Disabled Women and Domestic Violence: Making the Links, a National UK Study

Abstract

This article reports on the first-ever national study of domestic violence and disability in the United Kingdom. The multi-method study used the social model of disability and was mainly qualitative in design. It reports distressing findings of the abuse which disabled women may experience, confirming similar findings in Australia and other countries. Less provision than that available proportionally to non-disabled women is accompanied by a greater need for such focussed and specialist services. Disabled women in the United Kingdom therefore lose out on both counts. The paper concludes that a cultural shift or sea-change is required in relevant service provision at both management and operational levels, informed by disabled women themselves wherever possible. The study made wide-ranging recommendations at both the strategic level across localities and for relevant agencies in the United Kingdom. These recommendations have wide relevance in other countries.

Key words:

• disabled women
• disability
• domestic violence and abuse
• services for women with disabilities

Notes

A version of this paper was given as a key-note address at the Australian Community Support Organization National Conference July 2009.

Full recommendations of this study are contained in the published Good Practice Guidance. The full Report and a separately published Executive Summary are also available. All of these are published in large print, and can be obtained from:

www.womensaid.org.uk

www.bris.ac.uk/sps/genderviolence

www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/shss/swell.

1. Full recommendations of this study are contained in the published Good Practice Guidance. The full Report and a separately published Executive Summary are also available. All of these are published in large print, and can be obtained from … (see title page)

2. GLAD is not currently in existence.

3. Including an email, telephone, correspondence consultations with disabled abused women nationally through Women's Aid; consultations with a range of relevant disability and domestic violence organizations; national distribution of publicity through UKDPC resulting in a further publicity drive with disability organizations.

4. The domestic violence survey was sent to 350 local domestic violence services within England with 133 responses. Respondents included specialist projects which provided BME services, or worked specifically with South Asian or African Caribbean women. The disability survey was sent to 348 disabled people's organizations with 126 responses. Some responding organizations included several service-providing projects.

5. Thirty disabled women aged between 20 and 70 years, with 26% over 50 years, and with a range of physical and sensory impairments, were interviewed (2 lesbians, 1 bi-sexual; 20 White British, 9 from a range of BME backgrounds including Turkish, African-Caribbean, and South Asian, and 1 White Irish). The largest group lived in adapted social housing. Nineteen women had children.

6. Women who have married a person settled in the United Kingdom but have no settled immigration status/indefinite leave to remain themselves have “no recourse to public funds,” often making it almost impossible for them to leave an abusive situation.

7. Statistics collected in an annual day count of women using services across the country.