State program aims to help people with disabilities to 'Speak up/Stay Safe'

Feb. 11--In 2016, a 75-year-old bus driver was sentenced to three years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman while working for a nonprofit agency that serves people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Olivia Caldeira is working to put an end to such crimes. She is program director of the Columbus-based Center for Disability Empowerment, which recently launched "Speak Up/Stay Safe."

The program, which is contracted by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, is designed to educate those with disabilities about boundaries and healthy relationships, and how to recognize and report abuse.

"The reason this was developed was because, as we are moving toward inclusion, and segregated settings such as workshops are being closed, and because everybody has the right to be in the community, there are concerns about health and safety," she said. "How do we address some concerns? How do we teach people about their rights and help empower people so they can stay safe and as healthy as possible?"

Topics to be covered include: Healthy self-image, healthy relationships, boundaries, dating and sexuality, abuse, bullying and harassment, online safety, alcohol, tobacco, weapons and drugs, human trafficking and pedestrian safety.

Caldeira said people with disabilities must become more aware of their rights. She cited a 2012 Disability Abuse Project, which found that seven in 10 people reported being abused, with 90 percent stating they had been victimized on numerous occasions. Half of those surveyed said they'd been victimized more than 20 times.

"There are a lot of different kinds of abuse," she said. "But with each trauma and abuse event, you become more predisposed to abuse, as boundaries and self-esteem are eroded. That's why we talk about different kinds and how to recognize it."

Empowerment a priority

In Ohio, employees at all local DD agencies and service providers are required by law to be trained to identify and report MUI's, or major unusual incidents. MUIs have 19 categories. The state maintains an online reporting and tracking system. In Ohio, reporting rates have been in steady decline, from 268 cases per 1,000 in 2005, to 217 per 1,000 people in 2017.

Reported cases of alleged neglect led the abuse category at 2,037, followed by physical abuse at 1,443 cases, verbal abuse cases at 797, and sexual abuse at 322 cases.

In addition to in-person training, a web-based curriculum is being developed with input from advocacy groups.

"We wanted to make sure the curriculum was as accessible as possible in terms of plain language," Caldeira said. "It's not about sex education, per se, but we do talk about some graphic things. It's really about educating people about what's going on the community, and helping them navigate social relationships and recognizing when things are not OK."

In 2016, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities fielded 500 calls on its abuse/neglect hotline. Every call is reviewed by a regional manager and county DD boards to determine if the concerns have merit.

Bill Green, superintendent of Stark DD, said he supports Speak up/Stay Safe, noting that his agency has made empowering clients a priority.

"This is a hallmark issue for us. We've been working at it feverishly," he said. "It's part of our strategic plan. It's something we've been thinking about for some time."

Stark DD plans to send its staffers to Speak Up /Stay Safe training in Akron.

Green said Stark DD offers three curricula to help people gain life skills and empowerment.

"One is called 'Project STIR,' Steps Toward Independence and Responsibility," he said. "We also use self-advocacy groups in regards to the foundation of skills of knowing yourself, problem-solving and negotiating. We have seven chapters in Stark, with a goal of 10."

Stark DD also is rolling out "It's My Turn," a self-advocacy program for students who attend area schools.

Michael Kirkman, executive director of Disability Rights Ohio, said his organization supports Speak Up/Stay Safe.

"We support efforts ... that provide information or training to people with disabilities about their rights to be free of sexual abuse and to engage in consensual sexual activity without undue intrusion by providers or others," Kirkman said in a statement.

In 2015, Disability Rights Ohio published a report detailing the challenges of protecting people with intellectual disabilities, and offered several recommendations, including training providers in "trauma-informed" care, more crisis counseling resources, and longer-term therapy for victims; educating family and friends to recognize possible signs of abuse; eliminating "credibility bias"; and making available specific therapy that caters to the individual.

Caldeira said the symptoms of abuse can be mistakenly attributed to a person's disability, and they may not have the resources to ask for help or even know what to ask for.

"Sometimes, the signs are so subtle, they're missed," she said. "It's a world where there's a culture of compliance. You're to act a certain way in order to fit in. You're being evaluated and segregated, and a lot of times, overprotected."

Caldeira said followup evaluation is not done to determine if people can understand the training. Sessions are six hours for clients and three hours for parents and/or caretakers.

"Everybody's disability is unique, and they have different cognitive levels and social experiences," she explained. "It's geared to 18 and older, and to people 16 to 22 who are transitioning out of high school. Because they stay in high school longer, we wanted to make sure we targeted people in that age group."

Myths must be addressed

Caldeira said that for their own protection, myths surrounding people with developmental disabilities must be addressed.

"There are concerns about people not knowing, that you could expose them to things they aren't ready for, and parents want to preserve innocence," Caldeira said. "It's the classic argument leveled at sex education for younger children as well. But we know if you don't educate, you're setting people up."

Cases that make it to criminal court can be difficult to prove.

"It can be tricky. I've testified in court. I saw firsthand the difficulty in proving someone's competency because they don't have some vocabulary and cognitive abilities, such as understanding time," Caldeira said. "We're all capable of being coached, but that doesn't discount the act of abuse. There are different ways getting information; that's why investigative agents are so important."

Green said Stark DD will host program March 8 at St. Michael's Catholic Church focusing on life skill training for self advocates, "discovering what it takes to live the life they want to live, and developing vision for having a good life."

Stark DD does conduct education sessions about sexual abuse, Green said.

"It's about body awareness, communicating assertively and protecting yourself against unwanted touching; when is it OK to shake hands, and when it's appropriate to touch someone, and where," he said. "It dovetails into advocacy and explores many of the same principles.

"We want to equip people with intellectual disabilities to have a voice in our community."

The Center for Disability Empowerment has conducted 12 training sessions in the last year. There is a fee for the training.

"We will go anywhere in the state," Caldeira said. "This is critical information. When de-institutionalization began in the 1980s, people weren't given tools and skills to live a full life. It's important to recognize the value and dignity of every human being."

For more information, call the center at 614-575-8055, or visit www.disabilityempowerment.net

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

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