 
we 
asked 
about 
how 
rape 
crisis 
center 
staff 
and 
disability 
service 
providers 
can 
work 
together 
to 
improve 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
what 
the 
ideal 
collaboration 
would 
look 
like. 
They 
said 
that 
developing 
formal 
networking 
agreements 
and 
cross 
training 
plans 
were 
important, 
and 
that 
a 
great 
deal 
of 
cross 
training 
should 
be 
implemented. 
Staff 
also 
identified 
a 
pressing 
need 
for 
both 
groups 
(rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
disability 
providers) 
to 
educate 
themselves 
about, 
and 
develop 
a 
profound 
respect 
for, 
the 
roles 
and 
responsibilities 
of 
the 
other 
agency. 
That 
way, 
biases 
and 
resistance 
to 
collaboration 
could 
be 
overcome. 
They 
also 
said 
that, 
ideally, 
both 
groups 
would 
work 
to 
involve 
more 


29 



women 
with 
disabilities 
in 
shaping 
the 
system 
and 
truly 
listen 
to 
what 
those 
women 
need. 


G. 
Observations 
• 
The 
impact 
of 
professionals 
learning 
from 
women 
with 
disabilities 
was 
evidenced 
in 
discussions 
with 
rape 
crisis 
staff. 
During 
focus 
groups 
several 
participants 
informed 
us 
that 
they 
had 
learned 
that 
often 
times 
women 
with 
disabilities 
needed 
the 
same 
things 
that 
clients 
without 
disabilities 
needed: 
acceptance, 
patience, 
and 
someone 
to 
believe 
them. 
They 
also 
learned 
that 
women 
with 
disabilities 
are 
very 
competent 
to 
make 
decisions, 
but 
that 
the 
women 
lack 
critical 
information 
about 
sexuality, 
sexual 
violence 
and 
their 
rights. 
Further, 
they 
learned 
that 
women 
with 
disabilities 
often 
lacked 
support 
from 
family 
or 
others 
around 
sexual 
violence 
issues. 
• 
The 
desire 
for 
collaboration 
came 
up 
much 
more 
strongly 
for 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
than 
disability 
service 
providers. 
Staff 
also 
identified 
a 
pressing 
need 
for 
both 
groups 
(rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
disability 
providers) 
to 
educate 
themselves 
about, 
and 
develop 
a 
profound 
respect 
for, 
the 
roles 
and 
responsibilities 
of 
the 
other 
agency. 
That 
way, 
biases 
and 
resistance 
to 
collaboration 
could 
be 
overcome. 
They 
also 
said 
that, 
ideally, 
both 
groups 
would 
work 
to 
involve 
more 
women 
with 
disabilities 
in 
shaping 
the 
system 
and 
truly 
listen 
to 
what 
those 
women 
need. 
• 
A 
comparison 
of 
data 
from 
surveys 
and 
focus 
groups 
noted 
a 
significant 
difference 
in 
responses. 
This 
could 
be 
a 
result 
of 
the 
methodology 
and/or 
the 
level 
of 
staff. 
Surveys 
were 
sent 
to 
Executive 
Directors 
of 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
required 
a 
written 
response 
to 
question, 
whereas, 
focus 
group 
participants 
tended 
to 
be 
direct-line 
staff 
or 
first 
line 
of 
supervision 
who 
responded 
verbally 
in 
a 
facilitated 
dialogue. 
30 



CONCLUSION 


We 
see 
many 
themes 
among 
our 
findings 
across 
the 
three 
target 
groups. 
The 
responses 
from 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
the 
disability 
service 
systems 
have 
many 
commonalities 
as 
do 
the 
responses 
at 
the 
individual, 
community 
and 
state 
levels. 
What 
women 
with 
disabilities 
say 
they 
need 
is 
consistent 
with 
what 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
say 
they 
have 
to 
offer. 
The 
barriers 
experienced 
by 
women 
with 
disabilities 
align 
with 
the 
limitations 
identified 
within 
disability 
provider 
agencies 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers. 
The 
lack 
of 
and 
need 
for 
better 
connection 
between 
disability 
providers 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
is 
articulated 
by 
those 
in 
the 
service 
systems 
and 
women 
with 
disabilities. 


When 
analyzed 
together, 
these 
descriptions 
of 
need 
draw 
a 
coherent 
picture. 
That 
picture 
allows 
us 
to 
clearly 
see 
the 
needs 
of 
each 
group 
and 
to 
identify 
the 
intersections 
that 
have 
promise 
as 
points 
of 
intervention 
and 
change. 


A. 
Needs 
of 
Each 
Group 
1. 
Women 
with 
Disabilities 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
want 
and 
need 
what 
all 
survivors 
want 
in 
the 
event 
of 
sexual 
violence. 


• 
Safety 
– 
physical 
safety, 
emotional 
support, 
order 
of 
protection 
or 
other 
means 
to 
keep 
perpetrator 
away. 
• 
Privacy 
and 
confidentiality 
– 
particular 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
this 
means 
resolution 
of 
concerns 
about 
required 
reporters 
and 
guardianship. 
• 
Survivor-centered 
services 
– 
particular 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
this 
means 
services 
focused 
on 
the 
sexual 
violence, 
not 
the 
disability 
and 
services 
that 
accommodate 
any 
need 
for 
physical 
access, 
assisted 
communication, 
transportation. 
• 
Awareness 
of 
and 
access 
to 
services 
that 
are 
free, 
convenient, 
respectful/responsive. 
• 
Accountability 
for 
offenders 
in 
the 
criminal 
justice 
system. 
2. 
Disability 
Providers 
Community-based 
disability 
provider 
agencies 
and 
the 
Illinois 
Department 
of 
Human 
Services 
recognize 
that 
sexual 
violence 
is 
a 
significant 
issue 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
To 
better 
respond, 
providers 
need: 


• 
models 
for 
a 
best 
practice 
response 
to 
a 
woman 
with 
disabilities 
who 
discloses 
sexual 
violence 
including 
intake 
screening, 
referral 
to 
and 
coordination 
with 
rape 
crisis 
services, 
31 



development 
of 
treatment 
plans, 
and 
support 
for 
individual 
choice; 


• 
knowledge 
that 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
serves 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
understood 
the 
role 
and 
services 
of 
a 
rape 
crisis 
center; 
• 
confidence 
in 
the 
capacity 
of 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
• 
models 
for 
collaboration 
with 
a 
rape 
crisis 
center 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
3. 
Rape 
Crisis 
Centers 
Rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
ICASA 
recognize 
sexual 
violence 
is 
a 
significant 
issue 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
To 
better 
respond, 
providers 
need: 


• 
confidence 
about 
their 
capacity 
to 
help 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
• 
confidence 
about 
responding 
to 
particular 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
related 
to 
mobility, 
vision 
and 
communication; 
• 
models 
for 
collaboration 
with 
local 
disability 
providers 
to 
provide 
rape 
crisis 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
• 
referrals 
when 
women 
with 
disabilities 
report 
sexual 
violence; 
• 
clarity 
regarding 
policies 
and 
requirements 
related 
to 
guardianship 
and 
confidentiality 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
B. 
Intersections 
Among 
Identified 
Needs 
The 
needs 
of 
the 
target 
groups 
have 
several 
intersections. 
These 
areas 
of 
commonality 
between 
the 
two 
service 
systems 
include 
the 
need 
for: 


• 
mutual 
awareness 
and 
understanding 
of 
services 
and 
roles; 
• 
confidence 
and 
comfort 
in 
providing 
services; 
• 
coordination 
of 
service 
systems; 
• 
models 
for 
collaboration, 
accompanied 
by 
policy 
and 
training 
guidelines. 
A 
key 
intersection 
relates 
to 
lack 
of 
connection: 
1) 
women 
with 
disabilities 
are 
not 
connecting 
to 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
2) 
disability 
service 
providers 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
are 
not 
connecting 
with 
each 
other 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Though 
both 
service 
systems 
provide 
a 
comprehensive 
menu 
of 
services 
for 
the 
population 
they 
serve, 
the 
challenge 
is 
to 
capitalize 
on 
the 
strengths 
of 
each 
system 
to 
create 
an 
integrated 
program 
addressing 
the 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
Since, 
women 
with 
disabilities 
are 
clearly 
connected 
with 
the 
disability 
service 
system, 
this 
must 
become 
the 
link 
to 
connect 
a 
woman 
with 
a 
disability 
who 
has 
experienced 
sexual 
violence 
to 
a 
rape 
crisis 
center. 
Strategies 
to 
capitalize 
upon 
this 
link 
may 
include 
on-site 
rape 


32 



crisis 
services 
such 
as 
education, 
outreach 
and 
counseling 
at 
disability 
service 
agencies. 


C. 
Planning 
for 
Connection 
As 
noted 
in 
the 
Needs 
Assessment, 
philosophical 
and 
programmatic 
differences 
create 
a 
barrier 
between 
the 
disability 
and 
rape 
crisis 
service 
providers. 
Further 
complicating 
any 
collaboration 
is 
their 
mutual 
lack 
or 
knowledge 
and/or 
mistrust 
about 
the 
other’s 
expertise. 
Disability 
service 
providers 
see 
themselves 
as 
experts 
in 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
do 
not 
believe 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
are 
able 
to 
meet 
the 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
Conversely, 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
are 
not 
sure 
that 
disability 
providers 
will 
respond 
appropriately 
to 
a 
disclosure 
of 
sexual 
violence 
and 
make 
a 
referral 
for 
rape 
crisis 
services. 
Consequently, 
the 
strategic 
plan 
must 
go 
beyond 
traditional 
cross-training 
approaches 
and 
support 
community-level 
collaboration 
models 
that 
foster 
connection. 


Illinois 
Imagines 
will 
create 
a 
strategic 
plan 
focused 
on 
creating 
connection: 
a 
key 
goal 
is 
to 
ensure 
that 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
disability 
providers 
work 
together 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
These 
connections 
will 
be 
developed 
through 
collaboration 
at 
the 
state 
and 
community 
levels. 
To 
achieve 
collaboration 
and 
connection, 
we 
will 
develop, 
promote 
and 
support 
local 
community 
efforts. 
Strategies 
will 
include 
development 
of 
model 
policies 
and 
linkage 
agreements, 
referral 
protocols, 
training 
standards 
and 
other 
tools. 


D. 
What 
Comes 
Next? 
Based 
on 
the 
Needs 
Assessment, 
we 
have 
identified 
several 
outcomes 
to 
achieve 
through 
the 
strategic 
planning 
and 
implementation 
phases 
of 
the 
project. 
The 
outcomes 
we 
have 
prioritized 
respond 
to 
the 
Needs 
Assessment 
findings. 
They 
also 
embody 
the 
values 
and 
mission 
articulated 
in 
our 
Charter, 
which 
focuses 
on 
keeping 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
survivors 
at 
the 
center 
of 
our 
work. 


1. 
Build 
a 
survivor-centered, 
best 
practice, 
collaborative 
response 
system 
that 
engages 
both 
the 
disability 
provider 
and 
the 
rape 
crisis 
center 
in 
responding 
to 
a 
woman 
with 
a 
disability 
who 
reports 
sexual 
violence. 
2. 
Include 
and 
empower 
women 
with 
disabilities 
in 
every 
aspect 
of 
the 
systems’ 
changes 
to 
be 
achieved 
through 
this 
project. 
3. 
Identify 
key 
elements 
of 
response 
protocol 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence, 
and 
develop 
models 
for 
implementation 
in 
local 
communities. 
Embed 
models 
within 
local 
collaborations 
via 
technical 
assistance 
and/or 
mandates/standards. 
33 



4. 
Adopt 
training 
requirements 
and 
policies 
to 
build 
confidence 
and 
competence 
of 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
in 
responding 
to 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities 
in 
partnership 
with 
a 
disability 
provider 
agency 
to 
meet 
the 
presenting 
needs 
of 
the 
survivor. 
5. 
Adopt 
training 
requirements 
and 
policies 
to 
build 
confidence 
and 
competence 
of 
disability 
service 
providers 
in 
recognizing 
sexual 
violence 
and 
responding 
in 
partnership 
with 
a 
rape 
crisis 
center 
to 
meet 
the 
presenting 
needs 
of 
the 
survivor. 
6. 
Promote 
universal 
access 
to 
rape 
crisis 
services 
via 
removal 
of 
barriers 
related 
to 
physical 
access, 
communication 
and 
transportation. 
Organizational 
change 
within 
the 
disability 
and 
sexual 
assault 
service 
systems 
will 
be 
essential 
at 
all 
levels 
(community 
and 
state) 
to 
support 
sustainable 
change. 
True 
change 
translates 
into 
no 
wrong 
door 
for 
services. 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
should 
be 
connected 
to 
services 
of 
their 
choice 
to 
support 
their 
healing 
from 
the 
experience(s) 
of 
sexual 
violence. 
Change 
is 
needed 
in 
both 
systems 
to 
ensure 
women 
with 
disabilities 
this 
choice. 


The 
strategic 
plan 
will 
lead 
us 
toward 
a 
vision 
where 
Illinois 
Imagines 
“All 
women 
with 
disabilities 
will 
be 
guaranteed 
an 
environment 
free 
from 
sexual 
violence, 
where 
they 
are 
empowered 
to 
speak 
and 
act 
for 
themselves. 
Survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence 
will 
be 
assured 
a 
proactive, 
individualized, 
compassionate 
response 
to 
their 
experience.” 


34 



Appendix 
A 


MISSION 
QUESTION 
AREAS 
FOR 
EACH 
AUDIENCE 
Individual 
Service 
Providers 
State 
Systems 
Empower 
women 
with 
1. 
What 
advice 
1. 
Do 
women 
with 
1. 
Do 
women 
with 
disabilities 
to 
actively 
would 
you 
give 
disabilities 
disabilities 
have 
shape 
those 
systems 
about 
how 
to 
better 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
serve 
on 
agency 
committees/ 
board? 
2. 
How 
are 
women 
with 
disabilities 
involved 
in 
policy 
making? 
adequate 
input 
into 
state 
policies, 
regulations, 
training 
programs, 
etc.? 
2. 
How 
could 
input 
opportunities 
expand? 
Prohibit 
and 
interrupt 
sexual 
violence 
perpetrated 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities 
1. 
What 
do 
you 
think 
should 
be 
done 
to 
help 
women 
with 
disabilities 
that 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
(How 
should 
the 
system 
look?) 
1. 
Does 
staff 
have 
the 
knowledge 
and 
skills 
necessary 
to 
identify 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
2. 
Does 
staff 
have 
the 
knowledge 
and 
skills 
necessary 
to 
provide 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
1. 
Is 
there 
state-
mandated 
training 
for 
disability 
service 
provider 
agencies 
regarding 
sexual 
violence? 
2. 
Does 
ICASA 
mandated 
training 
include 
sexual 
violence 
and 
women 
with 
disabilities? 


35 



MISSION 
QUESTION 
AREAS 
FOR 
EACH 
AUDIENCE 
Individual 
Service 
Providers 
State 
Systems 
Support 
and 
empower 
women 
to 
report 
sexual 
violence 
to 
any 
provider, 
agency 
or 
law 
enforcement 
official 
1. 
What 
would 
make 
you 
or 
a 
person 
you 
know 
trust 
someone 
to 
tell 
him/her 
about 
sexual 
violence? 
2. 
If 
you 
or 
someone 
you 
know 
were 
going 
to 
tell 
someone 
else 
about 
being 
sexually 
assaulted, 
who 
would 
that 
person 
be? 
1. 
Do 
you 
have 
a 
link 
with 
the 
local 
rape 
crisis 
center? 
Disability 
service 
provider? 
2. 
Describe 
policy 
to 
respond 
to 
and 
assist 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
report 
sexual 
violence. 
1. 
What 
guidelines 
are 
in 
place 
to 
link 
disability 
providers 
and 
sexual 
assault 
agencies? 
2. 
What 
are 
the 
challenges 
to 
a 
collaborative 
response 
between 
disability 
and 
sexual 
assault 
providers? 
What 
works 
well? 
Provide 
survivor 
centered 
crisis 
response, 
advocacy 
and 
counseling 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
1. 
If 
you 
or 
someone 
you 
know 
were 
sexually 
assaulted 
what 
would 
you 
want 
to 
happen? 
2. 
What 
kind 
of 
help 
would 
you 
want 
or 
would 
you 
want 
for 
a 
friend, 
if 
you 
were 
being 
sexually 
assaulted? 
1. 
Does 
staff 
at 
disability 
provider 
agencies 
know 
how 
to 
respond 
when 
someone 
discloses 
sexual 
violence? 
2. 
Does 
staff 
at 
disability 
provider 
agencies 
know 
how 
to 
access 
services 
for 
disabilities 
that 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
3. 
Do 
sexual 
assault 
centers 
have 
the 
skills, 
resources, 
and 
willingness 
to 
provide 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
1. 
Do 
you 
require 
providers 
to 
have 
written 
policies 
and 
procedures 
regarding 
the 
handling 
of 
sexual 
violence? 
2. 
How 
well 
does 
your 
Division 
respond 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence? 
3. 
What 
promising 
practices 
are 
occurring 
at 
the 
community 
or 
state 
level, 
which 
promote 
a 
survivor 
centered 
response 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities? 


36 



APPENDIX 
B 


37 



WOMEN 
WITH 
DISABILITIES 


INTERVIEW 
QUESTIONS 
FOR 


FOCUS 
GROUPS/INDIVIDUAL 
INTERVIEWS 


1. 
What 
would 
make 
you 
or 
someone 
you 
know 
trust 
someone 
else 
to 
tell 
her/him 
that 
you 
were 
sexually 
abused? 
2. 
Raise 
your 
hand 
if 
you 
or 
someone 
you 
know 
would 
trust 
a 
(fill 
in 
with 
list 
below) 
to 
tell 
them 
about 
sexual 
abuse. 
____ 
Family 
member 
____ 
Friend 
____ 
Staff 
(disability 
service, 
sexual 
assault) 
____ 
Caregiver 
____ 
Police 
____ 
Other 
person 


Note 
to 
Recorder: 
Record 
approximate 
number 
for 
each. 


3. 
Do 
you 
think 
that 
service 
providers 
working 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities 
should 
ask 
women 
whether 
they 
have 
been 
sexually 
assaulted? 
Would 
this 
be 
a 
good 
way 
to 
help 
victims? 
When 
should 
this 
be 
done? 
4. 
If 
you 
or 
someone 
you 
know 
were 
sexually 
assaulted, 
what 
would 
you 
want 
to 
happen? 
What 
kind 
of 
response 
would 
be 
helpful? 
What 
can 
disability 
service 
providers 
do? 
Mental 
health 
centers? 
Sexual 
assault 
centers? 
5. 
Do 
you 
feel 
you 
know 
what 
resources 
are 
available 
to 
get 
assistance 
for 
sexual 
violence? 
If 
sexual 
assault 
centers 
want 
to 
talk 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
where 
should 
they 
go 
to 
talk 
about 
services? 
What 
do 
you 
think 
would 
work 
to 
get 
more 
women 
to 
go 
to 
sexual 
assault 
programs? 
6. 
If 
you 
or 
someone 
you 
know 
wanted 
to 
access 
sexual 
assault 
services, 
what 
do 
you 
think 
would 
work 
best? 
What 
obstacles 
do 
you 
think 
may 
stand 
in 
the 
way? 
7. 
Are 
there 
rules 
to 
help 
you 
if 
you 
are 
sexually 
abused? 
How 
did 
you 
learn 
about 
the 
rules? 
Are 
the 
rules 
followed 
where 
you 
live? 
Where 
you 
work? 
Provide 
examples 
of 
rules. 
8. 
What 
advice 
would 
you 
give 
about 
how 
to 
better 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
Disability 
providers? 
Sexual 
assault? 
38 



RAPE 
CRISIS 
CENTERS 
INTERVIEW 
QUESTIONS 
FOR 
FOCUS 
GROUPS 


1. 
Has 
your 
agency 
served 
any 
women 
with 
disabilities 
during 
the 
past 
2-3 
years? 
If 
yes, 
what 
types 
of 
disabilities 
did 
the 
women 
report? 
i.e. 
cognitive, 
physical, 
mental 
illness. 
What 
type 
of 
disability 
is 
reported 
most 
often? 
2. 
What 
have 
you 
learned 
from 
your 
experiences 
in 
providing 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
What 
went 
well? 
What 
could 
be 
improved? 
What 
are 
the 
barriers, 
if 
any, 
this 
agency 
faces 
when 
working 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
3. 
Does 
your 
agency 
have 
policies 
and 
procedures 
around 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
not, 
why 
not? 
If 
yes, 
please 
share 
an 
example 
of 
a 
policy 
which 
makes 
it 
easier/more 
difficult 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
If 
yes, 
how 
are 
the 
policies 
enforced? 
Get 
a 
copy 
of 
policy. 
4. 
Describe 
any 
training 
you 
have 
received 
about 
ways 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
What 
topics 
were 
covered? 
How 
long 
was 
the 
training? 
What 
do 
you 
need 
to 
feel 
more 
comfortable 
with 
identifying 
and 
responding 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
5. 
Is 
your 
agency 
networking 
and 
communicating 
on 
a 
regular 
basis 
with 
local 
agencies 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
yes, 
what 
types 
of 
disability 
service 
providers 
are 
represented 
i.e. 
employment 
workshops, 
CILAs, 
advocacy 
organizations, 
community 
mental 
health 
centers. 
Describe 
your 
relationship 
and 
any 
joint 
activities 
including 
training, 
community 
outreach, 
referrals, 
and 
formal 
linkage 
agreements. 
6. 
What 
are 
the 
barriers, 
if 
any, 
to 
when 
working 
with 
local 
disability 
services 
providers? 
What 
are 
the 
successes 
you 
have 
experienced 
when 
working 
with 
local 
disability 
services 
providers? 
7. 
Do 
you 
have 
the 
resources 
necessary 
to 
work 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
not, 
what 
more 
do 
you 
need? 
Training? 
Policies? 
Accommodations 
support? 
Connections 
with 
disability 
organizations? 
Help 
with 
building 
collaboratives 
with 
agencies 
that 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
39 



ILLINOIS 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
HUMAN 
SERVICES 


SERVICE 
PROVIDER 
INTERVIEW 
QUESTIONS 
FOR 
FOCUS 
GROUPS 


1. 
Has 
your 
agency 
served 
any 
women 
with 
disabilities 
during 
the 
past 
year 
that 
disclosed 
a 
history 
of 
sexual 
violence 
or 
reported 
a 
recent 
incidence? 
2. 
What 
have 
you 
learned 
from 
working 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
What 
went 
well? 
What 
could 
be 
improved? 
What 
are 
the 
barriers, 
if 
any, 
this 
agency 
faces 
when 
working 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
3. 
Does 
your 
agency 
have 
polices 
and 
procedures 
around 
responding 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
disclose 
sexual 
violence? 
If 
not, 
why 
not? 
If 
yes, 
please 
describe 
agency 
response 
to 
sexual 
violence 
including 
client 
safety, 
offender 
issues, 
reporting, 
and 
linkage 
to 
services. 
If 
yes, 
please 
share 
an 
example 
of 
a 
policy 
which 
makes 
it 
easier/more 
difficult 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
If 
yes, 
how 
are 
the 
policies 
enforced? 
Move 
discussion 
beyond 
rule 
50 
reporting. 
Get 
a 
copy 
of 
policy. 
4. 
Describe 
any 
training 
you 
have 
received 
about 
how 
to 
identify 
and 
respond 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
What 
topics 
were 
covered? 
How 
long 
was 
the 
training? 
What 
do 
you 
need 
to 
feel 
more 
comfortable 
with 
identifying 
and 
responding 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
5. 
Is 
your 
agency 
networking 
and 
communicating 
on 
a 
regular 
basis 
with 
local 
rape 
crisis 
centers? 
Describe 
your 
relationship 
and 
any 
joint 
activities 
including 
training, 
community 
outreach, 
referrals, 
and 
formal 
linkage 
agreements. 
6. 
What 
are 
the 
barriers, 
if 
any, 
to 
when 
working 
with 
local 
rape 
crisis 
centers? 
What 
are 
the 
successes 
you 
have 
experienced 
when 
working 
with 
local 
rape 
crisis 
centers? 
7. 
Do 
you 
have 
the 
resources 
necessary 
to 
respond 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
not, 
what 
more 
do 
you 
need? 
Training? 
Policies? 
Connections 
with 
rape 
crisis 
centers? 
Help 
with 
building 
collaboratives 
with 
rape 
crisis 
centers? 
40 



APPENDIX 
C 


41 



RAPE 
CRISIS 
CENTER 
SURVEY 


Hello. 
Thank 
you 
for 
filling 
out 
this 
survey. 
The 
survey 
is 
part 
of 
a 
needs 
assessment 
for 
the 
Illinois 
Imagines 
Project, 
which 
is 
a 
group 
of 
disability 
services 
organizations 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
working 
in 
concert 
with 
the 
Illinois 
Department 
of 
Human 
Services 
(DHS) 
to 
improve 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
As 
part 
of 
this 
project, 
we 
are 
conducting 
surveys 
with 
service 
providers 
in 
order 
to 
assess 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
victims 
of 
sexual 
violence. 
Your 
participation 
in 
this 
project 
is 
invaluable, 
and 
we 
thank 
you 
for 
taking 
part 
in 
this 
project. 


SURVEY 
QUESTIONS 
FOR 
RAPE 
CRISIS 
CENTERS 


1. 
How 
big 
of 
a 
problem 
do 
you 
believe 
sexual 
violence 
is 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Huge 
Minor 
54321 
2. 
Do 
you 
know 
what 
agencies 
in 
your 
community 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
3. 
Is 
your 
agency 
networking 
and 
communicating 
on 
a 
regular 
basis 
with 
local 
agencies 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
Yes, 
please 
identify 
the 
type 
of 
agencies. 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
Community 
Mental 
Health 
Centers 
• 
Centers 
for 
Independent 
Living 
• 
Vocational 
Services 
(job 
training, 
supportive 
employment, 
sheltered 
workshops) 
• 
Community 
Residential 
Services 
(CILA, 
Intermediate 
Care 
Facility, 
group 
home) 
• 
other: 
_______________________________________________________ 
In 
general, 
how 
would 
you 
rate 
your 
relationship 
with 
local 
agencies 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Collaborative 
Cooperative 
Detached 
54321 


4. 
Has 
your 
agency 
served 
any 
women 
with 
disabilities 
during 
the 
past 
2-3 
years? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
yes, 
what 
types 
of 
disabilities 
did 
the 
women 
report? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
Cognitive 
• 
Physical 
• 
Mental 
Illness 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
• 
Other:__________ 
If 
yes, 
what 
was 
the 
most 
common 
type 
of 
disability 
reported? 


• 
Cognitive 
• 
Physical 
• 
Mental 
Illness 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
• 
Other:__________ 
42 



5. 
How 
frequently 
do 
you 
think 
your 
program 
provides 
advocacy 
for 
sexual 
abuse/assault 
survivors 
with 
disabilities? 
• 
Never 

1-2x 
annually 
• 
3-6x 
annually 
• 
Monthly 
• 
Weekly 
6. 
Does 
your 
agency 
have 
policies 
and 
procedures 
in 
place 
around 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
yes, 
what 
areas 
are 
covered? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 
• 
Accessibility 
of 
services 
• 
Providing 
reasonable 
accommodations 
for 
survivors 
using 
your 
services 
• 
Training 
and 
use 
of 
TTY 
and 
Relay 
Operator 
procedures 
• 
Recruiting, 
hiring 
and 
working 
with 
American 
Sign 
Language 
interpreters 
• 
Survivors 
who 
use 
personal 
attendants 
or 
service 
animals 
• 
Alternative 
formats 
for 
written 
materials 
• 
Advocacy 
for 
survivors 
with 
mental 
illness, 
cognitive, 
and 
physical 
disabilities 
• 
Coordination 
of 
services 
with 
disability 
service 
providers 
• 
Hiring 
practices 
regarding 
applicants 
with 
disabilities 
• 
Other: 
________________________________________________________ 
7. 
In 
the 
past 
2-3 
years, 
has 
your 
agency 
made 
any 
changes 
in 
policies 
and 
procedures 
to 
accommodate 
a 
survivor 
with 
a 
disability? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
yes, 
in 
what 
area: 
_______________________________________________ 


8. 
How 
comfortable 
are 
you 
with 
working 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Very 
Not 
at 
all 
54321 
How 
prepared 
are 
you 
to 
provide 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
Very 
Not 
at 
all 
54321 


What 
additional 
knowledge 
or 
skills 
are 
needed? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
Disability 
awareness 
and 
sensitivity 
• 
Identifying 
and 
serving 
women 
with 
cognitive 
disabilities 
• 
Identifying 
and 
serving 
women 
with 
mental 
illness 
• 
Identifying 
and 
serving 
women 
with 
physical 
disabilities 
• 
Local 
and 
state 
resources 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
• 
Independent 
living 
philosophy 
• 
Communicating 
with 
persons 
who 
use 
alternative 
devices 
• 
Strategies 
for 
increasing 
accessibility 
• 
Other: 
_______________________________________________________ 
43 



9. 
How 
many 
hours 
of 
mandatory 
staff 
training 
on 
sexual 
violence 
and 
women 
with 
disabilities 
does 
your 
agency 
have 
in 
a 
year? 
• 
0 
• 
1-5 
• 
6-10 
• 
over 
10 
10. 
How 
many 
times 
each 
year 
do 
representatives 
from 
agencies 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities 
train 
your 
agency 
staff? 
• 
0 
• 
1 
• 
2 
• 
3+ 
11. 
Do 
you 
have 
outreach 
efforts 
that 
target 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
12. 
Do 
you 
ask 
women 
if 
accommodations 
are 
needed 
to 
support 
participation 
in 
services? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
Describe 
accommodations 
your 
agency 
has 
in 
place 
____________________ 


13. 
Are 
women 
with 
disabilities 
involved 
in 
policy 
and 
program 
decisions 
in 
your 
agency? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
yes, 
how? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
Board 
members 
• 
Hiring 
of 
staff 
• 
Training 
of 
staff 
• 
Needs 
assessment 
• 
Evaluation 
of 
services 
• 
Other: 
________________________________________________________ 
14. 
Do 
you 
feel 
your 
agency 
has 
the 
resources 
needed 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
not, 
what 
is 
needed? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
policy 
• 
training 
• 
physical 
accommodations 
support 
• 
interpreters 
• 
alternative 
format 
materials 
(large 
print, 
Braille, 
audio 
recording) 
• 
specialized 
staff 
• 
linkage 
with 
disability 
service 
provider 
• 
other, 
specify: 
__________________________________________________ 
44 



15. 
Are 
there 
any 
comments 
or 
suggestions 
you 
would 
like 
to 
make 
regarding 
providing 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Please 
comment 
below. 
45 



ILLINOIS 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
HUMAN 
SERVICES 
SERVICE 
PROVIDER 
SURVEY 


Hello. 
Thank 
you 
for 
filling 
out 
this 
survey. 
The 
survey 
is 
part 
of 
a 
needs 
assessment 
for 
the 
Illinois 
Imagines 
Project, 
which 
is 
a 
group 
of 
disability 
services 
organizations 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
working 
with 
the 
Illinois 
Department 
of 
Human 
Services 
(DHS) 
to 
improve 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
As 
part 
of 
this 
project, 
we 
are 
conducting 
surveys 
with 
service 
providers 
in 
order 
to 
assess 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
victims 
of 
sexual 
violence. 
Your 
participation 
in 
this 
project 
is 
invaluable, 
and 
we 
thank 
you 
for 
taking 
part 
in 
this 
project. 


SURVEY 
QUESTIONS 
FOR 
DHS 
SERVICE 
PROVIDERS 


For 
purposes 
of 
this 
survey, 
sexual 
violence 
means 
non-consensual 
or 
coercive 
sexual 
conduct. 
Sexual 
violence 
includes 
any 
unwanted 
behavior 
or 
contact 
of 
a 
sexual 
nature, 
from 
sexual 
harassment/bullying 
to 
sexual 
assault. 


1. 
How 
big 
of 
a 
problem 
do 
you 
believe 
sexual 
violence 
is 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Huge 
Minor 
54321 
2. 
Do 
you 
know 
what 
agencies 
in 
your 
community 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence?? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
3. 
Is 
your 
agency 
networking 
and 
communicating 
on 
a 
regular 
basis 
with 
local 
rape 
crisis 
centers? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
In 
general, 
how 
would 
you 
rate 
your 
relationship 
with 
local 
rape 
crisis 
centers? 
Collaborative 
Cooperative 
Detached 
54321 


4. 
Has 
your 
agency 
served 
any 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
disclosed 
a 
history 
of 
sexual 
violence 
or 
reported 
a 
recent 
incident 
during 
the 
past 
2-3 
years? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
yes, 
who 
was 
the 
offender? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
Peer 
• 
Guardian 
• 
Staff 
• 
Community 
member 
• 
Other 
• 
Don’t 
know 
5. 
How 
frequently 
do 
you 
think 
your 
agency 
responds 
to 
sexual 
abuse 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Response 
includes 
reporting, 
referrals 
to 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
or 
counseling 
programs, 
advocacy, 
etc. 
• 
Never 

1-2x 
annually 
• 
3-6x 
annually 
• 
Monthly 
• 
Weekly 
46 



6. 
Does 
your 
agency 
have 
policies 
and 
procedures 
in 
place 
around 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
If 
yes, 
what 
areas 
are 
covered? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 
• 
Screening 
for 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Reporting 
• 
Referrals 
to 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
• 
Coordination 
of 
services 
with 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
• 
Training 
on 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Advocacy 
for 
survivors 
with 
mental 
illness, 
cognitive, 
and 
physical 
disabilities 
• 
Victim 
safety 
and 
offender 
services 
• 
Background 
checks 
on 
job 
applicants 
for 
possible 
history 
of 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Other: 
________________________________________________________ 
7. 
In 
the 
past 
2-3 
years, 
has 
your 
agency 
made 
any 
changes 
in 
policies 
and 
procedures 
to 
enhance 
identification 
and 
response 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
yes, 
in 
what 
area: 
_______________________________________________ 


8. 
How 
comfortable 
are 
you 
discussing 
sexual 
violence 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Very 
Not 
at 
all 
54321 
How 
prepared 
are 
you 
to 
provide 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
Very 
Not 
at 
all 
54321 


What 
additional 
knowledge 
or 
skills 
are 
needed? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
Awareness 
and 
identification 
of 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Responding 
to 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Local 
and 
state 
resources 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Implications 
of 
sexual 
violence 
on 
program 
planning 
• 
Implications 
of 
sexual 
violence 
on 
policy 
development 
• 
Other: 
_______________________________________________________ 
9. 
How 
many 
hours 
of 
mandatory 
staff 
training 
on 
sexual 
violence 
and 
women 
with 
disabilities 
does 
your 
agency 
staff 
have 
in 
a 
year? 
• 
0 
• 
1-5 
• 
6-10 
• 
over 
10 
47 



10. 
How 
many 
times 
each 
year 
does 
the 
sexual 
assault 
center 
conduct 
training 
with 
your 
agency 
staff? 
• 
0 
• 
1 
• 
2 
• 
3+ 
11. 
Do 
you 
have 
outreach 
efforts 
that 
target 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
12. 
Does 
your 
intake 
tool 
include 
questions 
to 
screen 
for 
sexual 
violence? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
Do 
you 
have 
educational 
materials 
about 
sexual 
assault 
available 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities? 


• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
13. 
Are 
women 
with 
disabilities 
involved 
in 
policy 
and 
program 
decisions 
in 
your 
agency? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
yes, 
how? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
Board 
members 
• 
Hiring 
of 
staff 
• 
Training 
of 
staff 
• 
Committees 
• 
Needs 
assessment: 
surveys, 
focus 
groups 
• 
Evaluation 
of 
services 
• 
Other: 
________________________________________________________ 
14. 
Do 
you 
feel 
your 
agency 
has 
the 
resources 
needed 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
not, 
what 
is 
needed? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
policy 
• 
training 
• 
physical 
accommodations 
support 
• 
interpreters 
• 
educational 
materials 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
• 
peer 
support 
programs 
• 
specialized 
staff 
• 
linkage 
with 
sexual 
assault 
center 
• 
other, 
specify: 
__________________________________________________ 
15. 
Are 
there 
any 
comments 
or 
suggestions 
you 
would 
like 
to 
make 
regarding 
responding 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Please 
comment 
below. 
48 



ILLINOIS 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
HUMAN 
SERVICES 
STAFF 
SURVEY 


Hello. 
Thank 
you 
for 
filling 
out 
this 
survey. 
The 
survey 
is 
part 
of 
a 
needs 
assessment 
for 
the 
Illinois 
Imagines 
Project, 
which 
is 
a 
group 
of 
disability 
services 
organizations 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
working 
in 
concert 
with 
the 
Illinois 
Department 
of 
Human 
Services 
(DHS) 
to 
improve 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence. 
As 
part 
of 
this 
project, 
we 
are 
conducting 
surveys 
with 
service 
providers 
in 
order 
to 
assess 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
victims 
of 
sexual 
violence. 
Your 
participation 
in 
this 
project 
is 
invaluable, 
and 
we 
thank 
you 
for 
taking 
part 
in 
this 
project. 


SURVEY 
QUESTIONS 
FOR 
DHS 
STAFF 


For 
purposes 
of 
this 
survey, 
sexual 
violence 
means 
non-consensual 
or 
coercive 
sexual 
conduct. 
Sexual 
violence 
includes 
any 
unwanted 
behavior 
or 
contact 
of 
a 
sexual 
nature, 
from 
sexual 
harassment/bullying 
to 
sexual 
assault. 


1. 
How 
big 
of 
a 
problem 
do 
you 
believe 
sexual 
violence 
is 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Huge 
Minor 
54321 
2. 
How 
big 
of 
a 
priority 
do 
you 
believe 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
that 
have 
been 
sexually 
abused 
is 
for 
the 
Department? 
Huge 
Minor 
54321 
3. 
How 
well 
does 
your 
Division 
respond 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Great 
Poor 
54321 
4. 
Does 
your 
Division 
require 
provider 
agencies 
to 
have 
written 
agreements 
to 
contact 
local 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
in 
regards 
to 
disclosures 
of 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
know 
5. 
How 
frequently 
do 
you 
think 
your 
service 
providers 
respond 
to 
sexual 
abuse 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Response 
includes 
reporting, 
referrals 
to 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
or 
counseling 
programs, 
advocacy, 
etc. 
• 
Never 

1-2x 
annually 
• 
3-6x 
annually 
• 
Monthly 
• 
Weekly 
49 



6. 
Does 
your 
Division 
require 
provider 
agencies 
to 
have 
policies 
and 
procedures 
in 
place 
around 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
If 
yes, 
what 
areas 
are 
covered? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 
• 
Screening 
for 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Reporting 
• 
Referrals 
to 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
• 
Coordination 
of 
services 
with 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
• 
Training 
on 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Advocacy 
for 
survivors 
with 
mental 
illness, 
cognitive, 
and 
physical 
disabilities 
• 
Victim 
safety 
and 
offender 
services 
• 
Background 
checks 
for 
job 
applicants 
for 
possible 
history 
of 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Other: 
________________________________________________________ 
7. 
In 
the 
past 
2 
-3 
years, 
has 
your 
agency 
made 
any 
changes 
in 
policies 
and 
procedures 
to 
enhance 
identification 
and 
response 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
Know 
If 
yes, 
in 
what 
area: 
_______________________________________________ 


8. 
How 
comfortable 
are 
you 
discussing 
sexual 
violence 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
Very 
Not 
at 
all 
54321 
How 
prepared 
are 
you 
to 
provide 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
Very 
Not 
at 
all 
54321 


What 
additional 
knowledge 
or 
skills 
are 
needed? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
Awareness 
of 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Identification 
of 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Responding 
to 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Local 
and 
state 
resources 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence 
• 
Implications 
of 
sexual 
violence 
on 
program 
planning 
• 
Implications 
of 
sexual 
violence 
on 
policy 
development 
• 
Other: 
_______________________________________________________ 
9. 
How 
many 
hours 
of 
staff 
training 
on 
sexual 
violence 
and 
women 
with 
disabilities 
does 
your 
Division 
require 
service 
providers 
to 
have 
in 
a 
year? 
• 
0 
• 
1-5 
• 
6-10 
• 
over 
10 
50 



10. 
Thinking 
through 
your 
current 
strategies, 
what 
could 
you 
build 
upon 
to 
reach 
more 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
11. 
Does 
your 
Division 
require 
provider 
agencies 
to 
include 
women 
with 
disabilities 
on 
committees, 
boards, 
or 
other 
decision-making 
entities? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
know 
12. 
How 
are 
women 
with 
disabilities 
involved 
in 
policy 
and 
program 
decisions 
in 
your 
Division? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 
• 
Advisory 
Councils 
• 
Training 
• 
Committees 
• 
Needs 
assessment: 
surveys, 
focus 
groups 
• 
Evaluation 
• 
Other: 
________________________________________________________ 
13. 
Do 
you 
feel 
your 
Division 
has 
the 
resources 
needed 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
sexual 
violence? 
• 
Yes 
• 
No 
• 
Don’t 
know 
If 
not, 
what 
is 
needed? 
Check 
all 
that 
apply. 


• 
policy 
• 
training 
• 
administrative 
support 
• 
educational 
materials 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
• 
peer 
support 
programs 
• 
specialized 
staff 
• 
linkage 
with 
sexual 
assault 
system 
• 
other, 
specify: 
__________________________________________________ 
14. 
Are 
there 
any 
comments 
or 
suggestions 
you 
would 
like 
to 
make 
regarding 
responding 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
Please 
comment 
below. 


51 



APPENDIX 
D 


INDIVIDUAL 
INTERVIEWS 


52 



ICASA 
INDIVIDUAL 
INTERVIEWS 


1. 
What 
obstacles 
to 
service 
do 
you 
think 
exist 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
when 
they 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
2. 
Does 
ICASA 
have 
policies 
regarding 
rape 
crisis 
center 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
so, 
what 
is 
covered 
in 
the 
policies? 
3. 
How 
does 
ICASA 
monitor 
local 
rape 
crisis 
center 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
4. 
Does 
ICASA 
require 
training 
on 
providing 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
so, 
how 
many 
hours? 
If 
yes, 
please 
describe. 
5. 
Does 
ICASA 
have 
women 
with 
disabilities 
facilitate 
trainings? 
Please 
describe 
their 
involvement. 
6. 
How 
does 
ICASA 
support 
accessible 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
7. 
Does 
ICASA 
provide 
material 
specifically 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
or 
for 
centers 
in 
working 
with 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
(brochures, 
website, 
etc.) 
Please 
describe 
the 
types 
of 
materials 
available, 
i.e., 
training, 
outreach. 
8. 
What 
changes 
in 
rules, 
policies 
or 
practices 
would 
better 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence? 
9. 
How 
could 
ICASA 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
create 
meaningful 
ways 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
to 
provide 
input 
into 
policies, 
regulations, 
training 
programs, 
etc.? 
10. 
Does 
ICASA 
require 
linkage 
agreements 
between 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
disability 
service 
providers? 
If 
yes, 
please 
describe. 
11. 
How 
do 
you 
see 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
disability 
services 
working 
together 
to 
respond 
to 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
12. 
How 
can 
we 
promote 
collaborative 
efforts 
among 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
provider 
agencies 
to 
address 
the 
service 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
13. 
What 
are 
the 
challenges 
to 
a 
collaborative 
response? 
What 
strategies 
or 
successes 
can 
be 
built 
upon 
to 
enhance 
collaboration? 
53 



14. 
Describe 
the 
ideal 
service 
system 
for 
addressing 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
What 
role 
would 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
play? 
What 
role 
would 
disability 
service 
providers 
play? 
54 



IDHS 
STAFF 
INDIVIDUAL 
INTERVIEWS 


1. 
What 
obstacles 
to 
service 
do 
you 
think 
exist 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
when 
they 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
2. 
Does 
your 
Division 
require 
disability 
service 
providers 
to 
have 
policies 
and 
procedures 
in 
place 
to 
identify 
and 
respond 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
so, 
what 
does 
the 
policy 
say? 
3. 
How 
does 
your 
Division 
monitor 
disability 
service 
providers 
response 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
4. 
Does 
your 
Division 
require 
training 
on 
identifying 
and 
responding 
to 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
so, 
how 
many 
hours? 
If 
yes, 
please 
describe. 
5. 
Does 
the 
Division 
have 
women 
with 
disabilities 
facilitate 
trainings? 
Rape 
crisis 
center 
staff? 
6. 
How 
does 
your 
Division 
support 
accessible 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
7. 
Does 
your 
Division 
provide 
materials 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
about 
sexual 
violence 
and 
available 
resources? 
(brochures, 
website, 
etc.) 
Please 
describe 
the 
types 
of 
materials 
available, 
i.e. 
training, 
outreach, 
peer 
programs. 
8. 
What 
changes 
in 
rules, 
policies 
or 
practices 
would 
better 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence? 
9. 
How 
could 
DHS 
and 
provider 
agencies 
create 
meaningful 
ways 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
to 
provide 
input 
into 
state 
policies, 
regulations, 
training 
programs, 
etc.? 
10. 
Does 
your 
Division 
require 
linkage 
agreements 
between 
disability 
service 
providers 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers? 
If 
yes, 
please 
describe. 
11. 
How 
do 
you 
see 
disability 
service 
providers 
and 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
working 
together 
to 
respond 
to 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities? 
12. 
How 
can 
we 
promote 
collaborative 
efforts 
among 
rape 
crisis 
centers 
and 
provider 
agencies 
to 
address 
the 
service 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
sexual 
violence? 
55 



13. 
What 
are 
the 
challenges 
to 
a 
collaborative 
response? 
What 
strategies 
or 
successes 
can 
be 
built 
upon 
to 
enhance 
collaboration? 
14. 
Describe 
the 
ideal 
service 
system 
for 
addressing 
sexual 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
15. 
How 
does 
state 
policy 
support 
personal 
choice 
in 
the 
area 
of 
sexual 
violence? 
What 
role 
do 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
survivors 
of 
sexual 
violence 
play 
in 
determining 
the 
response 
to 
sexual 
violence? 
56