Rhode Island 
ACT 
Collaborative Charter 
Rhode Island 
ACT 
Collaborative Charter 
VISION, MISSION & PURPOSE 

Day One Ð The Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource Center of Rhode Island; PAL: An 
Advocacy Organization for Families & People with Disabilities; and Rhode Island 
Coalition Against Domestic Violence have created the ACT Collaborative to work 
towards better serving the needs of individuals with disabilities and Deaf individuals 
in Rhode Island who are survivors of domestic and sexual violence. 

It is our VISION to create an accessible system that is person-centered in its service 
delivery, provides a comprehensive spectrum of services, and is delivered by informed 
and accountable professionals to individuals with disabilities and Deaf individuals, 
who are survivors of domestic and sexual violence. 

Our MISSION is to ACT together through Advocacy, Collaboration and Training to 
end violence against individuals with disabilities and Deaf individuals with the 
PURPOSE of fostering an environment that works to: 

¥ 
Improve accessibility to advocacy and safety planning services for individuals with 
disabilities and Deaf individuals; 
¥ 
Develop a collaborative network through open dialogue to improve the quality of 
supports individuals with disabilities and Deaf individuals receive; 
¥ 
Provide cross-training, cross-fertilization, and bridge-building opportunities for 
professionals working in the fields of sexual assault, domestic violence and 
disability services to better detect, react to and reduce violence in the disability and 
Deaf communities. 

This Charter has been created to guide the work of the ACT Initiative and is a 
malleable and living document. The ACT Collaborative considers the experience of 
collaboration to be a process of discovery, and we will take every opportunity to 
revisit the content of this document and make adjustments when appropriate and 
warranted. 

GUIDING VALUES & PRINCIPLES 

The ACT Collaborative has outlined several Ònon-negotiablesÓ to guide the work of 
the ACT Initiative. The ACT Collaborative has pledged to: 

¥ 
Utilize a person-first approach for responding to violence against individuals with 
disabilities and Deaf individuals; 
¥ 
Look beyond crisis intervention to also include long-term futures planning and 
support for and around these individuals who have experienced violence in their 
lives; 
¥ 
Build community relationships and valued roles for individuals who have 
experienced violence in an effort to keep them safe in the future; 
¥ 
Include Rhode IslandÕs strong network of self-advocates in the planning and 
implementation of all ACT initiative goals; 
¥ 
Include survivors in the planning and implementation of all ACT initiative goals; 
¥ 
Always ask the question "what will keep people safe?" and assure that it underlies 
all proposed interventions and implementations; 
¥ 
Serve as the facilitator of conversations in an effort to create systems change, 
because it is our belief that change happens one conversation at a time; 
¥ 
Foster a learning environment; 
¥ 
Focus on the possibilities, and not on the deficits, within the service provider 
system; 
¥ 
Always ask the question Òwhat can we do together that we cannot do alone?Ó 
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DEFINITIONS OF FREQUENTLY USED TERMINOLOGY 

Accessibility Ð equal opportunity to obtain and utilize services, and to gather and 
comprehend information. Accessibility must not only be addressed in terms of 
physical and environmental access, but in terms of attitudinal, programmatic and 
education access as well. 

Advocacy Ð supporting or working to assist a person who is making a change in his or 
her life. It should include the sharing of information and resources, and providing 
assistance to meet the individualÕs self-defined needs. 

Collaboration Ð a mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship, entered into by 
two or more organizations, to achieve results more likely to be achieved together than 
alone. This relationship includes a commitment to mutual goals, a jointly developed 
structure, shared responsibility and resources, mutual authority and accountability for 
success. 

Deaf Ð with a capital ÒDÓ describes individuals who identify as being part of the Deaf 
culture. Many individuals who identify as Deaf are culturally deaf, i.e. they have 
different experiences, values, language, vocabulary, role models, history, and habits. 

Deafness Ð lack of hearing that may be congenital or acquired later in life, and is 
significant to the extent that the individual cannot hear speech, telephone, or TV/PA 
system with assistive devices or technology. An individual who is deaf is someone 
who cannot hear sounds even with amplification or assistive technology, and who 
requires visual communication or supports, such as ASL, speech-reading, cued 
speech, CART, captioning, etc. 

Dignity of Risk Ð respecting an individualÕs choice as long as his or her actions are not 
harmful to self or others. 

Disability Ð when a set of functions, either desired or required, exists which cannot be 
independently performed when attempted in a specific environment. Individuals may 
have functional limitations with cognition, mobility, communication, sensing and 
emotions that may have been present at birth or acquired later in life. 

Domestic Violence Ð a pattern of behavior used by an intimate partner or caregiver in 
order to gain power and control by using tactics of physical, emotional and sexual 
violence and/or intentionally limiting or removing access to assistive tools for daily 
living. 

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Informed Consent Ð helping individuals understand the consequences of their actions 
and assisting them to make appropriate and safe decisions. 

Person-Centered Ð the individual is the primary focus of the system of services. 
Service providers need to be sure that they are not reinforcing old patterns of 
isolation and powerlessness for the individuals with whom they are working. It is 
helping individuals to increase their capacity and to understand available choices. 
When services are person-centered, they are responsive to the unique needs of each 
individual accessing them. 

Person-Centered Planning Ð strengthens the voice of an individual in the planning of 
his or her future. Person-centered plans find and develop the gifts of the individual, 
develop a vision to express these gifts, foster a support network to help realize these 
ideals, and change services to be more responsive to the needs and interests of 
individuals. Person-centered planning means planning with, and not planning for, a 
person. 

Person-First Language Ð referring to the person first and then the situation, condition 
or disability (if it is relevant). Utilizing this approach conveys a message of dignity and 
respect. 

Safety Planning Ð an individualized plan for someone who has experienced violence 
that helps reduce the risks of future violence. Safety plans are a choice and must meet 
the needs and life goals of the individual. 

Self-Advocacy Ð speaking up, alone or with others, to establish rights, equality and 
freedom. It is knowing personal rights and responsibilities, negotiating for self, asking 
for what is needed, and making self-directed decisions. 

Sexual Violence Ð a forced, coerced or manipulated sexual act; sexual activity to which 
someone does not consent, or is unable to consent. Rape and sexual assault are not 
sexually motivated acts; rather, they stem from aggression, rage, and the determination 
to exercise power over someone else. Sexual violence also includes unwanted 
advances or sexual comments, and sexual harassment. 

Systems Change Ð collaborative efforts to achieve meaningful and sustainable change 
in the way services are made available and delivered to individuals with disabilities and 
Deaf individuals. It is increasing and streamlining the overall capacity of the service 
delivery system by working with the many intersecting sectors to influence policies 
and practices in key components of the system. 

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MEMBERS, ROLES & EXPECTATIONS 

The ACT Collaborative is made up of three project partners Ð Day One, PAL and the 
RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and two affiliated member agencies Ð 
Advocates in Action and Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center Ð who have agreed to 
collaborate together in support of the mission and vision created through this 
initiative. 

The ACT Collaborative Committee has five members steering the work of the 
initiative Ð Cindi Coburn, Sheila French, Deanne Gagne, Karyn Hadfield, and Ken 
Renaud. 

All members of the Collaborative Ð project partners and the individuals representing 
those agencies Ð have agreed to: 

¥ 
Engage in cross-discipline education amongst the team to increase knowledge on 
the intersection of violence and disability; 
¥ 
Ensure accessible meetings that encourage participation and full involvement; 
¥ 
Identify target populations in which sustainable, systems change can be made to 
better respond to violence against individuals with disabilities and Deaf individuals; 
¥ 
Collectively complete tasks as outlined in the work plan, including collaborative 
charter creation, pilot site designation, needs assessment development and 
implementation, and strategic plan development and implementation; 
¥ 
Conduct internal needs assessments, and intensively integrate the work of the 
Collaborative around physical, attitudinal and programmatic accessibility into the 
structure of each partner agency to model the change we wish to see in the 
community; and 
¥ 
Conduct outreach activities Ð pilot site recruitment, needs assessment, 
implementation, sharing successes, and applauding our pilot sites Ð as a united 
front. 
Day One is the only agency in Rhode Island 
organized specifically to deal with the issue of 
sexual assault as a community concern. The nonprofit 
agency was founded in 1973 as the RI Rape 
Crisis Center. Based in Providence, RI but 

providing services statewide - Day OneÕs mission is to reduce the prevalence of sexual 
abuse and violence, and to support and advocate for those affected by it. Day One's 
vision is to create a community that is free of sexual abuse and violence through 

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leadership and action that is responsive to the needs of the community. Day One 
provides services to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other violent 
crimes and educates the public throughout the state of Rhode Island. Services include: 
The 24-hour Victims of Crime Helpline (1-800-494-8100) operated jointly with the 
Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center; crisis intervention; management of the Sexual 
Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program; individual and group counseling for 
children and adults; adult advocacy for victims and their families; legal advocacy 
through the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART); Law Enforcement Advocates at 
local police stations; the RI Children's Advocacy Center; prevention education and 
professional development trainings. Day One will provide budget oversight and 
administration of grant funds for the ACT initiative. 

Day One representative on the Core Planning Committee is: 

Karyn Hadfield, Training Specialist and the ACT initiative Project Director: Joining 
the staff of Day One in November of 2004, Karyn has extensive experience in 
program development, training, outreach, research and evaluation. Prior to joining 
Day One, Karyn served as Research Coordinator for the New York City Alliance 
Against Sexual Assault and Research Associate for the Criminal Justice Research & 
Evaluation Center in Manhattan. Karyn holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in 
psychology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and a 
Masters degree in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New 
York City. Karyn will be responsible for coordinating the planning, development, and 
implementation of all aspects of the ACT initiative - coordinating the day-to-day 
initiative logistics; facilitating communication among the project partners; developing 
meeting agendas and summarizing meeting minutes in collaboration with Sheila 
French and Ken Renaud; providing budget oversight of grant funds; working to 
increase attitudinal, programmatic and physical accessibility at Day One, taking 
responsibility for program reporting to OVW; and initiating Technical Assistance 
requests with the VERA Institute of Justice. 


The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) is 
a non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence. The 
Coalition was incorporated in 1979 to assist and support Rhode 
IslandÕs six shelters for battered women in statewide planning and 
development. The Coalition and its member agencies have been 
providing services to victims of domestic violence for the last twenty-
eight years, consistently expanding services in an attempt to provide 
the comprehensive support battered women need. The Coalition 

serves as a resource for the member organizations, providing training, technical 
assistance, statewide planning and needs assessment, community education, and 
gathering and disseminating resources and information critical to this work. The 

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member organizations and the areas they cover are: Sojourner House (Northern 
Rhode Island and Greater Providence); WomenÕs Center of Rhode Island (Greater 
Providence); Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center (Kent County); Domestic Violence 
Resource Center of South County (Washington County); WomenÕs Resource Center 
of Newport & Bristol Counties (Newport & Bristol Counties); and Blackstone Valley 
Advocacy Center (Blackstone Valley). The Coalition and its member agencies have a 
recognized track record of successfully administering and implementing effective 
programs for victims of domestic violence, reaching over 10,000 victims every year. 
They are currently involved in various statewide collaborative projects with law 
enforcement, prosecution, and other community organizations. The Coalition and its 
membership are recognized as reputable and distinguished leaders in the state in 
domestic violence, prevention and services, and have had an active role in successfully 
implementing the Violence Against Women Act in Rhode Island. 

The RICADV representative on the Core Planning Committee is: 

Sheila French, Planning Project Coordinator: Prior to joining RICADV, Sheila was 
the Director of Programs, Education and Elder Services for the Women's Resource 
Center of Newport & Bristol Counties, a member agency of the RICADV, for 14 
years, where she supervised all direct service staff, did individual and group therapy 
and advocated for domestic violence victims in court. In her current role as Planning 
Project Coordinator for the Coalition, Sheila develops and coordinates all trainings, as 
well as facilitates Child Advocate and Elder Abuse committees. She has conducted 
various trainings, created new programs, and developed partnerships and 
collaborations throughout the state of RI, working with diverse stakeholders including 
law enforcement officers, survivors, advocates, substance abuse professionals, and RI 
Department of Elderly Affairs staff. Sheila will help foster relationships with the 
CoalitionÕs member agencies, domestic violence advocates and survivors to better 
improve services to individuals with disabilities and Deaf individuals; develop meeting 
agendas and summarize meeting minutes in collaboration with Karyn Hadfield and 
Ken Renaud; work to increase attitudinal, programmatic and physical accessibility at 
the Coalition, and serve as a liaison to the domestic violence advocacy community. 


Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center 
(BVAC) is one of the six member agencies 
of the Rhode Island Coalition Against 
Domestic Violence and has a 20 year history of providing services to victims of 
domestic violence in the Blackstone Valley area. Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center is 
a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide comprehensive services to 
victims of domestic violence and to provide education and awareness on the issue of 

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domestic violence. Their services include residential safe home and transitional 
housing services; the 24-hour Victims of Crime Helpline operated jointly with Day 
One; court advocacy; community support groups; community awareness and 
prevention programs; a Latina advocacy program; elder abuse prevention program 
and other community collaborative prevention initiatives. 

The BVAC representative on the Core Planning Committee is: 

Cynthia Coburn, Director of Community Services: Cindi has been with Blackstone 
Valley Advocacy Center for seven years starting first as a court advocate. Prior to this 
she worked at New Hope in Massachusetts, a domestic violence agency, where she 
worked as a child advocate. Cindi started in the Domestic Violence field in 
Albuquerque, New Mexico at Resources, Inc., providing court advocacy and 
responding with the police department, after the scene was secure, to domestic 
violence calls. Cindi will participate in the monthly ACT meetings, foster relationships 
to increase BVACÕs capacity to improve services for individuals with disabilities and 
Deaf individuals, work to increase attitudinal, programmatic and physical accessibility 
at Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center, and complete tasks as delegated by committee 
consensus. 


PAL is a statewide, not-for-profit 

organization that was built on the need to 

support and empower families and people 

with disabilities as they advocate for 

themselves. PAL is committed to 
supporting families, individuals with disabilities and their network of friends in their 
effort to achieve their own personal dreams and to assume a social role of respect and 
dignity as valued members of their communities. PAL works with families, individuals 
with disabilities, and providers to enhance capacities across the system. PAL has 
invested enormous energy in assisting folks to tell their stories about how they are 
connected to their communities, as well as to talk about the contribution they are 
making in their community. PAL provides informational opportunities to families 
who have sons/daughters/ family members of transition age as well as staff to help 
raise their expectations about what is possible. 

The PAL representative on the Core Planning Committee is: 

Ken Renaud, Project Director: With over fifteen years experience in human services, 
Ken has been with PAL since 1998. He has extensive experience with curriculum 
development and training for professionals as well as people with disabilities. Ken 
will foster relationships in the disability advocacy community to better improve 

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services to individuals with disabilities and Deaf individuals; work with the PAL 
Board of Directors to actively involve them in PALÕs role towards systems change, 
develop meeting agendas and summarize meeting minutes in collaboration with Karyn 
Hadfield and Sheila French; coordinate outside facilitators for committee meetings 
when needed, and schedule the PAL ÒMeeting PlaceÓ for ACT committee meetings. 


Advocates in Action (A in A) is 

Rhode IslandÕs statewide self-

advocacy organization that has 
formed a partnership with PAL. Advocates in Action has its own Board of Directors 
as well as national and regional affiliates. They raise awareness about people with 
disabilities, making presentations to over 800 students a year. A in A coordinates an 
annual sold-out Beach Bash, a statewide self-advocacy conference with attendance 
over 400 participants, a leadership series that currently boasts 12 graduation classes, a 
No Talent Show for audiences of over 200, and annual statewide meetings. 

The Advocates in Action representative on the Core Planning Committee is: 

Deanne Gagne, Coordinator Ð Deanne has been a coordinator for Advocates in 
Action since 1997. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Social Work from Rhode Island 
College. Deanne is also currently a home visitor for the PAL Quality of Life Initiative. 
Her expertise includes coordinating events, public presentations, and training 
assistance around disability awareness issues. Deanne will participate in the monthly 
ACT committee meetings, foster relationships with RIÕs self-advocacy community, 
work to increase attitudinal, programmatic and physical accessibility to violence 
response services, and complete tasks as delegated by committee consensus. 

POLICIES, PROCESSES & PRACTICES 

DECISION-MAKING 
The Collaborative has determined that decisions to be made regarding the ACT 
initiative will be handled on two levels, as all decisions do not require consensus of 
the full six-person committee. Decisions will be made by either the full six-person 
collaborative, or collectively by Karyn, Ken and Sheila. Our foreseeable decisions are 
as follows, as well as the level of consensus needed bring a decision to resolution: 

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DECISION WHO 
Setting of ACT committee meeting dates ACT Collaborative consensus 
Creation of final meeting agendas Karyn, Sheila, Ken 
Creating our Vision, Mission & Purpose ACT Collaborative consensus 
Establishing our ACT guiding principles ACT Collaborative consensus 
Developing criteria for selecting the 
initiativeÕs pilot sites & final selection of 
the pilot sites 
ACT Collaborative consensus 
Establishing the parameters of our needs 
assessment ACT Collaborative consensus 
Logistics Karyn, Sheila, Ken 
When to request outside facilitation or 
technical assistance Karyn, Sheila, Ken 
Sharing our successes with outside 
agencies and media 
Karyn, Sheila, Ken (upon the advice of 
OVW and VERA when appropriate) 

Deadlines will be assigned, based on the nature of the task, and all collaborative 
members will be given reasonable time to weigh in on decisions it may be necessary to 
make outside of scheduled meeting times. Failure to respond to an opinion request or 
failure to ask for additional time to come to a decision, either by phone or by email, 
will be considered an abstaining vote. Any member of the Collaborative may bring 
forward a suggestion to be discussed by the full committee, and can do so by 
requesting a topic be added to the committee meeting agenda (by sending a request to 
Karyn) or bringing it to the table when Ònew businessÓ is discussed at committee 
meetings. The Collaborative will consistently refer to our agreed-upon mission, vision, 
purpose, guiding principles and values to inform our decision-making. 

As we navigate our way through the needs assessment and strategic planning process, 
the ACT Collaborative will be utilizing a local facilitator, Diane Westerman, during 
scheduled Collaborative monthly meetings: 

Diane Westerman, Facilitator - Diane is an independent consultant who specializes in 
working with people with disabilities as well as providing training for direct support 
professionals on topics such as building healthy relationships, sexuality and 
prevention of abuse. She is a trained facilitator and has presented at numerous 
workshops and conferences. Diane has over 25 years experience in the human service 
field and has her master degree in rehabilitation counseling from Assumption College 
as well as her bachelor degree from Rhode Island College. 

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This facilitator will assist us with the many decisions we need to make by acting as 
timekeeper, recording ideas and decisions on flip chart paper visible to the entire 
group, creating a process agenda, and keeping track of parking lot issues. This 
facilitator will allow all members of the Collaborative to be part of the discussion 
without the extra burden of having to facilitate the meeting and take notes. 

When consensus is required for a decision, the ACT Collaborative will utilize a 
gradient decision making process. Utilizing a 1 Ð 5 scale, the six members of the 
Collaborative will show the number of fingers corresponding to the following 
sentiments: 

5 = I absolutely support this decision. 

4 = I can support this decision, but have some concerns. 

3 = IÕm neutral about this decision, but will go along with it. 

2 = I donÕt feel comfortable supporting this decision. 

1 = I absolutely canÕt support it, or it goes against our guiding values! 

During the gradient decision making process, any member of the Collaborative can 
call for a vote. There is also an opportunity during this process for any member to 
wave the white flag and request an opportunity for further discussion and 
clarification. Any individual voting a 1 or 2 will have the opportunity to voice the 
concerns attached to that vote. A decision will either be declared ÒcompleteÓ, when a 
clear consensus prevails, or it will be put in the Òparking lotÓ until either all 
Collaborative members feel comfortable that they have all the facts to make a 
decision, or if the Collaborative needs to enact its process for conflict resolution. 

PROCESS FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION 
The Collaborative is committed to not being afraid to acknowledge Òthe elephantsÓ in 
the room and all are encouraged to talk openly and honestly about conflict and 
obstacles. We are committed to reframing these ÒelephantsÓ or obstacles as Òopen 
doorsÓ and possibilities. 

It is the responsibility of every committee member to not allow a personal concern 
fester to the point of negatively affecting our work together; members will raise an 
issue for committee discussion, or engage in a personal conversation with another 
committee member to remedy a situation, and not allow a concern to become a crisis. 

All Collaborative members are committed to the Q-Tip principle Ð quit taking it 
personally Ð and understand that while the appropriateness of ideas and suggestions 
may be questioned, the integrity and good intent of the individual will not be. 

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Accountability is paramount for successful implementation of initiative goals. 
Individual or group failure to meet milestones or complete tasks will be discussed in a 
supportive and non-blaming environment, and the group will reach a consensus of 
how to proceed in order to remedy the situation. 

The Collaborative agrees to disagree, and will do so in a respectful and calm manner. 

The Collaborative foresees a time when consensus cannot be reached among the even 
number (6) of committee members using the gradient decision making process. Any 
time there is a vote of 1, regardless of whether the average vote is 3 or higher, the 
Collaborative will not go forward with that decision. When a decision has been placed 
in the Òparking lotÓ, despite ample time for discussion, we will reach out to skilled 
local facilitators or initiate a technical assistance request to the VERA Institute of 
Justice to navigate these discussions and help us reach the needed consensus. 

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 
The entire Collaborative will meet monthly on days and at times pre-selected by 
consensus. A meeting agenda will be developed by Karyn, Sheila and Ken at a 
separate, in-person meeting prior to the scheduled full committee meeting. Any 
Collaborative member can suggest agenda items for an upcoming committee meeting, 
and should do so by contacting Karyn directly, either by email or phone. Agendas will 
be emailed to the committee one full business day in advance of a scheduled 
committee meeting. Minutes will be provided within one week of a scheduled 
committee meeting. The committee will alternate who is responsible for a particular 
meetingÕs note-taking (if a local facilitator is not being utilized), and this will be 
decided prior to the meeting day and according to a rotating schedule. Committee 
meeting time will be utilized to announce relevant happenings in each of the 
Collaborative agencies, review and update initiative progress, note completed tasks, 
delegate additional tasks by consensus, and adjust the work plan when necessary. 
When appropriate the committee hopes to utilize this time to address concerns related 
to the initiative and celebrate successes and positive outcomes. 

The committee is encouraged to maintain ongoing communication between scheduled 
committee meetings by phone, email or in person. Requests for information or 
decisions that need to be made between meetings should be done by email, noting the 
deadline date in the email subject line, if a decision is required within the business 
week; and by phone if a response is required within that business day. 

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS PLAN 
All ACT Collaborative members will actively engage the leadership in our home 
agencies to share the progress of the ACT initiative. The Executive Directors and 

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direct supervisors of the ACT Collaborative members will receive copies of meeting 
minutes. As part of the ACT initiative all Collaborative member agencies will be 
participating in an intensive needs assessment with the goal of improving access to 
services and service delivery for individuals with disabilities. All levels of staff from 
the member agencies Ð Day One, PAL, RI Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 
Advocates in Action and Blackstone Valley Ð will participate in the needs assessment 
process and the eventual implementation of change in our home agencies. Staff 
meetings will also be utilized to give updates on the initiative and provide education. 

The CollaborativeÕs work should be accessible and open to all interested community 
stakeholders. Accessible summaries and descriptions of our work will be made 
available to any interested party or audience upon request, and the collaborative will 
work together to provide this accessibility of materials. (See A
AAP
PPP
PPE
EEN
NND
DDI
IIX 
XX A

A for an 
accessible version of this Collaborative Charter). All members of the Collaborative are 
committed to cultivating and maintaining relationships with advocates, self-advocates 
and survivors in the community and welcome suggestions, criticisms and observations 
about our work. All committee members will be a presence at each otherÕs agency 
events, trainings and meetings as well as events in the larger communities, and we will 
welcome any opportunity to share our mission and guiding principles and will 
encourage creative thinking and participation in our work. The Collaborative is also 
committed to publicly applauding success and highlighting good work, utilizing our 
individual agency websites and local media. All written documentation of ACT 
Collaborative activities for public and media will be reviewed by Karyn, Ken and 
Sheila. No one Collaborative partner may release written information regarding the 
ACT initiative without first bringing it to review. Official press releases regarding the 
ACT initiative will be issued through Day OneÕs Communications office after 
thorough review by Karyn, Ken and Sheila, and approval by OVW. 

PRACTICE OF CONFIDENTIALITY 
The ACT Collaborative will address confidentiality on three levels Ð confidentiality of 
the individuals we serve; confidentiality of disclosures regarding collaborative partner 
agencies; and confidentiality of personal disclosures of any individual member of the 
Collaborative. 

All Collaborative members have individually addressed client confidentiality at their 
home agencies, and all policies employ the same underlying principles of dignity and 
informed consent. We will continue to abide by the confidentiality statements we each 
had to sign as a condition of employment. The ACT Collaborative understands that 
this committee was not formed for the purposes of individual case management, but 
we are committed to helping each other brainstorm and implement cross-agency 
responses to violence. 

13 



We will be relying heavily on the input and feedback of the individuals and 
professionals central to the system of service delivery. Throughout the needs 
assessment and implementation process, the ACT Collaborative will be collecting a 
great deal of information about abuse in the disability community, the response to 
those abuses, and the accessibility of services. All information collected is for the 
purpose of improving service delivery by making recommendations and policy 
change, and will never be used for whistle-blowing or punitive purposes. All 
information gleaned from the needs assessment process will be kept confidential and 
shared only amongst the ACT Collaborative and within the communities of focus. A 
more in-depth policy on how confidentiality will be handled during implementation of 
the needs assessment will be outlined in a separate document Ð the ACT Needs 
Assessment Plan. 

The ACT Collaborative has acknowledged that for this work to move forward and 
result in true systems change, we must be assured a safe environment in which to 
discuss issues relevant to our work, including disclosures about our individual 
agencies and ourselves. These disclosures are for moving our work forward, and will 
not be shared outside of the Collaborative. The ACT Collaborative is a learning 
environment, where situations can be discussed in a safe and non-judgmental 
atmosphere, and it allows us to debrief situations with the benefit of learning from 
past mistakes and building on past successes. 

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WORK PLAN: TIMELINE & MILESTONES 

The primary tasks and goals of our ACT Collaborative are centered on six major 
undertakings: 

¥ 
Building & Sustaining Collaboration 
¥ 
Assessing the Needs of the Violence Response and Disability Communities 
¥ 
Planning of Strategy to Impact Systems Change 
¥ 
Implementation of Strategy to Impact Systems Change 
¥ 
Evaluation of Outcomes 
¥ 
Sustaining Positive Outcomes 
The ACT Collaborative understands that this is a good-faith work plan, but that 
alterations may be necessary and will be done so upon consensus from the group. The 
Collaborative will work closely with the VERA Institute of Justice, the Technical 
Assistance Provider, and OVW, our funding agency, to facilitate these adjustments 
when necessary. 

October Ð December 2006 
Assemble core committee; assess core committee 
level of knowledge regarding the intersection of 
violence and disability; orient core committee to new 
grant program. 

November 27, 2006 
VERA Institute of Justice Site Visit to Rhode Island 
to outline Technical Assistance offerings. 

December 12 Ð 14, 2006 
Attend the Accessing Safety Initiative all-site meeting 
in San Jose, CA. 

January Ð June 2007 
Develop mission, vision, and guiding principles that 
will steer our work under this initiative; identify the 
roles and expectations for the partner agencies and 
core team representatives; set monthly committee 
meetings for 2007; continue cross-training among 
the six core group members. 

January 10, 2007 
ACT committee meeting 

February 21, 2007 
ACT committee meeting 

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March 21, 2007 
ACT committee meeting, facilitated by Jo 
Krippenstapel, to solidify ACT mission, vision and 
guiding principles. 

April 11, 2007 
ACT committee meeting 

May 9 Ð 11, 2007 
Attend the Accessing Safety Initiative all-site meeting 
in Providence, RI. 

May 16, 2007 
ACT committee meeting 

June 14, 2007 
Work with VERA and Fieldstone Alliance to 
interpret the results of Rhode IslandÕs Collaboration 
Factors Inventory Survey. 

July -September 2007 
Complete Collaboration Charter draft and submit to 
VERA for feedback. 

September 10 Ð 12, 2007 VERA Institute of Justice and OVW Site 
Visit with project partner leadership and ACT 
committee. 
October 2007 Ð January 2008 Identify and confirm pilot sites; develop Needs 
Assessment plan; implement Needs Assessment in 
project partner agencies and selected community 
sites. 
October 5, 2007 Submit Collaboration Charter to OVW for approval. 
October 12, 2007 All Ðday ACT committee RETREAT facilitated by 
VERA Institute of Justice. Focus will be selecting 
our pilot sites and identifying the questions we want 
our needs assessment to answer. 
October 17, 2007 ACT Committee meeting to identify the 
components and processes for the Needs 
Assessment Plan. 
November 6, 2007 Send Needs Assessment Plan to VERA Institute of 

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 Justice for feedback. 

November 14, 2007 ACT committee meeting. 
November 16, 2007 Submit Needs Assessment Plan to OVW for 
approval. 
November 28 Ð 30, 2007 Attend the Accessing Safety Initiative all-site meeting 
in St. Louis, MO. 
December 3, 2007 Begin Implementation of Needs Assessment Plan 
December 12, 2007 ACT committee meeting 
January 9, 2008 Send outline of needs assessment summary to 
VERA Institute of Justice for feedback. 
January 18, 2008 Submit Needs Assessment summary to OVW for 
approval. 
Week of February 4, 2008 Strategic Planning RETREAT facilitated by 
the VERA Institute of Justice 
February 29, 2007 Submit Strategic Plan to OVW for approval. 
March 2008 Ð October 2009 Implement Strategic Plan; work to create systems 
change in ACT initiative pilot sites; develop long- 
term sustainability plan; evaluate initiative outcomes. 

17



A
AAP
PPP
PPE
EEN
NND
DDI
IIX 
XX A 
AA

Rhode Island 
ACT 
Collaborative Charter 
18 



WHO WE AREÉ 



These organizations created ACT 
to help people with disabilities and 
the Deaf community in Rhode 
Island who are Survivors of abuse. 


19 



Vision & 
Mission 
Vision & 
Mission 
Our Mission is to ACT together through Advocacy, Collaboration 
and Training to end violence against individuals with disabilities 
and Deaf individuals. 

WORK TOGETHER 
SAFETY PLANNING 
ACCESSIBILITY 
VARIETY OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT 
SEEK OPPORTUNITIES 

20 


GUIDING VALUES GUIDING VALUES 
W
WWH
HHA
AAT 
TT C
CCA
AAN 
NN W
WWE 
EE D
DDO 
OO T
TTO
OOG
GGE
EET
TTH
HHE
EER 
RR T
TTH
HHA
AAT 
TT W
WWE 
EE C
CCA
AAN 
NN N
NNO
OOT 
TT D
DDO 
OO A
AAL
LLO
OON
NNE
EE? 
??

PERSON 
CENTERED 
VALUED ROLES AND 
BELONGING 
FUTURES PLANNING 
WHAT IS POSSIBLE? 
PEOPLESÕ VOICES 
ARE HEARD 
PLANT SEEDS IN RI 
DISABILITY NETWORK 
ENCOURAGE 
LEARNINGWHAT WILL KEEP PEOPLE 
SAFE? 
21 



How Will We Work Together How Will We Work Together 
Learn from each other. 

Listen to each other and make sure people with 
disabilities and the Deaf Community are heard. 

Identify which communities to work with in 
Rhode Island. 

Complete our work. 

ACT to create change. 

ACT together with the same mission, values and 
vision. 


22 



Keys for success Keys for success 
Bring ideas to the group. 

Make group decisions. 

Do our work. 

We can agree to disagree. 

If we disagree we will: 

¥ 
Notice the Elephants in the room. 
¥ 
Be honest. 
¥ 
Voice our opinions. 
¥ 
Be respectful. 
¥ 
Keep calm. 
¥ 
Help create a judgment free zone. 
¥ 
Quit Taking It Personally-Q-TIP. 
¥ 
Follow the work plan and ACT goals. 
23 



We might ask someone from outside the committee 
to help guide us to make a decision. 
Realize this work is a process of discovery. 
This Charter will change as we continue to work 
together. 
Communication 
We might ask someone from outside the committee 
to help guide us to make a decision. 
Realize this work is a process of discovery. 
This Charter will change as we continue to work 
together. 
Communication 
ACT Committee will: 

¥ 
Meet monthly. 
¥ 
Share ideas between meetings by phone, mail and/or e-mail. 
¥ 
Agendas, minutes, and work plan updates will be shared with 
the committee. 
¥ 
Review and address concerns. 
¥ 
Record progress. 
¥ 
Celebrate success. 
¥ 
Create materials that everyone can understand. 
¥ 
Outreach to the community. 
¥ 
Seek opportunities to support each otherÕs work. 
¥ 
Share what ACT believes with others. 
24