Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 


disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 


of 
the 
Washington 
State 
Collaboration 


Approved 
September 
18, 
2007 


Introduction 


In 
2006, 
the 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 
(dAP) 
of 
the 
Washington 
State 
Collaboration 
received 
a 
three 
year 
award 
from 
the 
Office 
on 
Violence 
Against 
Women 
(OVW), 
Education 
and 
Technical 
Assistance 
Grants to 
End 
Violence 
Against 
Women 
with 
Disabilities Grant 
Program. 
The 
lead 
agency 
for 
the 
grant 
is the 
Washington 
State 
Coalition 
Against 
Domestic Violence 
(WSCADV). 
The 
collaborative 
partners of 
the 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 
include 
the 
Abused 
Deaf 
Women’s Advocacy 
Services (ADWAS), 
Disability 
Rights Washington 
(DRW) 
and 
the 
Washington 
Coalition 
of 
Sexual 
Assault 
Programs (WCSAP). 


The 
first 
year 
of 
this 
project 
is a 
planning 
period 
during 
which 
the 
dAP 
collaborative 
partners will 
conduct 
an 
in-depth 
needs assessment 
in 
several 
communities in 
Washington 
State, 
from 
which 
a 
community-
specific strategic 
plan 
will 
be 
developed 
for 
three 
of 
these 
communities. 
Our 
collaborative 
has the 
capacity 
to 
perform 
in-depth 
needs assessments 
in 
four 
communities, 
and 
the 
information 
gleaned 
from 
the 
needs 
assessment 
will 
help 
us select 
our 
three 
pilot 
sites. 


Although 
this 
is the 
first 
year 
of 
the 
current 
grant 
cycle, 
the 
dAP 
has been 
working 
for 
several 
years with 
the 
assistance 
of 
previous grants from 
OVW. 
The 
work 
done 
in 
these 
previous grant 
cycles informs our 
current 
work, 
and 
has allowed 
our 
collaborative 
to 
narrow 
our 
focus in 
several 
ways. 
We 
have: 


• 
Zeroed 
in 
on 
four 
geographic regions in 
our 
state. 
• 
Identified 
four 
target 
audiences for 
our 
needs assessment 
activities. 
• 
Selected 
four 
statements reflecting 
the 
research 
questions we 
hope 
to 
answer 
in 
the 
needs assessment 
This document 
will 
lay 
out 
the 
approach, 
methods and 
activities of 
the 
needs assessment 
being 
conducted 
by 
the 
dAP. 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Goals 
for 
the 
needs 
assessment 


Through 
the 
in-depth 
needs assessment, 
we 
hope 
to: 


• 
Learn 
from 
people 
with 
disabilities about 
their 
experiences of 
domestic and 
sexual 
violence 
and 
the 
barriers they 
face 
when 
seeking 
services. 
• 
Learn 
from 
people 
with 
disabilities why 
they 
may 
choose 
not 
to 
access DV/SA 
services. 
• 
Learn 
from 
domestic and 
sexual 
violence 
advocacy 
programs and 
disability 
advocacy 
programs about 
their 
organizational 
access 
(physical, 
programmatic, 
and 
attitudinal) 
and 
removal 
of 
barriers. 
• 
Identify 
opportunities for 
organizational 
change 
in 
service 
delivery. 
• 
Examine 
outreach 
strategies utilized 
by 
community-based 
advocacy 
organizations, 
ascertain 
how 
people 
with 
disabilities learn 
about 
resources in 
their 
communities, 
and 
identify 
opportunities for 
organizational 
change 
in 
outreach 
strategies. 
• 
Identify 
opportunities to 
support 
partnerships that 
lead 
to 
co-
advocacy 
strategies 
that 
respect 
the 
choices made 
by 
survivors with 
disabilities; 
and 
• 
Identify 
elements of 
co-advocacy 
in 
the 
existing 
pilot 
site 
communities that 
could 
then 
be 
adapted 
and 
tailored 
by 
other 
communities. 
Research 
statements 


To 
that 
end, 
we 
have 
identified 
four 
statements that 
define 
the 
goals of 
our 
needs assessment. 
They 
are: 


Identify 
gaps and 
barriers to 
services experienced 
by 
survivors with 
disabilities when 
they 
seek 
DV/SA 
services from 
community-based 
domestic violence, 
sexual 
assault 
or 
disability 
advocates. 


Identify 
the 
current 
strengths and 
assets of 
community-based 
domestic 
violence, 
sexual 
assault 
and 
disability 
advocacy 
organizations currently 
providing 
DV/SA 
services to 
survivors with 
disabilities. 


Identify 
gaps and 
barriers to 
effective 
outreach 
by 
community-based 
advocacy 
organizations that 
discourage 
survivors with 
disabilities from 
seeking 
DV/SA 
services. 


Identify 
the 
elements that 
contribute 
to 
effective 
co-advocacy 
between 
community-based 
DV/SA 
advocacy 
programs and 
community-based 
disability 
advocacy 
organizations. 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 
Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Vision, 
mission 
and 
context 
for 
our 
work 


The 
vision 
of 
the 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 
is that 
people 
with 
disabilities 
and 
Deaf 
individuals 
who 
experience 
domestic or 
sexual 
violence 
are 
aware 
of 
the 
range 
of 
services that 
are 
available 
to 
them 
and 
they 
have 
the 
same 
access to 
those 
services as others. 
We 
believe 
that 
all 
people 
should 
have 
equal 
opportunity 
to 
participate 
in 
a 
society 
where 
Abilities, 
rather 
than 
disabilities, 
are 
recognized. 


It 
is important 
to 
note 
that 
when 
we 
talk 
about 
“disability,” 
we 
mean 
anyone 
with 
mobility, 
sensory, 
or 
communication 
issues; 
mental 
illness, 
intellectual 
or 
developmental 
disabilities; 
anyone 
who 
is 
Deaf 
or 
has 
hearing 
loss. 
We 
also 
include 
people 
who 
have 
“invisible” 
disabilities, 
such 
as diabetes, 
traumatic brain 
injuries or 
substance 
use 
disorders. 
We 
recognize 
that 
some 
Deaf 
individuals 
do 
not 
identify 
as having 
disabilities, 
but 
we 
include 
the 
Deaf 
community 
in 
our 
definition 
of 
disability 
to 
ensure 
their 
inclusion 
in 
our 
work 
and 
to 
recognize 
that 
Deaf 
individuals who 
are 
abused 
do 
not 
have 
the 
same 
access to 
services as other 
individuals. 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 
Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 


I. 
Analyze 
existing 
data, 
create 
a narrower 
focus 
A. 
Compile 
& 
analyze 
existing 
data 
The 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 
has worked 
together 
since 
2000 
to 
increase 
access for 
survivors and 
raise 
awareness about 
the 
abuse 
experiences of 
survivors with 
disabilities 
who 
may 
or 
may 
not 
seek 
advocacy 
services. 
Among 
the 
advocacy 
fields 
of 
domestic 
violence, 
sexual 
assault 
and 
disability 
advocacy 
organizations, 
we 
observed 
different 
understandings 
of 
policy, 
practice 
and 
the 
dynamics of 
domestic and 
sexual 
violence. 


During 
our 
years together, 
our 
project 
has held 
community 
gatherings, 
collected 
statewide 
demographic data, 
used 
survey 
information 
and 
interviews, 
and 
convened 
two 
pilot 
sites (one 
at 
a 
rural 
site 
and 
another 
in 
a 
small 
urban 
setting) 
to 
document 
the 
stories of 
violence 
and 
abuse 
experienced 
by 
survivors with 
disabilities, 
to 
illuminate 
ineffective 
advocacy 
program 
policy 
and 
practices, 
and 
demonstrate 
strategies for 
removing 
barriers and 
increasing 
access to 
advocacy 
programs. 
The 
existing 
data 
from 
this previous work, 
along 
with 
new 
data 
collected 
during 
our 
needs assessment 
activities, 
will 
be 
used 
to 
develop 
our 
strategic plan 
(please 
see 
Sections VII 
and 
VIII). 


Partners in 
dAP 
have 
visited 
communities statewide 
to 
explain 
the 
work 
of 
the 
project 
and 
gauge 
willingness of 
individuals and 
organizational 
commitment 
to 
participate 
in 
activities that 
would 
increase 
access to 
advocacy 
organizations for 
survivors with 
disabilities. 


B. 
Criteria 
to 
select 
pilot 
sites 
Our 
collaboration 
has determined 
that 
we 
would 
use 
the 
following 
criteria 
to 
select 
the 
pilot 
sites: 


1. 
Pilot 
sites should 
be 
selected 
to 
reflect 
the 
geographic and 
demographic diversity 
of 
Washington 
State. 
2. 
It 
is important 
that 
a 
potential 
pilot 
site 
have 
existing 
community-based 
resources; 
a 
domestic violence 
program, 
a 
sexual 
assault 
program, 
and 
a 
Center 
for 
Independent 
Living 
(CIL) 
or 
similar 
disability 
advocacy 
agency. 
3. 
It 
is important 
that 
the 
local 
advocates express a 
strong 
interest 
in 
the 
project 
and 
a 
willingness to 
do 
the 
work 
necessary 
to 
form 
a 
strong 
collaborative 
presence 
in 
the 
community. 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 
Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


4. 
The 
local 
advocacy 
organizations should 
also 
express a 
desire 
to 
work 
with 
the 
dAP 
to 
receive 
technical 
assistance 
and 
create 
and 
document 
model 
co-advocacy 
strategies between 
DV/SA 
and 
disability 
advocates. 
5. 
The 
community 
would 
optimally 
include 
a 
specialized 
program 
or 
resource 
unique 
to 
the 
state 
that 
addresses issues of 
domestic 
and 
sexual 
violence 
(for 
example, 
the 
Tacoma 
Area 
Coalition 
of 
Individuals with 
Disabilities which 
offers peer 
support 
groups for 
people 
with 
disabilities who 
experience 
DV/SA, 
and 
the 
Korean 
Women’s Association 
which 
has the 
only 
confidential 
domestic 
violence 
shelter 
focused 
on 
the 
needs of 
the 
Korean 
community 
in 
Washington 
state). 
6. 
The 
advocacy 
organizations in 
the 
community 
should 
express a 
strong 
interest 
in 
improving 
DV 
and 
SA 
services for 
individuals 
with 
disabilities; 
and 
7. 
The 
advocacy 
organizations in 
the 
community 
should 
express a 
strong 
interest 
in 
improving 
outreach 
regarding 
DV 
and 
SA 
services for 
individuals with 
disabilities. 
II. 
Implement 
the 
in-depth 
needs 
assessment 
within 
four 
communities 
Under 
previous grants, 
we 
have 
two 
existing 
pilot 
sites. 
One 
is in 
a 
rural 
setting, 
centered 
on 
the 
small 
town 
of 
Pullman, 
in 
the 
far 
eastern 
part 
of 
the 
state. 
The 
second 
existing 
pilot 
site 
is in 
a 
small 
urban 
setting 
in 
an 
economically 
depressed 
area 
of 
the 
state 
on 
the 
Pacific 
coast. 
The 
Grays Harbor 
pilot 
site 
includes the 
small 
cities of 
Aberdeen 
and 
Hoquiam. 
These 
two 
pilot 
sites have 
developed 
in 
very 
different 
ways and 
provide 
a 
variety 
of 
opportunities to 
pursue 
our 
mission. 
Because 
they 
meet 
the 
criteria 
established 
by 
our 
collaboration, 
we 
will 
continue 
to 
work 
within 
these 
two 
sites. 
We 
will 
determine 
the 
third 
pilot 
site 
based 
on 
the 
information 
gathered 
in 
the 
needs assessment. 


To 
ensure 
geographic and 
demographic diversity, 
our 
third 
pilot 
site 
should 
be 
located 
in 
a 
larger 
urban 
community, 
and 
Tacoma 
and 
Spokane 
stand 
out 
when 
looking 
for 
an 
urban 
pilot 
site. 
Each 
community 
meets all 
seven 
of 
our 
criteria 
and 
dAP 
partners 
already 
have 
existing 
relationships with 
advocates and 
survivors with 
disabilities in 
those 
communities. 
These 
pre-existing 
relationships will 
be 
helpful 
in 
scheduling 
focus groups and 
finding 
individuals 
to 
interview 
when 
implementing 
the 
needs 
assessment. 
These 
existing 
relationships will 
also 
be 
helpful 
when 
seeking 
additional 
willing 
partners in 
each 
of 
the 
four 
communities. 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 
Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Therefore, 
we 
will 
conduct 
the 
in-depth 
needs assessments 
in 
the 


following 
four 
communities: 
Spokane 
– 
large 
urban 
setting 
Tacoma 
– 
large 
urban 
setting 
Pullman, 
Whitman 
County 
(existing 
pilot 
site) 
– 
rural 
setting 
Grays Harbor 
County 
(existing 
pilot 
site) 
– 
small 
urban 
setting 


To 
reduce 
duplicative 
data 
collection, 
we 
will 
utilize 
some 
of 
the 
information 
that 
is 
available 
to 
us 
from 
previous years in 
which 
we 
have 
collected 
demographic and 
other 
information 
from 
each 
of 
the 
four 
communities. 


III. 
Target 
populations 
to 
be 
interviewed 
in 
needs 
assessment 
Our 
needs assessment 
will 
focus on 
DV 
and 
SA 
services for 
people 
with 
disabilities. 
Those 
services could 
be 
provided 
by 
a 
domestic 
violence 
program, 
a 
sexual 
assault 
program, 
or 
a 
disability 
advocacy 
organization. 
There 
are 
four 
distinct 
groups of 
individuals who 
have 
first-hand 
experience 
regarding 
the 
provision 
of 
DV 
or 
SA 
services to 
individuals with 
disabilities. 
These 
four 
groups are: 
a) 
survivors with 
disabilities, 
b) 
community-based 
disability 
advocates, 
c) 
community-
based 
domestic 
violence 
advocates, 
and 
d) 
community-based 
sexual 
assault 
advocates. 


To 
accomplish 
the 
goals of 
our 
needs assessment 
we 
need 
to 
construct 
an 
accurate 
picture 
of 
the 
gaps and 
barriers to 
services and 
outreach, 
as well 
as document 
the 
strengths and 
assets of 
current 
services, 
and 
identify 
opportunities for 
co-advocacy. 
To 
accomplish 
this, 
we 
plan 
to 
interview 
or 
conduct 
focus groups 
with 
individuals belonging 
to 
each 
of 
these 
four 
target 
groups. 


Our 
dAP 
partners are 
uniquely 
qualified 
to 
identify 
individuals and 
organizations in 
the 
four 
communities who 
belong 
to 
the 
four 
target 
groups. 


• 
WSCADV 
and 
WCSAP 
have 
extensive 
relationships with 
DV 
and 
SA 
programs and 
have 
been 
communicating 
with 
advocates in 
the 
four 
communities for 
years. 
Many 
advocates and 
organizations have 
expressed 
interest 
in 
participating 
in 
this project. 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 
Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


• 
DRW 
is a 
statewide 
disability 
advocacy 
organization 
that 
has been 
doing 
outreach 
in 
these 
four 
communities for 
decades. 
Not 
only 
does DRW 
have 
contacts with 
organizations, 
such 
as CILs, 
Clubhouses, 
People 
First 
chapters, 
local 
Arcs, 
they 
also 
have 
extensive 
relationships with 
local 
peer 
support 
counselors and 
self-
advocates who 
are 
active 
in 
disability 
rights advocacy. 
Because 
DRW 
has, 
for 
many 
years, 
focused 
on 
abuse 
and 
neglect 
issues 
among 
people 
with 
disabilities, 
they 
know 
a 
large 
number 
of 
people 
who 
are 
not 
only 
interested 
in 
our 
project, 
but 
anxious to 
participate 
in 
seeking 
ways to 
provide 
better 
DV 
and 
SA 
services to 
individuals 
with 
disabilities. 
• 
ADWAS 
is a 
local 
King 
County 
program, 
but 
has a 
statewide 
network 
of 
supporters, 
particularly 
in 
the 
Deaf 
and 
deaf-blind 
communities. 
Their 
groundbreaking 
work 
on 
behalf 
of 
survivors of 
domestic and 
sexual 
violence 
has not 
only 
brought 
them 
national 
recognition, 
but 
the 
trust 
and 
respect 
of 
the 
entire 
disability 
community. 
Their 
relationships and 
reputation 
will 
give 
our 
project 
credibility 
with 
organizations and 
individuals who 
otherwise 
might 
be 
reticent 
to 
participate 
in 
this project. 
For 
a 
discussion 
of 
how 
the 
dAP 
will 
select 
the 
third 
pilot 
site, 
please 
see 
section 
VII. 
For 
information 
on 
how 
participants will 
be 
recruited 
for 
the 
focus groups, 
see 
section 
VI, 
A. 


IV. 
Identify 
methodology 
used 
to 
acquire 
new 
data 
A. 
Overview 
To 
ensure 
that 
our 
community 
needs assessments are 
comprehensive 
and 
well-informed 
for 
strategic planning, 
we 
will 
be 
utilizing 
a 
variety 
of 
available 
data 
in 
addition 
to 
new 
data. 
We 
will 
utilize 
both 
quantitative 
and 
qualitative 
data 
analysis, 
ranging 
from 
descriptive 
statistics for 
previous community 
surveys to 
thematic coding 
of 
new 
focus group 
and 
interview 
data. 
Due 
to 
the 
exploratory 
nature 
of 
our 
needs 
assessment 
goals, 
the 
majority 
of 
the 
new 
data 
we 
will 
be 
collecting 
in 
the 
four 
communities will 
be 
gathered 
through 
focus groups and 
interviews. 


B. 
Schedule 
of 
focus 
groups 
and 
interviews 
In 
each 
community, 
data 
gathering 
will 
be 
conducted 
as 
follows: 


o 
People 
with 
disabilities 
-At 
least 
one 
focus group 
will 
be 
scheduled 
in 
each 
community 
specifically 
for 
people 
with 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 
Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


disabilities. 
Participants will 
be 
recruited 
by 
local 
community-
based 
advocates 
who 
will 
inform 
participants of 
the 
subject 
matter 
to 
be 
covered 
in 
the 
focus group. 
Interviews, 
either 
by 
phone 
or 
in-person, 
with 
other 
individuals with 
disabilities will 
be 
scheduled 
to 
ensure 
there 
is cross-disability 
representation 
in 
our 
data. 


o 
Community-based 
DV 
and 
SA 
advocates 
– 
At 
least 
one 
focus 
group 
will 
be 
scheduled 
in 
each 
community 
that 
includes DV 
and 
SA 
advocates. 
WSCADV 
and 
WCSAP 
will 
invite 
member 
programs in 
each 
community 
to 
attend, 
and 
will 
request 
program 
directors to 
urge 
all 
staff 
to 
attend 
the 
focus group. 
Interviews, 
either 
by 
phone 
or 
in-person, 
with 
other 
advocates will 
ensure 
that 
multiple 
perspectives will 
be 
included 
in 
our 
data. 
o 
Community-based 
disability 
advocates 
-At 
least 
one 
focus group 
will 
be 
scheduled 
in 
each 
community 
that 
includes local 
disability 
advocates. 
DRW 
and 
ADWAS 
will 
invite 
local 
advocacy 
organizations in 
each 
community 
to 
attend, 
and 
will 
request 
program 
directors to 
urge 
all 
staff 
to 
attend 
the 
focus group. 
Interviews, 
either 
by 
phone 
or 
in-person, 
with 
other 
advocates 
will 
ensure 
that 
multiple 
perspectives will 
be 
included 
in 
our 
data. 
C. 
Quantitative 
data 
collection 
At 
the 
beginning 
of 
each 
focus group 
or 
interview, 
we 
will 
administer 
a 
brief 
survey, 
which 
we 
are 
calling 
an 
orientation 
exercise. 
These 
surveys will 
be 
tailored 
to 
the 
participants 
of 
the 
focus group 
or 
interview 
and 
designed 
to 
help 
participants focus 
on 
issues of 
service 
delivery 
and 
outreach. 
Additionally, 
the 
exercise 
will 
provide 
important 
quantitative 
data 
for 
our 
needs assessment. 
The 
content 
of 
the 
orientation 
exercises are 
included 
in 
the 
appendix 
of 
this document, 
in 
the 
research 
tools. 


D. 
Methodological 
model 
We 
will 
employ 
a 
modified 
version 
of 
the 
“Getting 
to 
Outcomes” 
(GTO)1 
methodology 
of 
doing 
a 
needs and 
resources assessment. 
GTO 
is a 
comprehensive 
program 
planning 
and 
evaluation 
process that 
was 
originally 
designed 
to 
improve 
substance 
abuse 
prevention 
program 
planning, 
and 
is now 
being 
expanded 
to 
other 
social 
and 
health 
areas, 
such 
as mental 
health, 
intimate 
partner 
abuse 
and 
sexual 
violence. 
The 
needs and 
resources assessment 
process recommended 
in 
GTO 
is one 
of 
the 
most 
thorough 
models to 
follow 
for 
doing 
these 
kinds 
of 
community-based 
needs and 
resources assessments. 
We 
wanted 
to 


1 
More 
information 
about 
GTO 
can 
be 
found 
at 
http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR101/ 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 
Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


utilize 
a 
needs assessment 
process that 
was straightforward 
yet 
comprehensive, 
and 
GTO 
allows for 
both 
in 
a 
thoughtful 
manner. 


Although 
a 
needs assessment 
can 
take 
a 
year 
to 
fully 
complete, 
there 
is flexibility 
within 
this model 
to 
complete 
a 
thorough 
needs 
and 
resources assessment 
with 
the 
input 
of 
all 
dAP 
partners within 
just 
a 
few 
months. 
Our 
evaluator 
is 
experienced 
in 
using 
GTO 
and 
is working 
with 
dAP 
staff 
to 
collect 
and 
analyze 
appropriate 
data 
to 
arrive 
at 
a 
thorough, 
yet 
timely 
understanding 
of 
the 
context 
in 
the 
selected 
communities for 
addressing 
the 
needs of 
survivors with 
disabilities. 


E. 
Analysis 
Once 
the 
information 
has been 
gathered, 
we 
anticipate 
facing 
the 
challenge 
of 
analyzing 
what 
we 
have 
learned, 
prioritizing 
specific 
problem 
areas in 
which 
to 
concentrate 
our 
future 
work, 
and 
developing 
activities and 
strategies to 
address those 
problems. 
Our 
plan 
for 
analyzing 
and 
prioritizing 
the 
data 
we 
collect 
is 
discussed 
in 
section 
VII 
of 
this document. 
Our 
plan 
for 
development 
of 
strategic activities in 
future 
years of 
the 
current 
grant 
cycle 
is discussed 
in 
section 
VIII. 


V. 
Research 
tools 
and 
protocols 
A. 
Tool 
development 
Most 
of 
the 
data 
we 
plan 
to 
collect 
in 
the 
in-depth 
needs assessment 
will 
come 
from 
focus groups and 
interviews with 
individuals 
and 
organizational 
representatives from 
our 
four 
target 
groups. 


The 
dAP 
has 
developed 
multiple 
research 
tools designed 
to 
gather 
information 
from 
each 
of 
the 
target 
groups. 
Each 
tool 
contains 
questions designed 
to 
probe 
deeply 
into 
our 
goal 
statements. 
Collecting 
qualitative 
data 
in 
this manner 
creates challenges because 
individuals respond 
to 
questions 
in 
different 
ways. 
The 
wording 
of 
a 
particular 
question 
may 
elicit 
a 
detailed 
response 
from 
one 
individual 
and 
a 
one-word 
reply 
from 
another. 
The 
dAP 
has skilled 
facilitators 
within 
the 
collaborative 
who 
will 
be 
flexible 
in 
administering 
the 
research 
tools. 
Paraphrasing, 
re-stating 
of 
questions, 
as 
well 
as asking 
unscripted 
follow-up 
questions will 
be 
utilized 
to 
draw 
out 
focus group 
and 
interview 
participants. 


These 
research 
tools were 
developed 
in 
consultation 
with 
the 
Vera 
Institute 
for 
Justice, 
and 
are 
attached 
as an 
appendix 
to 
this document. 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 
Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


B. 
Confidentiality, 
safety 
and 
disclosure 
Confidentiality 
will 
be 
maintained 
throughout 
the 
interview 
and 
focus 
group 
process. 
At 
the 
beginning 
of 
each 
session, 
participants will 
be 
informed 
that 
no 
attendance 
will 
be 
taken, 
and 
nobody’s name 
will 
be 
recorded 
in 
any 
notes from 
the 
session. 
All 
participants 
will 
be 
asked 
to 
respect 
the 
confidentiality 
of 
other 
participants and 
be 
reminded 
to 
ensure 
that 
they 
do 
not, 
in 
the 
future, 
identify 
any 
other 
participants 
by 
name 
or 
any 
other 
information 
that 
might 
serve 
to 
identify 
them. 


Safety 
is 
important 
when 
discussing 
experiences of 
domestic or 
sexual 
violence. 
Interviewers and 
focus group 
facilitators will 
strive 
to 
create 
an 
atmosphere 
that 
is welcoming 
and 
accepting 
of 
the 
experiences and 
choices of 
survivors. 
However, 
discussions of 
these 
subjects can 
often 
lead 
to 
disclosure 
of 
ongoing 
or 
past 
domestic or 
sexual 
violence. 
These 
disclosures can 
bring 
up 
intense 
emotions and 
participants may 
need 
support 
and/or 
advocacy. 
At 
all 
focus groups, 
dAP 
will 
have 
a 
domestic violence 
and/or 
sexual 
assault 
advocate 
present 
to 
speak 
with 
survivors if 
the 
need 
arises. 
In 
addition, 
interviewers will 
be 
prepared 
to 
provide 
appropriate, 
local 
resource 
information 
for 
any 
participant. 
The 
dAP 
will 
request 
local 
resource 
providers to 
review 
their 
materials 
for 
accessibility 
and 
inquire 
about 
availability 
of 
those 
materials in 
alternate 
formats. 


C. 
Focus 
group 
and 
interview 
protocols 
Responses from 
interview 
and 
focus group 
participants will 
be 
recorded 
as accurately 
as possible. 
In 
most 
cases, 
we 
will 
use 
skilled 
typists 
to 
record 
the 
responses of 
participants. 
In 
some 
cases, 
we 
may 
record 
interviews or 
focus groups on 
audio. 
When 
audio 
recordings are 
utilized, 
the 
dAP 
will 
determine 
that 
the 
recording 
will 
be 
unlikely 
to 
inhibit 
participants. 
Permission 
will 
be 
expressly 
granted 
by 
any 
participant 
being 
recorded 
on 
audio 
and 
all 
participants will 
be 
informed 
that 
while 
direct 
quotes will 
be 
utilized 
in 
the 
report 
created 
by 
the 
dAP, 
no 
participant 
will 
be 
identified 
in 
any 
way. 
If 
interviews are 
recorded 
on 
audio, 
dAP 
will 
adhere 
to 
the 
following 
protocol: 


a) 
tapes will 
be 
kept 
secured 
in 
locked 
cabinets when 
not 
in 
the 


possession 
of 
a 
dAP 
partner. 


b) 
tapes will 
be 
kept 
only 
until 
the 
dAP 
partner 
has the 
opportunity 


to 
take 
detailed 
notes from 
the 
tape. 


c) 
tapes will 
be 
erased 
after 
the 
detailed 
notes have 
been 
taken, 


and 
under 
no 
circumstances will 
tapes be 
retained 
longer 
than 
six 


months. 


D. 
Accessibility 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


10 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


All 
focus groups will 
be 
accessible. 
Gatherings will 
be 
scheduled 
at 
locations that 
have 
appropriate 
parking 
for 
individuals who 
have 
needs 
for 
accessible 
parking, 
and 
where 
possible, 
within 
reach 
of 
public 
transportation. 
The 
route 
of 
travel 
to 
the 
meeting 
location 
will 
be 
accessible 
and 
free 
of 
obstacles, 
doors and 
entryways will 
checked 
for 
accessibility, 
and 
the 
path 
of 
travel 
within 
the 
building 
to 
the 
meeting 
room 
will 
be 
reviewed. 
Meeting 
rooms will 
be 
able 
to 
accommodate 
individuals in 
wheelchairs or 
who 
have 
other 
mobility 
issues. 
WSCADV 
owns a 
portable 
PA 
system 
that 
can 
be 
utilized 
if 
the 
size 
of 
the 
gathering 
or 
room 
requires it, 
or 
if 
an 
individual 
requests it 
as a 
reasonable 
accommodation. 


Local 
organizations who 
host 
these 
gatherings will 
be 
asked 
to 
collect 
any 
requests for 
accommodations, 
and 
WSCADV 
will 
provide 
and 
pay 
for 
these 
accommodations whenever 
possible. 
Sign 
language 
or 
other 
interpreters will 
be 
made 
available 
on 
request. 


VI. 
Outreach 
plan 
for 
target 
groups 
A. 
Outreach 
to 
individuals 
and 
community 
organizations 
The 
dAP 
has many 
existing 
relationships with 
advocates and 
survivors 
in 
the 
four 
communities participating 
in 
our 
needs assessment. 
In 
many 
cases, 
individuals in 
these 
communities are 
already 
aware 
of 
and 
interested 
in 
the 
work 
of 
the 
dAP. 
In 
each 
community, 
dAP 
partners 
will 
ask 
their 
existing 
contacts who 
else 
in 
the 
community 
should 
be 
involved 
in 
needs assessment 
activities. 
Organizations and 
individuals 
who 
are 
identified 
in 
this manner 
will 
also 
be 
contacted 
and 
asked 
the 
same 
question, 
leading 
to 
further 
potential 
participants. 


Local 
organizations that 
express interest 
in 
the 
work 
of 
the 
project 
will 
be 
asked 
to 
recruit 
individuals to 
participate 
in 
the 
focus groups that 
will 
be 
facilitated 
by 
dAP 
partners. 
Publicity 
will 
not 
be 
general, 
but 
targeted 
to 
individuals that 
belong 
to 
the 
target 
population 
for 
the 
focus group. 
Host 
organizations will 
also 
be 
asked 
to 
be 
active 
in 
assisting 
the 
dAP 
to 
implement 
the 
accessibility 
plan 
for 
any 
gatherings 
(see 
section 
V, 
D, 
above). 


Some 
individuals 
will 
be 
unable 
to 
attend 
scheduled 
focus groups, 
or 
may 
feel 
uncomfortable 
talking 
in 
a 
group. 
These 
individuals 
may 
be 
candidates to 
be 
interviewed 
by 
phone 
or 
in 
person. 


B. 
Interviews 
and 
focus 
groups 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


11 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


We 
anticipate 
traveling 
to 
each 
of 
the 
four 
communities to 
administer 
the 
research 
tools. 
Please 
see 
section 
IV, 
B 
for 
a 
discussion 
of 
how 
we 
plan 
to 
schedule 
focus groups in 
each 
community. 


During 
focus groups 
that 
have 
been 
scheduled 
for 
people 
with 
disabilities, 
we 
will 
not 
ask 
community-based 
advocates to 
participate, 
other 
than 
to 
inform 
participants of 
available 
resources, 
be 
present 
for 
support, 
or 
to 
provide 
subsequent 
individual 
advocacy 
for 
any 
survivor 
who 
requests it. 


In-person 
or 
telephone 
interviews will 
help 
ensure 
that 
each 
of 
the 
four 
target 
groups are 
represented 
in 
our 
data 
collection 
and 
will 
have 
opportunities to 
give 
their 
input. 


Other 
opportunities that 
present 
themselves will 
be 
utilized 
to 
reach 
relevant 
individuals or 
organizations in 
the 
four 
communities. 
dAP 
partners may 
participate 
in 
conferences, 
trainings or 
other 
community 
gatherings 
that 
are 
attended 
by 
individuals whose 
knowledge 
or 
expertise 
will 
enhance 
our 
data 
collection. 
When 
these 
events occur, 
dAP 
partners may 
seek 
to 
interview 
these 
individuals and 
record 
their 
responses, 
using 
our 
research 
tools and 
adhering 
to 
safety 
and 
confidentiality 
protocols. 


At 
each 
focus 
group 
or 
interview, 
the 
confidentiality 
and 
safety 
protocols will 
be 
utilized. 
Participants will 
be 
told 
that 
their 
responses 
will 
be 
recorded 
as accurately 
as possible, 
and 
that 
their 
responses 
may 
be 
included 
in 
a 
published 
report. 
However, 
no 
identifying 
information 
will 
be 
linked 
to 
any 
published 
response, 
no 
attendance 
will 
be 
taken 
at 
any 
focus group, 
and 
the 
dAP 
will 
take 
steps to 
ensure 
that 
the 
confidentiality 
of 
each 
participant 
will 
be 
maintained. 


VII. 
Compile 
and 
analyze 
data 
A. 
Analysis 
and 
prioritization 
of 
themes 
Once 
completed, 
the 
data 
accumulated 
through 
the 
needs assessment 
will 
be 
analyzed 
by 
dAP 
partners and 
other 
individuals. 
These 
other 
individuals will 
be 
identified 
by 
the 
dAP 
collaborative 
as those 
likely 
to 
provide 
alternative 
perspectives to 
the 
analysis being 
done. 


Partners and 
other 
analysts will 
be 
asked 
to 
examine 
the 
collected 
data, 
both 
old 
and 
new, 
with 
the 
goal 
of 
identifying 
themes and 
relevant 
information. 
This 
process is called 
thematic coding. 
The 
dAP 
evaluator 
will 
assist 
the 
analysts in 
the 
coding 
process. 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 


12 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


dAP 
will 
schedule 
discussion 
groups among 
analysts to 
share 
and 
discuss 
the 
thematic coding 
and 
to 
develop 
a 
group 
consensus of 
important 
themes and 
information 
that 
will 
be 
included 
in 
a 
final 
analysis of 
the 
data. 
These 
discussion 
groups will 
isolate 
not 
only 
themes, 
but 
will 
identify 
problem 
areas that 
are 
likely 
to 
be 
ameliorated 
by 
subsequent 
dAP 
and 
pilot 
site 
activities. 


B. 
Selection 
of 
third 
pilot 
site 
The 
collaborative 
partners will 
have 
an 
additional 
task 
at 
this stage 
of 
the 
needs assessment 
process. 
A 
third 
pilot 
site 
must 
be 
selected 
from 
the 
two 
candidate 
communities, 
Tacoma 
and 
Spokane. 
The 
partners 
will 
select 
the 
most 
promising 
of 
the 
two 
communities based 
on 
the 
seven 
criteria 
outlined 
in 
section 
I, 
B 
of 
this document. 


VIII. 
Identify 
key 
activities 
for 
strategic 
plan 
Analysts will 
prioritize 
and 
identify 
activities that 
may 
be 
undertaken 
by 
the 
dAP 
in 
subsequent 
years under 
the 
grant. 
These 
recommendations 
will 
be 
discussed 
and 
evaluated 
by 
the 
collaborative. 
The 
recommended 
activities that 
are 
agreed 
to 
by 
the 
collaborative 
partners will 
then 
be 
written 
into 
a 
strategic plan, 
which 
will 
guide 
the 
dAP 
in 
the 
remaining 
years of 
the 
grant. 


The 
dAP 
evaluator 
will 
assist 
the 
partners in 
writing 
the 
strategic plan 
which 
will 
be 
developed 
in 
consultation 
with 
the 
Vera 
Institute 
for 
Justice. 
When 
completed, 
the 
plan 
will 
be 
submitted 
to 
OVW 
for 
final 
approval. 


IX. 
Estimated 
timeline 
June 
-July 
2007 
Develop 
needs assessment 
plan 
in 
consultation 
with 
Vera. 


July 
-August 
2007 
Develop 
needs assessment 
research 
tools in 
consultation 
with 
Vera. 
Submit 
needs assessment 
plan 
and 
research 
tools to 
OVW 
for 
review 
and 
approval. 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 


13 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


August 
– 
October 
2007 
Needs assessment 
implementation 
in 
Spokane, 
Pullman, 
Grays Harbor 
and 
Tacoma. 


November 
-December 
2007 
Compile 
data 
and 
develop 
findings. 
Create 
strategic plan 
for 
2008-2009 
in 
consultation 
with 
Vera. 


December 
2007 
Strategic 
plan 
reviewed 
and 
approved 
by 
OVW. 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 


14 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Appendix 


Focus 
Group 
and 
Interview 
Tool 


There 
are 
three 
Focus 
Group 
and 
Interview 
tools 
to 
be 
used 
to 
collect 
data 
for 
the 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project’s 
Needs 
Assessment. 
One 
of 
the 
three 
tools 
will 
be 
specific 
to 
each 
of 
the 
three 
target 
populations 
identified 
in 
the 
Needs 
Assessment 
Plan. 
The 
three 
target 
populations 
are: 


o 
Individuals 
with 
disabilities 
(with 
an 
emphasis 
on 
individuals 
who 
are 
survivors 
of 
domestic 
or 
sexual 
violence). 
o 
Advocates 
from 
community-based 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
programs. 
o 
Advocates 
from 
community-based 
disability 
advocacy 
programs. 
Each 
of 
the 
three 
tools 
will 
be 
administered 
in 
four 
steps. 
The 
first 
step 
will 
be 
an 
accommodation 
check 
of 
participants 
to 
ensure 
that 
everyone 
has 
what 
they 
need 
to 
participate. 
The 
second 
step 
will 
be 
an 
orientation 
exercise 
that 
consists 
of 
a 
few 
multiple 
choice 
or 
short 
answer 
questions 
that 
will 
be 
distributed 
to 
participants. 
Participants 
will 
be 
asked 
to 
indicate 
their 
answers 
to 
the 
questions 
and 
submit 
their 
responses. 
No 
names 
will 
be 
collected 
on 
the 
orientation 
exercise 
and 
only 
aggregate 
data 
from 
these 
responses 
will 
be 
published. 
The 
exercise 
will 
be 
available 
in 
alternate 
formats, 
and 
appropriate 
support 
will 
be 
available 
for 
those 
who 
do 
not 
read 
or 
process 
written 
language. 


The 
third 
step 
will 
consist 
of 
a 
short, 
facilitated 
discussion 
that 
will 
frame 
the 
particular 
areas 
of 
inquiry 
we 
wish 
to 
pursue. 
During 
this 
discussion, 
important 
concepts 
or 
definitions 
may 
be 
discussed, 
such 
as 
“what 
exactly 
is 
domestic 
violence” 
or 
“what 
do 
we 
mean 
when 
we 
say 
disability?” 
This 
discussion 
will 
also 
help 
us 
focus 
the 
conversation 
on 
domestic 
violence 
and 
sexual 
assault 
services 
for 
individuals 
with 
disabilities, 
rather 
than 
straying 
into 
a 
discussion 
of, 
for 
example, 
the 
criminal 
justice 
system. 


The 
fourth 
step 
in 
each 
tool 
consists 
of 
specific, 
yet 
open-ended 
questions 
that 
will 
be 
asked 
of 
the 
participants. 
These 
questions 
are 
designed 
to 
elicit 
responses 
related 
to 
the 
experiences 
of 
the 
participants, 
and 
to 
help 
us 
collect 
data 
relevant 
to 
the 
following 
research 
goals: 


1. 
Identify 
gaps 
and 
barriers 
to 
effective 
outreach 
by 
community-based 
advocacy 
organizations 
that 
discourage 
survivors 
with 
disabilities 
from 
seeking 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
services. 
2. 
Identify 
gaps 
and 
barriers 
to 
services 
experienced 
by 
survivors 
with 
disabilities 
when 
they 
seek 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
services 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


15 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


from 
community-based 
domestic 
violence, 
sexual 
assault 
or 
disability 
advocates. 


3. 
Identify 
the 
current 
strengths 
and 
assets 
of 
community-based 
domestic 
violence, 
sexual 
assault 
or 
disability 
advocacy 
organizations 
currently 
providing 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
services 
to 
survivors 
with 
disabilities. 
4. 
Identify 
the 
elements 
that 
contribute 
to 
effective 
co-advocacy 
between 
community-based 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
advocacy 
programs 
and 
community-based 
disability 
advocacy 
organizations. 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


16 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Focus 
Group-Interview 
Tool 
to 
be 
used 
with 
People 
with 
Disabilities 


Step 
1 
-Accommodation 
check 
– 
check 
in 
with 
participants 
about 
needed 
accommodations. 


Step 
2 
-Orientation 
Exercise 
– 
participants 
fill 
out 
short 
survey, 
as 
follows: 


1. 
How 
do 
you 
find 
out 
about 
things 
happening 
in 
your 
community? 
[check 
all 
that 
apply] 
__ 
I 
talk 
to 
my 
friends 
or 
family 
__ 
Radio, 
newspaper, 
TV 
__ 
Community 
gatherings 
or 
events 
__ 
Social 
service 
offices 
__ 
Food 
bank 
__ 
Courthouse 
__ 
Doctor’s 
office, 
clinic, 
Hospital 
__ 
Church, 
synagogue, 
or 
mosque 
__ 
Grocery 
store/laundromat 
bulletin 
board 
__ 
Other 
__________________________________________ 


2. 
Have 
you 
ever 
told 
anyone 
about 
an 
experience 
with 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse? 
The 
violence 
could 
have 
happened 
to 
you 
or 
to 
a 
friend 
or 
family 
member. 
__ 
Yes 
__ 
No 
__ 
Does 
not 
apply 


3. 
Have 
you 
ever 
contacted 
a 
group 
that 
helps 
people 
who 
have 
experienced 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse? 
__ 
Yes 
__ 
No 
__ 
Does 
not 
apply 


4. 
If 
you 
told 
someone 
about 
the 
violence 
that 
happened 
to 
you 
or 
someone 
else, 
did 
you 
get 
what 
you 
wanted? 
__ 
Yes 
__ 
No 
__ 
I 
never 
told 
anyone 
__ 
Does 
not 
apply 


Step 
3 
– 
Facilitated 
discussion 
talking 
points 


o 
Ask 
permission 
of 
participants 
regarding 
note-taking, 
audio 
recording, 
explain 
why 
typist 
or 
tape 
recorder 
is 
present, 
explain 
safety/confidentiality 
protocols, 
talk 
about 
resources 
available 
to 
participants 
who 
want 
them. 
o 
Discuss 
reasons 
for 
focusing 
on 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
services, 
rather 
than 
other 
barriers 
faced 
by 
survivors 
with 
disabilities. 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


17 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


o 
Discuss 
definitions 
of 
key 
terms 
(see 
appendix 
for 
working 
definitions). 
Step 
4 
-Focus 
group/Interview 
Questions 


1. 
Who 
in 
your 
community 
serves 
you 
the 
best? 
What 
makes 
their 
service 
the 
best? 
Can 
you 
give 
some 
examples 
of 
working 
with 
a 
service 
provider 
who 
was 
helpful? 
Why 
did 
you 
like 
what 
they 
did? 
2. 
What 
advice 
would 
you 
give 
an 
advocate 
about 
how 
to 
better 
serve 
people 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault? 
(follow-up 
questions 
– 
make 
sure 
both 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
and 
disability 
advocates 
are 
addressed. 
What 
is 
the 
biggest 
barrier 
you 
faced 
when 
you 
tried 
to 
get 
help 
from 
a 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse 
program? 
How 
could 
they 
do 
better 
accommodating 
your 
disability? 
3. 
I 
want 
to 
ask 
a 
question 
about 
how 
you 
decide 
to 
trust 
an 
advocate 
or 
a 
service 
provider. 
Often 
there 
are 
good 
reasons 
for 
not 
telling 
a 
service 
provider 
things 
about 
you, 
for 
example, 
about 
your 
disability, 
or 
about 
bad 
things 
that 
happened 
to 
you. 
What 
do 
service 
providers 
do 
or 
say 
that 
makes 
you 
trust 
them? 
What 
do 
service 
providers 
do 
or 
say 
that 
makes 
you 
hesitant 
or 
careful 
about 
giving 
them 
too 
much 
information 
about 
yourself? 
(f/u 
questions 
-When 
you 
worked 
with 
someone 
in 
the 
past 
and 
you 
stopped 
trusting 
them, 
what 
happened 
that 
made 
you 
stop 
trusting? 
What 
are 
some 
of 
the 
reasons 
you 
have 
for 
not 
telling 
service 
providers 
about 
your 
disability 
or 
about 
bad 
things 
that 
happened 
to 
you? 
Would 
you 
tell 
an 
advocate 
about 
abuse 
that 
was 
happening 
to 
you? 
Why 
or 
why 
not? 
What 
kind 
of 
help 
or 
support 
would 
you 
need 
from 
a 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
program 
to 
live 
your 
life 
the 
way 
you 
want 
to?) 
4. 
Many 
people 
with 
disabilities 
experience 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse. 
In 
your 
experience, 
what 
do 
abusers 
say 
or 
do 
that 
made 
people 
with 
disabilities 
think 
nobody 
would 
help 
or 
believe 
them? 
(f/u: 
Abusers 
have 
lots 
of 
ways 
to 
try 
to 
control 
you 
or 
the 
people 
you 
know 
– 
making 
you 
feel 
afraid, 
not 
helping 
you 
get 
dressed 
or 
out 
of 
bed; 
controlling 
your 
medication 
or 
money; 
punishing 
you 
for 
resisting 
in 
any 
way; 
threatening 
that 
you 
will 
lose 
your 
housing, 
children, 
independence; 
breaking 
equipment 
you 
need 
-can 
you 
talk 
about 
specific 
ways 
that 
abusers 
try 
to 
control 
a 
person 
with 
a 
disability 
who 
is 
trying 
to 
resist 
the 
abuse 
in 
some 
way?) 
5. 
If 
domestic 
violence 
and 
sexual 
abuse 
programs 
want 
to 
talk 
to 
people 
with 
disabilities, 
where 
should 
they 
go 
to 
talk 
about 
the 
services 
they 
offer? 
Where 
should 
they 
place 
brochures 
or 
fliers 
about 
their 
services? 
(f/u: 
What 
ways 
should 
the 
information 
be 
presented 
so 
that 
is 
tells 
you 
that 
people 
with 
disabilities 
are 
welcome? 
Are 
brochures/fliers 
a 
good 
method? 
What 
makes 
a 
good 
brochure? 
What 
words 
should 
advocates 
use 
to 
describe 
what 
happens 
to 
you 
or 
people 
you 
know 
– 
does 
“domestic 
violence” 
or 
“sexual 
assault” 
describe 
it, 
or 
are 
there 
better 
words 
that 
would 
help 
you 
understand 
that 
these 
services 
would 
help 
with 
what 
is 
happening 
to 
you?) 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


18 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 


19 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Focus 
Group 
– 
Interview 
tool 
to 
be 
used 
with 
Domestic 
Violence 
and 
Sexual 
Assault 
advocates 


Step 
1 
-Accommodation 
check 
– 
check 
in 
with 
participants 
about 
needed 
accommodations. 


Step 
2 
-Orientation 
Exercise 
-participants 
fill 
out 
short 
survey, 
as 
follows: 


Who 
are 
you? 
[check 
all 
that 
apply] 
__ 
I 
am 
a 
domestic 
violence 
advocate 
__ 
I 
am 
a 
sexual 
assault 
advocate 


1. 
At 
your 
program, 
how 
often 
do 
you 
receive 
training 
about 
ways 
to 
serve 
people 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
domestic 
or 
sexual 
violence? 
__ 
Never 
__ 
Once 
__ 
Less 
frequently 
than 
once 
a 
year 
__ 
More 
frequently 
than 
once 
a 
year 


2. 
Infonet 
asks 
you 
to 
request 
information 
from 
people 
who 
contact 
your 
program, 
including 
if 
they 
have 
a 
disability. 
When 
do 
you 
collect 
this 
information? 
__ 
At 
the 
beginning 
of 
a 
crisis 
or 
preliminary 
screening 
call 
or 
meeting 
__ 
At 
the 
end 
of 
a 
crisis 
or 
preliminary 
screening 
call 
or 
meeting 
__ 
After 
someone 
is 
determined 
to 
be 
eligible 
for 
services 
__ 
Other 
___________________________________________ 


3. 
When 
someone 
contacts 
your 
program, 
when 
do 
you 
ask 
if 
they 
need 
an 
accommodation 
for 
a 
disability? 
__ 
During 
initial 
crisis 
call 
or 
preliminary 
screening 
for 
eligibility 
of 
services 
__ 
After 
someone 
is 
determined 
to 
be 
eligible 
for 
services 
__ 
When 
they 
enter 
into 
services 
__ 
We 
don’t 
ask 
if 
they 
need 
an 
accommodation 
__ 
Other 
__________________________________________ 


4. 
If 
a 
survivor 
requests 
an 
accommodation 
for 
a 
disability, 
do 
you 
provide 
it? 
__ 
Yes 
If 
“yes,” 
what 
is 
a 
typical 
accommodation 
you 
provide? 
_______________ 
__ 
No 
If 
“no,” 
why 
not? 
_____________________________________________ 
__ 
Don’t 
know/not 
sure 


5. 
Many 
domestic 
violence 
and 
sexual 
assault 
programs 
are 
beginning 
to 
develop 
policies 
or 
procedures 
that 
relate 
to 
serving 
survivors 
with 
disabilities. 
Do 
you 
have 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


20 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


policies 
or 
procedures 
that 
address 
any 
of 
the 
following 
issues: 
[check 
all 
that 
apply] 


__ 
Recruiting, 
hiring 
and 
working 
with 
ASL 
interpreters 


__ 
Program 
participants 
who 
use 
personal 
attendants, 
or 
other 
hired 
support 


workers 


__ 
Ongoing 
process 
for 
evaluating 
agency 
accessibility 


__ 
Training 
and 
use 
of 
TTY 
and 
Relay 
Operator 
procedures 


__ 
How 
or 
when 
to 
have 
materials 
printed 
in 
alternate 
formats 


__ 
Service 
animals 
used 
by 
program 
participants 


__ 
Mandatory 
reporting 
of 
abuse 
of 
a 
vulnerable 
adult 


__ 
Providing 
reasonable 
accommodations 
for 
survivors 
using 
your 
services 


__ 
Medications 
used 
by 
a 
survivor 
in 
your 
shelter 


__ 
Advocacy 
for 
survivors 
with 
mental 
health 
issues 


__ 
Hiring 
practices 
at 
your 
agency 
regarding 
applicants 
with 
disabilities 


__ 
Providing 
reasonable 
accommodations 
for 
staff 
and 
volunteers 
with 
disabilities 


__ 
Other 
__________________________________________________ 


6. 
In 
the 
last 
year, 
has 
your 
program 
made 
any 
changes 
to 
rules, 
policies 
or 
practices 
to 
accommodate 
a 
survivor 
with 
a 
disability? 
[check 
all 
that 
apply] 
__ 
Changed 
intake 
form 
questions 
__ 
Changed 
safety 
planning 
questions 
__ 
Changed 
shelter 
rules 
__ 
Changed 
policy 
regarding 
transportation 
to 
and 
from 
the 
shelter 
__ 
Changed 
policy 
regarding 
meeting 
potential 
program 
participants 
in 
their 
home 
or 
another 
location 
__ 
Other 
_________________________________________________ 


7. 
Excluding 
shelter 
services, 
how 
frequently 
do 
you 
think 
your 
program 
provides 
advocacy 
for 
survivors 
with 
disabilities? 
__ 
Never 
__ 
Rarely 
__ 
Once 
in 
awhile 
__ 
Often 
__ 
All 
the 
time 


8. 
If 
you 
are 
a 
domestic 
violence 
advocate, 
how 
frequently 
do 
you 
think 
your 
program 
serves 
survivors 
with 
disabilities 
in 
your 
shelter? 
__ 
Never 
__ 
Rarely 
__ 
Once 
in 
a 
while 
__ 
Often 
__ 
All 
the 
time 
__ 
I 
am 
not 
a 
shelter 
advocate 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 


21 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


9. 
Have 
you 
developed 
any 
targeted 
outreach 
materials 
specifically 
for 
people 
with 
disabilities? 
__ 
Yes 
If 
“yes,” 
for 
what 
type 
of 
disability? 
_________________________ 
__ 
No 
__ 
Not 
Sure 


10. 
How 
do 
you 
tell 
the 
community 
about 
your 
program? 
[check 
all 
that 
apply] 
__ 
Ads 
or 
PSAs 
in 
newspaper, 
radio 
or 
TV 
__ 
News 
articles 
in 
the 
local 
newspaper 
__ 
Appearances 
on 
local 
radio 
or 
TV 
programs 
__ 
Brochures 
in 
public 
restrooms 
__ 
Brochures 
in 
doctor’s 
offices, 
clinics, 
hospital 
__ 
Church, 
synagogue, 
mosque, 
or 
temple 
__ 
Bulletin 
boards 
at 
grocery 
stores, 
laundromats, 
or 
similar 
businesses 
__ 
Brochures 
in 
lobbies 
of 
Courthouse, 
social 
service 
agencies, 
food 
banks 
__ 
Bus 
signs 
__ 
Community 
gatherings 
and 
meetings 
__ 
Other 
___________________________________________________ 
Step 
3 
– 
Facilitated 
discussion 
talking 
points 


o 
Ask 
permission 
of 
participants 
regarding 
note-taking, 
audio 
recording, 
explain 
why 
typist 
or 
tape 
recorder 
is 
present, 
explain 
safety/confidentiality 
protocols, 
talk 
about 
resources 
available 
to 
participants 
who 
want 
them. 
o 
Discuss 
reasons 
for 
focusing 
on 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
services, 
rather 
than 
other 
barriers 
faced 
by 
survivors 
with 
disabilities. 
o 
Discuss 
definitions 
of 
key 
terms 
(see 
appendix 
for 
working 
definitions). 
Step 
4 
-Focus 
group/Interview 
Questions 


1. 
What 
have 
you 
done 
at 
your 
program 
for 
survivors 
with 
disabilities 
that 
you 
are 
proud 
of? 
2. 
When 
you 
took 
the 
volunteer 
or 
new 
employee 
training, 
did 
you 
learn 
about 
specific 
disability-related 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
issues? 
(f/u: 
did 
you 
receive 
any 
training 
on 
mental 
health 
issues 
for 
survivors? 
Substance 
use? 
Communications 
difficulties? 
Mobility 
issues? 
Dealing 
with 
survivor’s 
medications 
in 
shelter?) 
3. 
Do 
you 
have 
contacts 
in 
the 
disability 
community 
to 
help 
you 
learn 
about 
how 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
issues 
affect 
people 
with 
disabilities? 
In 
your 
community, 
what 
strategies 
would 
help 
build 
partnerships 
between 
disability 
advocates 
and 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
advocates? 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


22 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


4. 
Often 
survivors 
who 
have 
a 
disability 
will 
not 
tell 
an 
advocate 
that 
they 
have 
one. 
Why 
do 
you 
think 
that 
is? 
Is 
there 
any 
question 
you 
ask 
during 
intake 
that 
might 
make 
a 
person 
with 
a 
disability 
hesitant/afraid 
to 
disclose 
they 
have 
a 
disability? 
Do 
you 
have 
policies, 
procedures 
or 
practices 
that 
keep 
people 
from 
disclosing 
their 
disability? 
5. 
What 
are 
the 
barriers 
you 
have 
to 
serving 
people 
with 
disabilities? 
What 
would 
help 
you 
become 
better 
prepared 
to 
serve 
survivors 
of 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse 
who 
have 
disabilities? 
(f/u 
– 
make 
sure 
different 
types 
of 
disabilities 
are 
discussed: 
intellectual, 
MH/MI, 
Deaf, 
blind, 
drug/alcohol, 
communication, 
etc.) 
6. 
What 
should 
disability 
advocates 
do 
to 
inform 
people 
with 
disabilities 
about 
domestic 
violence 
and 
sexual 
assault? 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


23 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Focus 
Group 
– 
Interview 
tool 
to 
be 
used 
with 


Disability 
Advocates 
Step 
1 
-Accommodation 
check 
– 
check 
in 
with 
participants 
about 
needed 
accommodations. 


Step 
2 
-Orientation 
Exercise 
-participants 
fill 
out 
short 
survey, 
as 
follows: 


1. 
At 
your 
organization, 
how 
often 
do 
you 
receive 
training 
about 
ways 
to 
serve 
people 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
domestic 
or 
sexual 
violence? 
__ 
Never 
__ 
Once 
__ 
Less 
frequently 
than 
once 
a 
year 
__ 
More 
frequently 
than 
once 
a 
year 


2. 
How 
often 
does 
someone 
with 
a 
disability 
contact 
your 
disability 
advocacy 
organization 
to 
talk 
about 
domestic 
or 
sexual 
violence? 
__ 
Never 
__ 
Rarely 
__ 
Once 
in 
a 
while 
__ 
Very 
often 
__ 
All 
the 
time 


3. 
What 
kind 
of 
information 
do 
you 
currently 
have 
in 
your 
office 
about 
domestic 
violence, 
sexual 
abuse 
and 
stalking? 
[check 
all 
that 
apply] 
__ 
Information 
explaining 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
services 
__ 
Information 
about 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
support 
groups 
__ 
Information 
about 
safety 
planning 
for 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
survivors 
__ 
Nothing 
__ 
Other 
__________________________________________________ 


4. 
Do 
you 
have 
policies 
or 
procedures 
that 
address 
any 
of 
the 
following 
issues: 
[check 
all 
that 
apply] 
__ 
Asking 
about 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse 
from 
a 
person 
who 
is 
seeking 
services 
__ 
Working 
with 
a 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse 
program 
when 
advocating 
for 
a 
person 
with 
a 
disability 
who 
is 
experiencing 
violence 
__ 
Recruiting, 
hiring 
and 
working 
with 
ASL 
interpreters 
__ 
Ongoing 
process 
for 
evaluating 
agency 
accessibility 
__ 
Training 
and 
use 
of 
TTY 
and 
Relay 
Operator 
procedures 
__ 
How 
or 
when 
to 
have 
materials 
printed 
in 
alternate 
formats 
__ 
Service 
animals 
used 
by 
clients 
or 
staff 
__ 
Mandatory 
reporting 
of 
abuse 
of 
a 
vulnerable 
adult 
__ 
Providing 
reasonable 
accommodations 
__ 
Workplace 
policies 
for 
staff 
who 
experience 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 


abuse. 
__ 
Other 
__________________________________________________ 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 


24 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


5. 
How 
do 
you 
tell 
your 
community 
about 
your 
organization? 
[check 
all 
that 
apply] 
__ 
Ads 
or 
PSAs 
in 
newspaper, 
radio 
or 
TV 
__ 
News 
articles 
in 
the 
local 
newspaper 
__ 
Appearances 
on 
local 
radio 
or 
TV 
programs 
__ 
Brochures 
in 
doctors 
offices 
__ 
Brochures 
in 
public 
restrooms 
__ 
Church, 
synagogue, 
or 
mosque 
__ 
Bulletin 
boards 
at 
grocery 
stores, 
laundromats 
__ 
Brochures 
in 
lobbies 
of 
Courthouse, 
social 
service 
agencies, 
food 
banks 
__ 
Bus 
signs 
__ 
Community 
gatherings 
and 
meetings 
__ 
Other 
___________________________________________________ 
Step 
3 
– 
Facilitated 
discussion 
talking 
points 


o 
Ask 
permission 
of 
participants 
regarding 
note-taking, 
audio 
recording, 
explain 
why 
typist 
or 
tape 
recorder 
is 
present, 
explain 
safety/confidentiality 
protocols, 
talk 
about 
resources 
available 
to 
participants 
who 
want 
them. 
o 
Discuss 
reasons 
for 
focusing 
on 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
services, 
rather 
than 
other 
barriers 
faced 
by 
survivors 
with 
disabilities. 
o 
Discuss 
definitions 
of 
key 
terms 
(see 
appendix 
for 
working 
definitions). 
Step 
4 
-Focus 
group/Interview 
Questions 


1. 
What 
have 
you 
done 
at 
your 
organization 
for 
people 
with 
disabilities 
who 
have 
experienced 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse 
that 
you 
are 
proud 
of? 
2. 
Do 
volunteers 
and 
employees 
receive 
training 
on 
how 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
issues 
affect 
people 
with 
disabilities? 
If 
so, 
was 
the 
training 
effective? 
If 
not, 
who 
in 
your 
community 
would 
you 
ask 
to 
do 
such 
a 
training? 
3. 
When 
you 
are 
contacted 
by 
a 
person 
with 
a 
disability 
who 
is 
experiencing 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault, 
what 
do 
you 
do? 
(f/u 
– 
do 
you 
have 
contacts 
at 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault 
programs 
to 
help 
you 
learn 
about 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
issues? 
In 
your 
community, 
what 
strategies 
would 
help 
build 
partnerships 
between 
disability 
advocates 
and 
domestic 
violence/sexual 
assault 
advocates? 
) 
4. 
Sometimes 
people 
with 
disabilities 
who 
experience 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse 
don’t 
disclose 
their 
experience. 
Why 
do 
you 
think 
that 
is? 
[f/u 
-Is 
there 
any 
question 
you 
ask 
during 
intake 
that 
might 
make 
a 
person 
with 
a 
disability 
hesitant/afraid 
to 
disclose 
they 
have 
experienced 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
assault? 
What 
would 
help 
you 
become 
better 
prepared 
to 
serve 
survivors 
of 
domestic 
violence 
or 
sexual 
abuse 
who 
have 
disabilities? 
Make 
sure 
different 
types 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


25 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


of 
disabilities 
are 
discussed: 
intellectual, 
MH/MI, 
Deaf, 
blind, 
drug/alcohol, 
communication, 
etc.)] 


5. 
What 
should 
domestic 
violence 
and 
sexual 
assault 
programs 
do 
for 
outreach 
to 
people 
with 
disabilities? 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


26 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Working 
definitions 


o 
When 
we 
talk 
about 
“domestic 
violence,” 
we 
mean 
when 
someone 
in 
an 
intimate 
relationship 
tries 
to 
control 
the 
other 
person 
through 
fear, 
threats, 
or 
violence. 
An 
abuser 
can 
be 
a 
boyfriend, 
girlfriend, 
husband, 
wife, 
or 
a 
caregiver/personal 
attendant. 
The 
person 
who 
tries 
to 
gain 
this 
control 
is 
an 
abuser 
and 
the 
abuse 
can 
happen 
in 
many 
ways. 
The 
abuser 
can 
gain 
control 
by 
making 
the 
other 
person 
feel 
isolated, 
afraid 
of 
physical 
harm, 
afraid 
of 
the 
loss 
of 
their 
money 
or 
their 
independence. 
Abusers 
often 
criticize 
the 
other 
person 
to 
make 
them 
feel 
bad 
about 
themselves. 
Sexual 
violence 
can 
also 
be 
a 
way 
the 
abuser 
gains 
control. 
The 
abuser 
may 
get 
back 
at 
the 
person 
if 
they 
try 
to 
resist 
or 
tell 
other 
people 
about 
the 
abuse. 
o 
When 
we 
talk 
about 
“sexual 
violence,” 
we 
mean 
when 
a 
person 
is 
forced 
or 
manipulated 
into 
doing 
something 
sexual 
that 
the 
person 
doesn’t 
want 
to 
do. 
Sexual 
violence 
can 
be 
an 
assault 
by 
someone 
that 
is 
known 
or 
a 
stranger. 
It 
also 
includes 
unwanted 
sexual 
comments, 
violating 
a 
person’s 
boundaries, 
or 
sexual 
harassment. 
Sexual 
violence 
is 
any 
behavior 
of 
a 
sexual 
nature 
that 
makes 
you 
feel 
uncomfortable. 
o 
When 
we 
talk 
about 
“disability,” 
we 
mean 
anyone 
with 
mobility, 
sensory, 
or 
communication 
issues; 
mental 
illness, 
intellectual 
or 
developmental 
disabilities; 
or 
are 
Deaf 
or 
hard 
of 
hearing. 
We 
also 
include 
people 
who 
have 
“invisible” 
disabilities, 
such 
as 
diabetes, 
traumatic 
brain 
injuries 
or 
substance 
use 
disorders. 
o 
When 
we 
talk 
about 
“stalking,” 
we 
mean 
when 
an 
abuser 
repeatedly 
torments 
or 
terrorizes 
another 
person. 
Stalkers 
often 
send 
annoying, 
embarrassing, 
threatening 
or 
obscene 
e-mail, 
letters 
or 
phone 
calls. 
The 
stalker 
may 
follow 
or 
lay 
in 
wait 
for 
the 
victim 
or 
damage 
their 
property. 
A 
stalker 
may 
threaten 
the 
victim, 
the 
victim’s 
children, 
relatives, 
or 
pets. 
Stalkers 
often 
use 
e-mail 
or 
other 
electronic 
devices. 
A 
stalker 
may 
repeatedly 
send 
the 
victim 
unwanted 
gifts. 
o 
When 
we 
talk 
about 
a 
“survivor,” 
we 
mean 
a 
person 
who 
has 
experienced 
domestic 
violence, 
stalking 
or 
sexual 
violence. 
o 
When 
we 
talk 
about 
an 
“advocate,” 
we 
mean 
someone 
who 
listens 
to 
you 
and 
tries 
to 
make 
other 
individuals 
listen 
to 
what 
you 
want 
to 
have 
happen. 
This 
person 
may 
be 
a 
volunteer 
or 
work 
for 
a 
non-profit 
group. 
Throughout 
the 
survey 
we 
will 
be 
referring 
to 
disability 
advocates, 
domestic 
violence 
advocates, 
and 
sexual 
violence 
advocates. 
o 
When 
we 
talk 
about 
a 
“personal 
attendant,” 
we 
mean 
someone 
who 
assists 
a 
person 
with 
a 
disability 
to 
provide 
support 
they 
need 
because 
of 
the 
disability. 
Needs Assessment 
Plan 


27 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project 



Needs 
Assessment 
Plan 
– 
Approved 
9/18/07 


Needs Assessment 
Plan 


28 


Washington 
disAbility 
Advocacy 
Project