Safety 
First 
Initiative 
Strategic 
Plan 
Institute 
for 
Human 
Development, 
University 
of 
Missouri-¥¥Kansas 
City 
Metropolitan 
Organization 
to 
Counter 
Sexual 
Assault 
Rose 
Brooks 
Center 
June 
2008 
The 
vision 
of 
the 
Safety 
First 
Initiative 
is: 
Òto 
change 
the 
mindset 
in 
the 
Kansas 
City 
metropolitan 
area 
resulting 
in 
a 
sustained, 
collaborative 
response 
that 
provides 
culturally 
competent, 
respectful, 
accessible, 
empowerment 
based 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
victims/survivors 
of 
violence.Ó 

TABLE 
OF 
CONTENTS 
OVERVIEW 
OF 
COLLABORATION 
& 
PLANNING 
PHASEÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 
Page 
1 
SUMMARY 
OF 
NEEDS 
ASSESSSMENT 
FINDINGS 
& 
IMPLICATIONSÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 
Page 
2 
INITIATIVES 
& 
ACTIVITIESÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. 
Page 
3 
1. Develop 
Policies 
and 
Procedures 
that 
Promote 
Universal 
Design 
and 
Responsiveness 
Within 
the 
Collaborative 
Agencies 
¥ Build 
Internal 
Knowledge 
of 
Universal 
Design 
¥ Conduct 
Accessibility 
and 
Responsiveness 
Reviews 
and 
Capacity 
Building 
Within 
Collaborative 
Organizations 
¥ Create 
ÒBuzzÓ 
and 
Understanding 
of 
Universal 
Design 
and 
Responsiveness 
Within 
Collaborative 
Partner 
Organizations 
¥ Valerie 
Fletcher 
Accessibility 
Recommendations 
for 
Rose 
Brooks 
Center 
2. 
Expand 
Safety 
Planning 
Processes 
and 
Resources 
to 
Better 
Address 
the 
Needs 
of 
Survivors 
with 
Disabilities 
3. 
Develop 
Relationships 
and 
Linkages 
Between 
Victim 
Service 
Providers 
and 
Disability 
Providers 
¥ Develop 
Written 
Agreement 
Among 
Collaborative 
Partners 
¥ Build 
Relationships 
and 
Cultivate 
Awareness 
within 
Disability 
Organizations 
EVALUATION 
& 
MONITORING 
ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 
Page 
9 
CONCLUSIONÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ 
Page 
10 
This 
project 
was 
supported 
by 
Grant 
No. 
2006-¥FW-¥AX-¥K014 
awarded 
by 
the 
Office 
on 
Violence 
Against 
Women, 
U.S. 
Department 
of 
Justice. 
The 
opinions, 
findings, 
conclusions, 
and 
recommendations 
expressed 
in 
this 
publication 
are 
those 
of 
the 
author(s) 
and 
do 
not 
necessarily 
reflect 
the 
views 
of 
the 
Department 
of 
Justice, 
Office 
on 
Violence 
Against 
Women, 
nor 
do 
they 
represent 
official 
positions 
of 
the 
University 
of 
Missouri 
Ð 
Kansas 
City

1 
Overview 
of 
Collaboration 
& 
Planning 
Phase 
In 
October 
2006, 
the 
Safety 
First 
Initiative 
was 
funded 
by 
the 
Department 
of 
Justice, 
Office 
on 
Violence 
Against 
Women. 
This 
Kansas 
City 
Collaborative 
is 
a 
partnership 
between 
a 
Kansas 
City 
leader 
in 
sexual 
assault 
services 
(the 
Metropolitan 
Organization 
to 
Counter 
Sexual 
Assault), 
a 
leader 
in 
domestic 
violence 
services 
(Rose 
Brooks 
Center), 
and 
a 
leader 
in 
disability 
services, 
the 
University 
Center 
for 
Excellence 
in 
Developmental 
Disabilities 
(Institute 
for 
Human 
Development). 
The 
mission 
of 
the 
project 
is 
to 
enhance 
the 
capacity 
of 
service 
providers 
and 
improve 
the 
coordination 
of 
supports 
and 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
victims/survivors 
of 
violence 
in 
the 
Kansas 
City 
Missouri 
metropolitan 
area. 
The 
Safety 
First 
Initiative 
is 
a 
three-¥¥year, 
grant-¥¥funded 
project 
with 
technical 
assistance 
provided 
by 
the 
VERA 
Institute 
of 
Justice. 
With 
support 
and 
assistance 
from 
VERA, 
during 
the 
first 
phase 
of 
this 
project 
the 
collaborative 
partners 
spent 
a 
significant 
amount 
of 
time 
solidifying 
the 
collaboration 
by 
building 
their 
working 
relationships 
and 
knowledge 
of 
each 
otherÕs 
areas 
of 
expertise. 
Preliminary 
activities 
included 
creating 
a 
collaboration 
charter, 
which 
outlines 
the 
manner 
in 
which 
the 
partners 
will 
work 
together 
including 
such 
elements 
as: 
shared 
values 
and 
assumptions; 
the 
projectÕs 
mission, 
purpose, 
and 
vision; 
timeline 
and 
milestones 
of 
the 
collaboration; 
members, 
roles 
and 
contributions; 
the 
collaborative 
decision 
making 
and 
conflict 
resolution 
processes; 
and 
statements 
on 
confidentiality 
and 
mandated 
reporting. 
The 
vision 
of 
the 
Safety 
First 
Initiative 
is: 
Other 
activities 
during 
the 
first 
phase 
of 
the 
project 
revolved 
around 
building 
the 
collaborative 
partnerÕs 
knowledge 
of 
both 
the 
unique 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
the 
unique 
needs 
of 
women 
who 
are 
victims/survivors 
of 
violence. 
A 
community 
forum 
was 
also 
held 
in 
October 
of 
2007 
to 
share 
information 
with 
the 
Kansas 
City 
service 
provider 
community 
and 
to 
lay 
the 
foundation 
for 
future 
work 
together. 
In 
order 
to 
inform 
and 
ground 
the 
work 
of 
the 
Safety 
First 
Initiative 
in 
the 
community 
that 
it 
serves, 
an 
advisory 
group 
was 
also 
established 
at 
the 
onset 
of 
the 
project. 
The 
advisory 
group 
is 
comprised 
of 
key 
stakeholders 
within 
the 
Kansas 
City 
service 
provider 
community 
and 
includes 
representatives 
from 
disability 
service 
providers, 
victim 
assistance 
agencies, 
and 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
During 
this 
first 
phase 
of 
the 
project, 
the 
collaborative 
also 
spent 
a 
significant 
amount 
of 
time 
designing 
and 
conducting 
a 
needs 
assessment 
in 
order 
to 
develop 
this 
strategic 
plan. 
Through 
the 
needs 
assessment, 
the 
collaborative 
identified 
the 
(a) 
range 
of 
currently 
available 
services, 
ÒTo 
change 
the 
mindset 
in 
the 
Kansas 
City 
metropolitan 
area 
resulting 
in 
a 
sustained 
collaborative 
response 
that 
provides 
culturally 
competent, 
respectful, 
accessible, 
empowerment 
based 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
victims/survivors 
of 
violence.Ó 

2 
(b) 
the 
nature 
and 
accessibility 
of 
available 
services, 
(c) 
the 
incidence 
of 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
(d) 
the 
collaborative 
system 
of 
response, 
and 
(e) 
needs 
for 
training 
and 
capacity 
building. 
The 
results 
of 
the 
needs 
assessment 
have 
informed 
the 
development 
of 
this 
strategic 
plan 
with 
the 
purpose 
of 
improving 
services 
for 
victims/survivors 
of 
violence 
with 
disabilities. 
By 
building 
upon 
the 
needs 
assessment, 
the 
strategic 
plan 
will 
define 
strategies 
for 
addressing 
barriers, 
service 
gaps, 
and 
needed 
improvements 
in 
service 
models/systems. 
Implementation 
of 
the 
strategic 
plan 
represents 
the 
second 
phase 
of 
the 
project. 
Summary 
of 
Needs 
Assessment 
Findings 
& 
Implications 
The 
needs 
assessment 
revealed 
an 
array 
of 
existing 
services 
in 
Kansas 
City 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
that 
have 
experienced 
violence. 
However, 
the 
general 
perception 
is 
that 
there 
is 
a 
need 
to 
improve 
services. 
Existing 
and 
future 
services 
should 
be 
accessible 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
violence. 
The 
services 
should 
also 
be 
empowerment 
based 
resulting 
in 
more 
Òcomfort, 
control, 
and 
confidenceÓ 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Throughout 
the 
needs 
assessment, 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
service 
providers 
discussed 
issues 
regarding 
believability, 
and 
the 
under-¥¥reporting 
of 
abuse 
in 
Kansas 
City. 
Whilst 
stakeholders 
in 
the 
Kansas 
City 
area 
reported 
that 
services 
for 
both 
women 
with 
and 
without 
disabilities 
are 
available, 
there 
is 
the 
perception 
that 
these 
services 
are 
not 
always 
comparable 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
they 
donÕt 
always 
get 
what 
they 
need. 
Along 
these 
same 
lines, 
the 
needs 
assessment 
also 
found 
that 
the 
system 
for 
linking 
victim 
services 
and 
disability 
services 
together 
in 
Kansas 
City 
is 
lacking 
in 
many 
ways. 
Lastly, 
training 
and 
capacity 
building 
regarding 
needs 
of 
and 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
violence 
were 
indicated 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment. 
Apparent 
throughout 
the 
needs 
assessment 
was 
the 
reluctance 
among 
disability 
service 
providers 
to 
participate 
in 
the 
process. 
There 
were 
two 
hypothesized 
reasons 
for 
this 
reluctance. 
One 
reason 
was 
that 
some 
disability 
service 
providers 
perceive 
that 
the 
issue 
is 
not 
applicable 
to 
their 
specific 
work 
setting 
or 
to 
the 
women 
with 
disabilities 
that 
they 
serve. 
Another 
reason 
was 
the 
perceived 
stigma 
and 
culpability 
associated 
with 
participating 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment 
processes. 
To 
expand 
awareness 
of 
the 
issue, 
collaborative 
opportunities 
between 
victim 
service 
providers 
and 
disability 
service 
providers 
should 
be 
fostered 
and 
resources 
shared. 
Leadership 
and 
administration 
staff 
of 
both 
victim 
assistance 
agencies 
and 
disability 
service 
providers 
need 
information 
about 
the 
issue 
and 
shared 
responsibility 
in 
addressing 
the 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
violence. 
Those 
in 
leadership 
should 
support 
frontline 
providers 
with 
needed 
information 
about 
their 
responsibility 
to 
respond 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
report 
abuse. 
Terminology 
may 
have 
also 
created 
an 
unforeseen 
barrier 
to 
needs 
assessment 
participation. 
Advertising 
for 
focus 
groups 
and 
interviews 
included 
the 
phrase 
Òviolence 
against 
women.Ó 
Upon 
discussing 
the 
reluctance 
of 
many 
disability 
service 
providers 
to 
participate 
in 
the 
needs 

3 
assessment, 
one 
disability 
service 
provider 
pointed 
out 
that 
she 
does 
not 
use 
that 
term 
when 
discussing 
abuse 
and 
assault 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
nor 
does 
she 
refer 
to 
any 
maltreatment 
as 
Òviolence.Ó 
The 
importance 
of 
language 
was 
a 
significant 
lesson 
learned 
in 
completing 
the 
needs 
assessment. 
The 
overarching 
finding 
of 
the 
needs 
assessment 
is 
that 
there 
is 
a 
pervasive 
need 
for 
basic 
information 
and 
general 
awareness 
about 
the 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
violence. 
In 
general, 
the 
reluctance 
among 
disability 
service 
providers 
to 
participate 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment 
is 
telling 
of 
the 
need 
for 
relationship 
building 
between 
victim 
assistance 
agencies 
and 
disability 
service 
providers, 
combined 
with 
the 
need 
for 
information 
on 
the 
topic. 
The 
comments 
from 
domestic 
violence 
and 
sexual 
assault 
providers 
identified 
a 
commitment 
to 
serving 
women 
with 
disabilities, 
but 
unfamiliarity 
about 
how 
to 
best 
do 
so. 
Women 
with 
disabilities 
are 
often 
faced 
with 
the 
additional 
barriers 
of 
not 
being 
believed, 
not 
being 
able 
to 
get 
to 
services, 
and 
the 
assumption 
that 
services 
will 
not 
be 
appropriate 
for 
them 
because 
of 
their 
unique 
needs. 
Conducting 
the 
needs 
assessment 
has 
begun 
the 
community 
discussion 
on 
this 
issue, 
but 
much 
dialogue 
and 
relationship 
building 
is 
still 
needed 
to 
enhance 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
victims 
and 
survivors 
of 
violence. 
In 
order 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
victims 
and 
survivors 
of 
violence 
to 
have 
the 
Òcomfort, 
control, 
and 
confidenceÓ 
they 
need, 
the 
Kansas 
City 
service 
system 
must 
enhance 
both 
the 
capacity 
of 
and 
coordination 
of 
victimsÕ 
services 
and 
disability 
services 
to 
appropriately 
meet 
the 
needs 
of 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Initiatives 
& 
Activities 
Upon 
completion 
of 
the 
needs 
assessment, 
the 
collaborative 
finished 
a 
strategic 
planning 
process 
in 
which 
possible 
initiatives 
and 
activities 
based 
upon 
identified 
needs 
were 
suggested. 
These 
initiatives 
and 
corresponding 
activities 
were 
then 
prioritized 
and 
agreed 
upon 
by 
all 
collaborative 
agencies, 
taking 
into 
consideration 
both 
time 
restraints, 
available 
resources 
and 
funding 
limitations. 
The 
Safety 
First 
Collaboration 
is 
statutorily 
prohibited 
from 
providing 
direct 
services 
or 
working 
within 
the 
criminal 
justice 
system 
in 
regards 
to 
this 
project. 
Rather, 
our 
focus 
is 
on 
creating 
sustainable 
systems 
change 
within 
victim 
services 
and 
disability 
service 
provider 
arenas. 
Along 
these 
lines, 
several 
guiding 
principles 
and 
strategies 
underlie 
the 
proposed 
initiatives 
and 
activities. 
All 
activities 
should 
promote 
systems 
change. 
Suggested 
activities 
focus 
on 
changing 
organizational 
culture 
and 
fostering 
change 
in 
both 
victim 
services 
and 
disability 
services. 
All 
activities 
should 
result 
in 
sustainable 
(long-¥¥lasting) 
changes. 
For 
example, 
changes 
to 
written 
policy 
and 
procedures 
produce 
sustainable 
changes, 
as 
does 
involving 
different 
levels 
of 
organizations, 
including 
both 
decision 
makers 
and 
direct 
service 
staff. 
The 
collaborative 
is 
also 
cognizant 
of 
working 
towards 
integrating 
existing 
services, 
as 
opposed 
to 
creating 
any 
new, 
perhaps 
non-¥¥sustainable, 
services. 
The 
collaborative 
is 
committed 
to 
involving 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
The 
collaborative 
has 
embraced 
the 
concept 
of 
universal 
design 
and 
is 
committed 

4 
to 
using 
existing 
opportunities 
for 
infusing 
access 
and 
responsiveness 
into 
services. 
The 
collaborative 
is 
also 
aware 
and 
respectful 
of 
differences 
and 
challenges, 
and 
hopes 
to 
be 
responsive 
to 
provider 
fears 
and 
the 
general 
stigma 
associated 
with 
the 
topic 
of 
violence 
against 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
We 
hope 
to 
develop 
a 
universally 
accepted 
language 
between 
victim 
and 
disability 
service 
providers, 
as 
not 
having 
a 
common 
language 
has 
proven 
to 
be 
a 
barrier 
in 
our 
work 
so 
far. 
Finally, 
the 
collaborative 
strongly 
believes 
that 
we 
must 
first 
focus 
on 
change 
within 
our 
own 
agencies, 
in 
order 
to 
provide 
agencies 
outside 
our 
collaborative 
with 
an 
example 
to 
follow. 
The 
strategic 
plan 
initiatives 
chosen 
with 
these 
guiding 
principles 
and 
strategies 
in 
mind 
are: 
1.) 
developing 
universal 
design 
policies 
and 
procedures 
that 
promote 
universal 
design 
and 
responsiveness 
within 
the 
collaborative 
partner 
agencies; 
2.) 
expanding 
safety 
planning 
processes 
and 
resources 
to 
better 
address 
the 
needs 
of 
survivors 
with 
disabilities; 
and 
3.) 
developing 
relationships 
and 
linkages 
between 
victim 
service 
providers 
and 
disability 
service 
providers. 
The 
specifics 
of 
why 
each 
initiative 
was 
chosen 
are 
outlined 
in 
their 
descriptions 
below. 
Initiative 
1: 
Universal 
Design 
and 
ResponsivenessÑ 
Develop 
Policies 
and 
Procedures 
that 
Promote 
Universal 
Design 
and 
Responsiveness 
Within 
the 
Collaborative 
Agencies 
Of 
primary 
importance 
to 
the 
work 
of 
this 
collaborative 
is 
to 
ensure 
that 
the 
collaborative 
agencies 
are 
accessible 
and 
responsive 
to 
both 
women 
with 
disabilities 
and 
to 
the 
needs 
of 
victims/survivors 
of 
violence. 
In 
order 
to 
address 
the 
need 
for 
increased 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
of 
services 
for 
victims/survivors 
with 
disabilities, 
the 
collaborative 
agencies 
agree 
to 
develop 
policies 
and 
procedures 
that 
promote 
universal 
design 
and 
responsiveness 
to 
victims/survivors 
with 
disabilities, 
thus 
increasing 
our 
capacity 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
appropriately 
and 
effectively. 
This 
will 
be 
done 
by: 
1.) 
increasing 
collaborative 
agency 
knowledge 
of 
universal 
design; 
2.) 
completing 
an 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
review 
at 
each 
collaborative 
agency 
and 
implementing 
feasible 
recommendations; 
3.) 
ensuring 
that 
knowledge 
of 
universal 
design 
and 
responsiveness 
is 
shared 
with 
collaborative 
agency 
staffs; 
and 
4.) 
completing 
targeted 
non-¥¥OVW 
funded 
accessibility 
improvements 
at 
Rose 
BrooksÕ 
Domestic 
Violence 
Shelter. 
These 
activities, 
as 
described 
below, 
will 
be 
completed 
by 
September 
2009. 
The 
Institute 
for 
Human 
Development 
will 
take 
the 
lead 
on 
managing 
the 
work 
of 
this 
initiative. 
All 
collaborative 
agencies 
will 
participate 
and 
provide 
staff 
for 
the 
work 
group. 
See 
Work 
Plan 
for 
detailed 
timeline. 
Activity 
1: 
Build 
Internal 
Knowledge 
of 
Universal 
Design 
Prior 
to 
developing 
policies 
and 
procedures 
that 
promote 
universal 
design, 
the 
collaborative 
must 
first 
build 
their 
own 
knowledge 
about 
the 
concept. 
In 
order 
to 
build 
the 
collaborativeÕs 
internal 
knowledge 
of 
universal 
design, 
IHD 
will 
investigate 
the 
concept 
of 
universal 
design 
and 

5 
consult 
experts 
in 
order 
to 
develop 
language 
that 
is 
user-¥¥friendly 
in 
describing 
universal 
design 
to 
both 
victim 
and 
disability 
service 
agencies. 
It 
has 
been 
the 
collaborativeÕs 
experience 
that 
universal 
design 
is 
a 
difficult 
subject 
to 
conceptualize 
and 
describe, 
thus 
we 
feel 
strongly 
that 
simple, 
straightforward 
language 
needs 
to 
be 
identified 
and/or 
developed 
in 
order 
for 
us 
to 
be 
able 
to 
educate 
ourselves, 
our 
staffs, 
and 
other 
agencies 
about 
universal 
design. 
The 
collaborative 
is 
working 
from 
the 
concept 
of 
universal 
design 
that 
encompasses 
not 
only 
accessibility 
of 
the 
physical 
environment 
but 
also 
accessibility 
of 
the 
communication, 
information 
and 
social/policy 
environments. 
The 
collaborative 
believes 
that 
by 
embracing 
the 
concept 
of 
universal 
design, 
that 
the 
collaborative 
agencies 
can 
make 
their 
services 
more 
accessible 
to 
everyone. 
Activity 
2: 
Conduct 
Accessibility 
and 
Responsiveness 
Reviews 
and 
Capacity 
Building 
Within 
Collaborative 
Agencies 
In 
order 
to 
determine 
feasible 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
improvements, 
each 
collaborative 
agency 
will 
participate 
in 
an 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
review. 
The 
process 
will 
begin 
by 
identifying 
potential 
accessibility/responsiveness 
review 
tools. 
Upon 
assembling 
a 
cross-¥¥disciplinary 
work 
group, 
IHD 
will 
lead 
the 
customization 
of 
an 
accessibility/responsiveness 
review 
tool 
to 
meet 
the 
needs 
of 
both 
victim 
and 
disability 
service 
provider 
agencies. 
The 
work 
group 
will 
assemble 
and 
train 
a 
team 
of 
reviewers, 
with 
representation 
from 
each 
agency 
and 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
Rose 
Brooks 
Center 
will 
assist 
in 
coordinating 
the 
review 
process, 
in 
which 
each 
collaborative 
agency 
will 
be 
reviewed 
individually. 
It 
should 
be 
noted 
that 
the 
focus 
of 
the 
review 
for 
Rose 
Brooks 
Center 
and 
MOCSA 
will 
be 
on 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
of 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities; 
whereas 
the 
focus 
for 
IHD 
will 
be 
on 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
of 
services 
for 
victims/survivors 
of 
violence. 
The 
work 
group 
will 
complete 
a 
review 
process 
with 
each 
agency 
and 
compile 
the 
findings 
in 
a 
written 
report. 
Needed 
improvements 
will 
be 
prioritized 
and 
feasible 
recommendations 
implemented 
with 
discussion 
and 
input 
by 
the 
collaborative 
as 
a 
whole. 
The 
first 
recommendation 
has 
already 
been 
determined, 
for 
each 
agency 
to 
adopt 
an 
organizational 
value 
around 
universal 
design 
and 
responsiveness. 
It 
is 
anticipated 
that 
there 
will 
also 
be 
recommendations 
surrounding 
the 
subject 
of 
confidentiality 
and 
mandated 
reporting, 
and 
each 
agencies 
approach 
to 
handling 
the 
topic. 
Activity 
3: 
Create 
ÒBuzzÓ 
and 
Understanding 
of 
Universal 
Design 
and 
Responsiveness 
Within 
Collaborative 
Agencies 
Each 
collaborative 
agency 
will 
convene 
Lunch 
nÕ 
Learns 
(IHD), 
Chat 
nÕ 
Chews 
(MOCSA), 
and 
Food 
for 
Thoughts 
(Rose 
Brooks), 
to 
provide 
information 
to 
their 
respective 
staff 
about 
universal 
design 
and 
responsiveness. 
Local 
and 
regional 
experts 
may 
also 
provide 
presentations 
or 
trainings 
to 
collaborative 
agency 
staff(s). 
Opportunities 
for 
experiential 
learning 
will 
also 
be 
explored, 
although 
the 
collaborative 
is 
unsure 
if 
these 
trainings 
exist 
or 
would 
need 
to 
be 

6 
developed. 
Agency 
knowledge 
of 
universal 
design 
and 
responsiveness 
will 
be 
added 
into 
new 
staff 
and 
volunteer 
trainings. 
Activity 
4: 
Valerie 
Fletcher 
Accessibility 
Recommendations 
for 
Rose 
Brooks 
Center 
As 
part 
of 
the 
needs 
assessment, 
Valerie 
Fletcher, 
Executive 
Director 
of 
Adaptive 
Environments, 
conducted 
an 
accessibility 
audit 
which 
focused 
primarily 
on 
physical 
accessibility 
at 
Rose 
BrooksÕ 
Domestic 
Violence 
Shelter. 
Although 
OVW 
funds 
are 
prohibited 
from 
being 
used 
for 
physical 
improvements, 
Rose 
Brooks 
is 
committed 
to 
implementing 
feasible 
accessibility 
recommendations 
by 
leveraging 
other 
funding 
and 
resources. 
Rose 
BrooksÕ 
non-¥¥OVW 
funded 
work 
on 
these 
recommendations 
will 
be 
occurring 
concurrently 
as 
their 
work 
on 
other 
OVW 
funded 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
recommendations. 
Systems 
Change 
& 
Sustainability 
Strategies 
for 
creating 
systems 
change 
and 
sustainability 
for 
the 
universal 
design 
and 
responsive 
initiative 
include: 
focusing 
on 
policy 
and 
procedures 
change; 
involving 
multiple 
levels 
of 
each 
collaborative 
agency 
in 
the 
initiative; 
providing 
information 
and 
training 
on 
the 
topic; 
and 
targeting 
our 
initiative 
on 
a 
small 
scale, 
initially 
amongst 
ourselves, 
so 
our 
learning 
may 
eventually 
be 
shared 
with 
other 
victim 
and 
disability 
service 
providers. 
Long-¥¥Term 
Goals 
By 
starting 
with 
change 
within 
the 
collaborative 
agencies, 
a 
long-¥¥term 
goal 
is 
to 
eventually 
share 
our 
lessons/experiences 
with 
agencies 
outside 
the 
collaborative. 
For 
example, 
providing 
information 
or 
training 
to 
outside 
agencies 
on 
developing 
policies 
and 
procedures 
that 
promote 
universal 
design 
and 
responsiveness, 
including 
the 
sharing 
of 
our 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
review 
tool. 
Furthermore, 
it 
is 
anticipated 
that 
due 
to 
time 
restraints, 
not 
all 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
recommendations 
will 
be 
implemented 
at 
each 
collaborative 
agency. 
Recommendations 
will 
be 
prioritized 
and 
only 
those 
feasible 
to 
achieve 
with 
the 
time 
and 
resources 
allotted 
will 
be 
completed. 
Thus, 
there 
may 
also 
be 
specific 
accessibility 
and 
responsiveness 
recommendations 
that 
may 
be 
carried 
out 
in 
the 
long-¥¥term. 
With 
increased 
capacity 
to 
serve 
women 
with 
disabilities 
appropriately 
and 
effectively, 
outreach 
to 
victim/survivors 
with 
disabilities 
will 
also 
be 
increased. 
In 
the 
long-¥¥term, 
the 
collaborative 
would 
also 
hope 
to 
increase 
peer 
support 
opportunities 
for 
victim/survivors 
with 
disabilities 
and 
have 
women 
with 
disabilities 
participate 
in 
collaborative 
agency 
boards 
and 
volunteer 
opportunities. 

7 
Initiative 
2: 
Safety 
PlanningÑ 
Expand 
Safety 
Planning 
Processes 
and 
Resources 
to 
Better 
Address 
the 
Needs 
of 
Survivors 
with 
Disabilities 
The 
collaborative 
believes, 
given 
the 
reluctance 
of 
disability 
service 
provider 
participation 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment, 
that 
safety 
planning 
is 
an 
appropriate 
and 
non-¥¥threatening 
means 
to 
begin 
working 
at 
the 
intersection 
of 
violence 
against 
women 
in 
Kansas 
City. 
Several 
factors 
lead 
to 
this 
determination. 
One 
of 
the 
many 
lessons 
learned 
through 
the 
needs 
assessment 
process 
was 
the 
importance 
of 
language. 
The 
mere 
fact 
that 
we 
would 
be 
talking 
about 
Òsafety,Ó 
as 
opposed 
to 
ÒviolenceÓ 
against 
women 
is 
intentional, 
as 
the 
topic 
of 
violence 
has 
proven 
to 
be 
a 
difficult 
subject 
to 
broach. 
Moreover, 
safety 
planning 
was 
a 
specific 
need 
mentioned 
by 
disability 
service 
providers 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment. 
Again, 
giving 
their 
reluctance 
in 
participating 
in 
the 
needs 
assessment 
to 
begin 
with, 
it 
would 
make 
sense 
to 
begin 
our 
work 
within 
the 
disability 
service 
provider 
community 
at 
a 
place 
where 
they 
have 
identified 
a 
need. 
This 
work 
will 
be 
completed 
by 
assembling 
a 
work 
group 
to 
develop 
appropriate 
safety 
planning 
protocols 
to 
address 
the 
needs 
of 
victims/survivors 
with 
disabilities, 
thus 
enhancing 
both 
the 
collaborative 
agencies 
capacity 
in 
safety 
planning 
and 
our 
ability 
to 
eventually 
share 
our 
protocol 
with 
outside 
agencies. 
These 
activities, 
as 
described 
below, 
will 
be 
completed 
by 
September 
2009. 
Rose 
Brooks 
Center 
will 
take 
the 
lead 
on 
managing 
the 
work 
of 
this 
initiative. 
All 
collaborative 
agencies 
will 
participate 
and 
provide 
staff 
for 
the 
work 
group. 
See 
Work 
Plan 
for 
detailed 
timeline. 
Safety 
Planning 
Initiative 
Activities 
Rose 
Brooks 
Center 
will 
assemble 
a 
cross-¥¥disciplinary 
work 
group 
and 
provide 
general 
education 
to 
the 
work 
group 
regarding 
traditional 
notions 
of 
safety 
planning. 
IHD 
will 
assist 
by 
gathering 
examples 
of 
safety 
planning 
protocols 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities. 
The 
work 
group 
will 
then 
develop 
a 
safety 
planning 
protocol 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
violence, 
and 
along 
with 
this 
protocol, 
develop 
a 
resource 
list 
to 
support 
the 
protocol. 
The 
protocol 
will 
be 
adopted 
and 
implemented 
by 
all 
collaborative 
agencies. 
Staff 
will 
be 
trained 
on 
the 
protocol 
and 
informed 
of 
corresponding 
resources. 
Systems 
Change 
& 
Sustainability 
Strategies 
for 
creating 
systems 
change 
and 
sustainability 
for 
the 
universal 
design 
and 
responsive 
initiative 
include: 
focusing 
on 
policy 
and 
procedures 
change; 
involving 
multiple 
levels 
of 
each 
collaborative 
agency 
in 
the 
initiative; 
providing 
information 
and 
training 
on 
the 
topic; 
and 
targeting 
our 
initiative 
on 
a 
small 
scale, 
initially 
amongst 
ourselves, 
so 
our 
learning 
may 
eventually 
be 
shared 
with 
other 
victim 
and 
disability 
service 
providers. 

8 
Long-¥¥Term 
Goals 
By 
starting 
with 
change 
within 
the 
collaborative 
agencies, 
a 
long-¥¥term 
goal 
is 
to 
eventually 
share 
our 
lessons/experiences 
with 
agencies 
outside 
the 
collaborative. 
For 
example, 
providing 
information 
or 
training 
to 
outside 
agencies 
on 
developing 
safety 
planning 
protocols, 
including 
the 
sharing 
of 
our 
protocol, 
with 
the 
hopes 
that 
agencies 
outside 
our 
collaborative 
would 
find 
the 
protocol 
useful 
and 
incorporate 
it 
into 
their 
day-¥¥to-¥¥day 
practice. 
Initiative 
3: 
Relationship 
Building 
& 
AwarenessÑ 
Develop 
Relationships 
and 
Linkages 
Between 
Victim 
Service 
Providers 
and 
Disability 
Service 
Providers 
Evident 
throughout 
the 
needs 
assessment 
was 
the 
need 
to 
develop 
relationships 
and 
linkages 
between 
victim 
service 
providers 
and 
disability 
service 
providers. 
Formal 
relationship 
building 
will 
take 
place 
between 
collaborative 
agencies 
by 
developing 
and 
adopting 
a 
written 
agreement 
among 
collaborative 
partners 
specific 
to 
this 
project. 
Informally 
but 
intentionally, 
relationship 
building 
will 
take 
place 
with 
disability 
service 
providers 
outside 
the 
collaborative. 
These 
activities 
will 
be 
completed 
by 
September 
2009. 
MOCSA 
will 
take 
the 
lead 
on 
managing 
the 
work 
of 
this 
initiative. 
All 
collaborative 
agencies 
will 
participate. 
See 
Work 
Plan 
for 
detailed 
timeline. 
Activity 
1: 
Develop 
Written 
Agreement 
Among 
Collaborative 
Partners 
The 
first 
activity 
of 
the 
relationship 
building 
initiative 
is 
to 
review 
current 
connections 
among 
collaborative 
agencies; 
these 
might 
be 
connections 
between 
staff 
or 
on 
an 
agency 
level. 
Specifically, 
outlining 
what 
other 
connections 
exist 
between 
the 
collaborative 
partner 
agencies 
besides 
the 
work 
of 
this 
project. 
MOCSA 
will 
review 
existing 
models 
of 
formalized 
agreements 
between 
agencies, 
and 
then 
work 
with 
the 
collaborative 
to 
develop 
an 
agreement 
specific 
to 
this 
project 
that 
fosters 
resource 
sharing 
and 
relationship 
building 
and 
maintaining, 
with 
the 
hopes 
of 
developing 
a 
model 
to 
share 
with 
other 
agencies. 
The 
agreement 
will 
be 
adopted 
by 
each 
collaborative 
organization 
and 
staff 
notified. 
Activity 
2: 
Build 
Relationships 
and 
Cultivate 
Awareness 
within 
Disability 
Organizations 
Unlike 
the 
formal 
written 
agreement 
as 
outlined 
in 
activity 
1, 
relationship 
building 
with 
disability 
organizations 
outside 
the 
collaborative 
will 
be 
informal, 
but 
intentional. 
The 
collaborative 
believes 
that 
this 
is 
the 
kind 
of 
relationship 
building 
must 
take 
place 
to 
create 
the 
foundation 
in 
order 
for 
more 
formal 
relationships 
to 
be 
built 
in 
the 
future. 
To 
begin 
with, 
two 
to 
three 
meetings 
with 
a 
key 
stakeholders 
group, 
a 
revised 
version 
of 
our 
advisory 
group, 
with 
decision 
makers 
from 
disability 
organizations, 
will 
be 
convened 
to 
inform 
them 
of 
the 
work 
of 
the 
collaboration 
and 
in 
order 
for 
the 
stakeholders 
group 
to 
provide 
feedback 
on 
the 
work 
of 
the 
collaboration. 
Each 
collaborative 
agency 
Executive 
Director 
has 
also 
committed 
to 
networking 
with 
at 
least 
two 
disability 
organization 
Executive 
Directors. 
This 
may 
take 
the 
form 

9 
of 
coffee, 
lunch 
or 
an 
informal 
meeting. 
The 
collaborative 
(either 
as 
separate 
organizations 
or 
any 
combination 
of 
collaborative 
partners) 
will 
provide 
tours 
with 
lunch 
to 
at 
least 
four 
disability 
organizations 
staff 
members. 
The 
collaborative 
organizations 
will 
seek 
at 
least 
four 
in-¥¥ 
service/staff 
trainings 
from 
disability 
organizations. 
The 
collaborative 
plans 
to 
submit 
at 
least 
one 
proposal 
to 
present 
on 
the 
lessons 
learned 
from 
this 
project 
at 
a 
local 
conference. 
Each 
collaborative 
partner 
will 
incorporate 
each 
otherÕs 
existing 
service 
materials 
into 
their 
outreach 
activities 
(at 
events 
where 
partners 
have 
information 
tables 
and 
into 
their 
public 
relations 
folders). 
Finally, 
IHD 
will 
begin 
to 
incorporate 
information 
from 
the 
project 
into 
their 
Disabilities 
Studies 
Certificate 
program 
at 
the 
University 
of 
Missouri-¥¥Kansas 
City. 
Systems 
Change 
& 
Sustainability 
Strategies 
for 
creating 
systems 
change 
and 
sustainability 
for 
the 
relationship 
building 
and 
awareness 
initiative 
include: 
developing 
a 
written 
agreement 
amongst 
collaborative 
partners; 
involving 
multiple 
levels 
of 
each 
collaborative 
agency 
in 
the 
initiative; 
providing 
information 
and 
training 
on 
relevant 
topics; 
and 
targeting 
this 
initiative 
both 
internally 
and 
externally. 
The 
collaborative 
believes 
that 
in 
order 
to 
eventually 
build 
stronger, 
more 
formal 
relationships 
with 
the 
disability 
community 
as 
a 
whole 
that 
we 
must 
first 
build 
the 
foundation 
outlined 
in 
this 
initiative. 
Long-¥¥Term 
Goals 
Eventually 
the 
collaboration 
would 
like 
to 
expand 
our 
formal 
written 
agreement 
into 
a 
shared 
response 
protocol 
for 
serving 
victims/survivors 
with 
disabilities: 
meaning 
that 
collaborative 
organization 
respective 
staffs 
would 
know 
who 
to 
call 
and 
what 
to 
do 
when 
providing 
services 
for 
individuals 
who 
may 
be 
eligible 
for 
another 
collaborative 
organizationÕs 
services. 
We 
would 
also 
like 
to 
build 
more 
formal, 
long-¥¥standing 
relationships, 
linkages, 
and 
awareness 
between 
victim 
service 
providers 
and 
disability 
service 
providers 
outside 
the 
realm 
of 
our 
current 
collaborative. 
Another 
long-¥¥term 
goal 
is 
to 
be 
able 
to 
openly 
and 
freely 
disseminate 
best 
practice 
information 
for 
victims/survivors 
with 
disabilities. 
Other 
activities 
might 
include 
developing 
Safety 
First 
public 
relations 
materials 
and 
having 
Safety 
First 
Collaboration 
representation 
at 
local 
disability 
community 
meetings. 
With 
regards 
to 
the 
Disabilities 
Studies 
Certificate, 
beyond 
incorporating 
information 
into 
the 
existing 
curriculum, 
eventually 
opportunities 
for 
an 
entire 
class, 
under 
the 
Special 
Topics, 
could 
be 
explored. 
EVALUATION 
& 
MONITORING 
On-¥¥going 
evaluation 
and 
monitoring 
of 
project 
initiatives 
and 
corresponding 
activities 
will 
be 
the 
responsibility 
of 
the 
collaborative 
management 
team, 
which 
includes: 
Palle 
Rilinger, 
Executive 
Director, 
MOCSA; 
Susan 
Miller, 
Executive 
Director, 
Rose 
Brooks 
Center; 
Carl 
F. 
Calkins, 
Director, 
IHD; 
Ronda 
Jenson, 
Director, 
IHD; 
Lisa 
Fleming, 
Chief 
Operating 
Officer, 
Rose 
Brooks 
Center; 
and 
Sarah 
McCoy-¥¥Harms, 
Safety 
First 
Project 
Director, 
MOCSA. 
The 
collaborative 
management 
team 
will 
continue 
to 
meet 
on 
a 
regular 
basis. 

10 
MOCSA 
will 
continue 
to 
act 
as 
the 
lead 
agency 
for 
the 
project, 
with 
the 
Project 
Director 
managing 
and 
coordinating 
day-¥¥to-¥¥day 
grant 
activities. 
These 
activities 
will 
include 
coordinating 
meetings, 
managing 
communications 
among 
partners, 
administering 
grant 
funds, 
maintaining 
statistical 
data, 
and 
providing 
fiscal 
and 
program 
accountability. 
However, 
as 
previously 
indicated, 
each 
collaborative 
agency 
will 
take 
the 
lead 
on 
an 
initiative 
as 
outlined 
above. 
CONCLUSION 
It 
is 
clear 
that 
there 
is 
an 
enormous 
amount 
of 
work 
to 
be 
done 
in 
Kansas 
City 
in 
order 
for 
the 
Safety 
First 
Initiative 
to 
achieve 
our 
vision 
of 
changing 
the 
mindset 
in 
the 
Kansas 
City 
metropolitan 
area 
resulting 
in 
a 
sustained, 
collaborative 
response 
that 
provides 
culturally 
competent, 
respectful, 
accessible, 
empowerment 
based 
services 
to 
women 
with 
disabilities 
who 
are 
victims/survivors 
of 
violence. 
However, 
the 
above 
initiatives 
were 
chosen 
because 
they 
strive 
to 
do 
just 
this. 
These 
initiatives 
will 
help 
build 
the 
foundation 
for 
improving 
services 
for 
women 
with 
disabilities 
in 
Kansas 
City, 
increasing 
accountability 
for 
both 
victim 
and 
disability 
service 
providers. 
By 
building 
this 
foundation 
and 
our 
own 
capacity, 
the 
collaborative 
will 
be 
able 
to 
step 
into 
the 
role 
of 
becoming 
a 
technical 
assistance 
provider 
for 
the 
community 
at-¥¥large. 
Eventually 
we 
will 
be 
able 
to 
expand 
our 
activities 
to 
assist 
in 
increasing 
the 
capacity 
of 
other 
victim 
and 
disability 
services 
providers, 
and 
possibly 
even 
the 
criminal 
justice 
system.