In his introduction to BFL’s recently launched Domestic Violence and Disability expertise web page,  President/CEO Paul Feuerstein points out that the agency has  “the largest DV intervention program in the country.”

Feuerstein states that: “In 1986, I hired Liz Lederman, a new graduate from NYU’s Deafness Rehabilitation Master’s Program, to join our clinic team. She had around 12 years’ experience working with disabled victims of abuse. Prior to her joining us, we had no knowledge of abuse among people with a disability. We quickly learned a lot. After she taught us to ask the right questions, we found that many of the women in our program had histories of abuse. Once we asked the right questions, we heard stories of childhood abuse, abuse by family or caregivers and abuse by people who provided disability services. Those early experiences gave us a passion for the work. We advocated for services and shelter for victims with disabilities. Over the course of our history, we have worked with thousands of individuals and created the largest DV intervention program in the country.

It all started with asking the questions. We share here some basic information culled from a variety of sources that spells out the need for victims with disabilities. We invite you to subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, “Breaking Barriers in Domestic Violence,” where we share some aspect of our expertise in every issue.”