Critical Issues in Researching Domestic Violence Among People of Color with Disabilities

While there are a number of programs emerging providing services to people of color with disabilities who experience domestic violence, there is little research on the needs of this population. Using data collected from two national focus groups of 19 expert informants, this article outlines key areas of research needed for providing better services to people of color who are Deaf or have disabilities and appropriate research methods for collecting data about this population. Respondents indicated that a research agenda should include investigating the scope of the problem, in-depth needs of domestic violence survivors, cost-effectiveness of culturally and disability-specific programs, and development of best practices through in-depth evaluations of existing programs.

KEYWORDS:

• disabilities
• people of color
• Deaf or hard of hearing
• domestic violence
• research methods
• data collection

This project was completed by the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community at the University of Minnesota with the support and encouragement of the Office of Women's Health and the Administration for Children Youth and Families.