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Needs & Assets Assessment Proposal 
Project EMERGE 
Project EMERGE Vision 

We, Vera House, ARISE, and our community partners, will together create a comprehensive and 
inclusive community prevention and response system, guided by, and in service to, people with 
disabilities and d/Deaf people who are survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Through this system, 
we will ensure access, equality, empowerment, and safety for all through accountable and 
knowledgeable providers. 

Project EMERGE Mission 

Project EMERGE, a partnership between Vera House and ARISE, will build a community movement 
through increased collaboration, program policy review and education. This movement will work to 
improve access by taking important steps that will lead to a comprehensive and inclusive coordinated 
community response for women with disabilities and d/Deaf women who have experienced domestic 
and sexual violence. 

I. Needs & Assets Assessment Proposal Overview 
A. Introduction 
Project EMERGE, our local project funded by the Office on Violence Against WomenÕs 2006 
Education and Technical Assistance Grant to End Violence against Women with Disabilities, is 
working within Vera House and ARISE to make agency services for women with disabilities and 
d/Deaf women who have experienced domestic and sexual violence better able to partner with each 
other to deliver more effective services with a high level of accessibility and sensitivity to trauma. We 
will conduct a Needs & Assets Assessment, hereafter referred to as NA, which will examine the 
policies and practices in Onondaga County with a focus on our own organizations. Findings from the 
NA will be utilized to develop a strategic plan for Project EMERGE. 

B. Purpose 
The purpose of the Needs & Assets Assessment is to gather information on Vera House, ARISE, and 
community agency policies and practices, as well as the experiences of women with disabilities and 
d/Deaf women who experience domestic and sexual violence. Project EMERGE will identify 
opportunities for change at ARISE and Vera House with this Needs & Assets Assessment, develop a 

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strategic plan with the data collected, and, finally, implement this strategic plan. Implementation will 
begin at ARISE and Vera House, during year two of the grant. Based on lessons learned at our own 
agencies, Project EMERGE will then provide opportunities for technical assistance to our community 
partners to implement similar changes at their agencies. We will offer this service with the goal of 
creating a collaborative community response during the final phase of the grant. 
, and, finally, implement this strategic plan. Implementation will 
begin at ARISE and Vera House, during year two of the grant. Based on lessons learned at our own 
agencies, Project EMERGE will then provide opportunities for technical assistance to our community 
partners to implement similar changes at their agencies. We will offer this service with the goal of 
creating a collaborative community response during the final phase of the grant. 

C. Global Questions 
Our team seeks to understand what it is like for service providers to do their job in our community. We 
are especially interested in how women with disabilities and d/Deaf women who are survivors of 
domestic and sexual violence experience services from Vera House and ARISE. Some of the key 
questions explored include: 

-What are the gaps or barriers experienced by survivors with disabilities and d/Deaf survivors when 
they seek and navigate services at Vera House? 

-What are the gaps or barriers at ARISE that discourage survivors with disabilities and d/Deaf 
survivors from being connected to and receiving appropriate domestic violence and sexual assault 
services? 

-Where are the opportunities at Vera House and ARISE to strengthen partnership through 
collaborative services to better service to women with disabilities and d/Deaf women who are 
survivors of domestic and sexual violence? 

-What is working well and where are the disconnects in the current community wide service delivery 
system in response to women with disabilities and d/Deaf women who are victims/survivors of 
domestic and/or sexual violence? 

D. Goals of the Needs & Assets Assessment 
The Needs & Assets Assessment will specifically seek to learn more about the experiences of 
individuals and providers, un-met needs in our community, existing community resources, and our 
current level of focus on empowerment. The Needs & Assets Assessment will respond to the following 
goals in order to answer the global questions and provide the data needed for the Strategic Plan. 

-Experiences: what women with disabilities, d/Deaf women and survivors think and feel about 
services AND the thoughts and opinions of providers providing these services 

- Un-Met Need: identifying any relevant gaps between the communityÕs needs and the available 
services (design and delivery) AND methods of filling these identified gaps 
-Community Resources: a summary of the state of current interventions designed to address the needs 
of women with disabilities and d/Deaf women who are survivors of domestic and sexual violence 

-Empowerment Focus: analysis of how front-line service providers, programs and agencies in 
Onondaga County are working together to create a culture of empowerment for women with 
disabilities and d/Deaf women who are survivors of domestic and sexual violence, through appropriate 
response and support 

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E. Needs & Assets Assessment Think Tank 
Project EMERGE is seeking guidance and feedback from people who work in the field to shape and 
direct the process and content of our NA. A group of staff members from ARISE, Vera House, and 
other key agencies who serve women with disabilities and d/Deaf women have come together to form 
a ÔThink TankÕ. This group has provided consultation on the content and design of this NA Proposal 
with specific attention to the needs of women with disabilities, deaf women, and survivors. This group 
will continue to guide the NA, particularly the outreach to women with disabilities and d/Deaf women 
and survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence. 

II. Needs & Assets Assessment Plan 
A. Methodology Overview 
The Needs & Assets Assessment will include both qualitative and quantitative research methods, with 
a greater emphasis on qualitative. Qualitative research provides an in-depth understanding of human 
behavior and seeks to discover the motivation for that behavior. The research measures values, 
judgments, opinions, and observations based on personal perceptions. It is the expectation of Project 
EMERGE team members that this Needs & Assets Assessment will work not only to measure the 
capacity and opportunities in the community for change, but to also connect with the community and 
give various audiences the opportunity to express their views and participate in our process and 
mission. 

We have been careful to include playersÕ at all different levels of both agencies and the system serving 
women with disabilities and d/Deaf women as well as survivors. We need the voices of leadership, 
direct service providers, and consumers who participate in services. The NA will listen to the feelings 
and opinions of all of these players and then overlay them so that we have a complete picture of 
services in the community and at ARISE and Vera House. 

The NA will include three assessment methods-Interviews, Listening Circles (focus groups), and a 
web based survey of direct service providers at community based agencies serving women with 
disabilities, d/Deaf woman, and survivors/victims of domestic and sexual violence. 

B. Target Populations of Needs & Assets Assessment 
The people we will be gathering information from in the Needs & Assets Assessment are the 
following: 

Direct Service Staff 

-ARISE 
-Vera House 
-Staff and Personal Care Attendants from Community Based Agencies providing services to women 
with disabilities and d/Deaf women 
-Staff from Community Based Agencies providing services to survivors of domestic and sexual 
violence 
-Local SANE Nurses 

Leadership 

-ARISE (executive director and program managers) 

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-Vera House (executive director and program managers) 
-Community Based Agencies providing Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (executive directors 
and program managers) 
-Community Based Agencies providing services to women with disabilities and d/Deaf women 
(executive directors and program managers 
Vera House (executive director and program managers) 
-Community Based Agencies providing Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (executive directors 
and program managers) 
-Community Based Agencies providing services to women with disabilities and d/Deaf women 
(executive directors and program managers 

Community Members 

-Women who identify as survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence (who may or may not necessarily 
identify as having a disability and/or being d/Deaf) 
-Women with Disabilities (who may or may not have disclosed that they are victims or survivors of 
Domestic and/or Sexual Violence) 
-d/Deaf women (who may or may not have disclosed that they are victims or survivors of Domestic 
and/or Sexual Violence) 


C. Interviews 
Overview 

Interviews will provide a global, policy perspective on the strengths and weakness in Onondaga 
County. The Interviews will be conducted with leadership at ARISE, Vera House, and a diverse group 
of community based agencies who have rich experience in their field and our community. These 
individuals have a high level of experience at their agencies and insider knowledge of the systems they 
provide leadership to. The one on one interview format with these leaders has been chosen in order to 
collect global information from this unique insider perspective on the capacity for change within our 
current community wide service delivery system. Leaders are also very busy people and meeting with 
them individually will be more feasible than asking them to all come together at the same time for a 
group forum. 

Participants 

Project EMERGE will conduct a total of 15-25 interviews with the following people: 

Leadership: 
ARISE (executive director and program managers) 
-Tom McKeown, ARISE, Executive Director 
-Takida Beckwith-ARISE, Service Coordinator 
-Mary Ann Piaza-Tomes- ARISE, Mental Health Clinical Director 
-Julie Wheeler Ð ARISE, Consumer Services Director 
-Christa Zirgulis Ð ARISE, TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) ProgramÕs Director 
-Beata Karpinska-Prehn Ð ARISE, Director of Advocacy 
-Karen Santy Ð ARISE, MSC (Medicaid Service Coordinator) Manager 
-Tony McEniry Ð ARISE, CDPAP (Consumer Directed Personal Assistant Program) Manager 
VERA HOUSE (executive director and program managers) 
-Randi Bregman-Vera House, Executive Director 
-Monica Brown and Elizabeth Berson, Vera House Shelter Co-Coordinators 
-Ellen Ford-Vera House Clinical Director 
-Colleen OÕBrien-Vera House, Program Services Coordinator 
-Melissa Bornstein-Vera House, Advocacy Program Coordinator 

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Community Based Agencies providing Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Agencies providing Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (executive directors 
and program managers): 
-The Salvation Army 
-Catholic Charities (The Dorothy Day House) 
-McMahan Ryan Child Advocacy Site 
-Spanish Action League 

Community Based Agencies providing services to women with disabilities and d/Deaf women 
(executive directors and program managers): 
-Arc of Onondaga 
-Central New York Developmental Disability Services Office (CNYDDSO) 
-Transitional Living Services (TLS) 
-Aurora of Central New York 
-Enable 
-Spaulding Support Services 

Protocols 

Process: Each one-on-one interview will last approximately an hour and will all be conducted in 
person. The interviewer will gain insight from a structured, 'casual' conversation which will challenge 
the person being interviewed to not get too narrow in addressing a single point. The interviewer will 
take the liberty of asking questions until an adequate and broad response is obtained. 

A note taker will be present during the interview to record the conversation. An audio recording of the 
conversation will also be made with permission of the interviewee. At the beginning of the interview, 
the interviewer will explain these steps and an acknowledgement form will be signed by the 
interviewee. 

Recruitment: We are confident that we can access leadership at both ARISE and Vera House for 
interviews. One of our projects strengths is that both of the Executive Directors at ARISE and Vera 
House are part of the collaborative team of Project EMERGE. There is a high degree of buy in at each 
agency, supported by the Executive Directors, and participation from program leadership in these 
interviews is not a concern. 

Our Executive Directors at Vera House and ARISE can also use their social capital to encourage 
participation from leaders at other community agencies. Many of these agencies have leadership and 
managers who are participating on the Accessibility Task Force and have expressed interest and 
commitment to the project. Participation will be solicited by email and telephone contact and the 
interviews will be scheduled at the convenience of the interviewee. 

Consent: All of the leaders who participate in the interviews will sign a consent form acknowledging 
that they fully understand the purpose, facts, risks and benefits of the research before making a 
decision to participate. See Attachment A 

Confidentiality: Interviews will be conducted by the Project EMERGE Director and a note taker will 
be present. These will be the only two people who have knowledge of what is shared in the interview. 
Audio files of the interview will be made with the intervieweeÕs consent. The notes and audio tape will 
be coded with a number. People will not be able to identify the role or agency. This will ensure will be 
no way to trace respondentÕs answers to their identity. as agency and role identifiers will not be linked 

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to interview responses. The audio tapes and scripts of the interviews will be stored in a locked file 
cabinet monitored by the Project EMERGE Director. When Project EMERGE has completed 
developing the strategic plan the tapes will be destroyed. 
. The audio tapes and scripts of the interviews will be stored in a locked file 
cabinet monitored by the Project EMERGE Director. When Project EMERGE has completed 
developing the strategic plan the tapes will be destroyed. 

Tool Development: There will be five main questions that structure the interview. The questions begin 
with asking about the intervieweeÕs perspective on the strengths and gaps in Onondaga County in 
addressing the needs of women with disabilities and d/Deaf women who are victims/survivors of 
domestic and sexual violence. Interviewees will then provide perspective on policy and culture that 
ARISE and other disability agencies operate under, as well as Vera House and other agencies 
providing victim/survivor services. The opportunity to offer ideas on specific improvements will 
conclude the interview. The person conducting the interviews will have the opportunity to ask probing 
questions in order to guide the interview. Attachment B-Interview Questions 

D. Surveys 
Overview 

The survey will focus on exploring the strengths and gaps of the service delivery system from the 
perspective of the direct service provider as well as their experiences with implementing policy at their 
agencies. Through surveying direct service staff at ARISE and Vera House we will examine our 
current ability serve consumers across disciplines and identify opportunities at Vera House and ARISE 
to strengthen our partnership. There will be two types of providersÕ surveys, with the goal of 150 total 
completed surveys. The first will explore the opinions of sexual assault and domestic violence service 
providers and the second will target disability and d/Deaf service providers. The questions will focus 
on examining areas of improvement and methods to achieve physical and attitudinal accessibility and 
establish an improved referral and response system. Methods to accomplish community collaboration 
in regard to the issues of domestic violence and/or sexual abuse towards women wit