Overview
People with IDD are sexually assaulted at seven times the rate of people without disabilities. Health care professionals are in a frontline position to educate their patients about—and potentially stop or prevent—sexual violence and abuse, but they often have little or no experience talking about this issue with people who have IDD. People with IDD are also unlikely to raise the topic on their own. They may not know what constitutes sexual violence or how to describe it.
Talk About Sexual Violence provides practical tools to address this silent epidemic through a supported decision-making lens that supports victim-centered approaches. This webpage provides easy-to-use access tools that include:
- Short training videos for health care professionals
- Charts and other tools for guided conversation
- Focus group findings: video and reports
- Annual project reports
By empowering survivors with disabilities in the reporting process and giving health care professionals the tools to more effectively identify victims, connect them to appropriate services, and help build their self-advocacy skills, we can better navigate and better prevent sexual violence.
Pledge to Talk About Sexual Violence
Will you join us in spreading awareness about the high rates of sexual violence against people with disabilities? Pledge today to be an ally! Together, we can support survivors, help prevent future victimization, and empower people with disabilities.
James Goes to the Doctor
This three-minute video illustrates a medical appointment where James, a male survivor, visits his doctor and discloses that he has recently experienced sexual violence.
Kecia Meets With Her Doctor
This three-minute video illustrates a medical appointment where Kecia visits his doctor and discloses that she has recently experienced sexual violence.
Other Project Tools
Training Videos
Watch our short training videos that cover survivor stories and how to interact with victims of sexual violence for both males and females.
Blogs
Read stories from real survivors of sexual violence and learn about what The Arc is doing about putting a stop to this silent epidemic.
Guides and Tips
- A Guide for Health Care Professionals on How To Use Project Tools (also available in Spanish)
- Peer Advocates Talk About Sexual Violence (also available in Spanish)
- Conversation Guide for Patients with Disabilities
- Conversation Guide for Health Care Providers
- Conversation Tips for Health Care Providers (also available in Spanish)
Visual Tools
- Body Part, Terminology, and Expression Charts
- PowerPoint Presentation: Training for Health Care Professionals (also available in Spanish)
- PowerPoint Presentation: An Introduction to Talk About Sexual Violence (also available in Spanish)
- Referral Cards Template (also available in Spanish)
Project Reports
Focus Group Reports
Final Reports
- Phase One Final Report (2017)
- Phase Two Final Report (2018)
- Phase Three Final Report (2020–2023)
Additional Resources
Resources for victims and information on mandatory reporting laws, how to communicate with patients, peer advocacy, and prevention.
Program Partner
This project is made possible by a grant from the WITH Foundation and in partnership with the Board Resource Center. If you need any more assitance or have any addtional questions please reach out to nccjd@thearc.org.
The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
