Please click here to register for the webinar.

People with disabilities, especially those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), experience sexual assault at much higher rates than nondisabled people. They also encounter challenges receiving care and support services due to pervasive accessibility barriers. It is important to hear directly from individuals with disabilities who are survivors of sexual assault and learn their recommendations for how to improve the support system. 

To raise awareness of these issues, ACL and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Heatlh (OASH) will host an equity-focused webinar on sexual violence against people with I/DD: “Survivors’ Circle: A Conversation With People With Disabilities About Sexual Violence and How to Address It.” The webinar is a collaborative effort between:

• ACL
• OASH
• Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• Activating Change — a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the visibility of the justice issues people with disabilities face

The webinar will highlight the prevalence of sexual assault in the disability community. It will focus on the perspectives of sexual assault survivors with I/DD who will discuss their experiences, the barriers they encountered when seeking support, and the recommendations to improve access to care and justice. The target audience is broad and includes organizations serving people with I/DD, organizations serving survivors of sexual violence, and victim advocates and prevention specialists, plus partners and grantees from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other government agencies.

This webinar is approved for approved for 1.5 continuing education hours through the National Advocate Credentialing Program (NACP) and DoD Sexual Assault Advocate Certification Program (D-SAACP). 

For more information on this subject, see the April 2023 ACL blog post, “Preventing and Addressing Sexual Assault of People with I/DD.”

Registrants will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar. The webinar will include real-time captioning and ASL interpreting. If you need any additional accommodations or have questions, please email Elizabeth Leef.