This May,  Theater of War Productions, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence, presented a dramatic reading of two scenes from Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winning play, A Streetcar Named Desire for an audience of  middle and high school students.

Although Barrier Free Living’s primary focus is providing direct services to survivors of domestic violence with a disability, the agency is also dedicated to educating the community about domestic violence through workshops, community presentations, and other opportunities. Freedom House Social Worker Larry Wilson and Assistant Director of Social Services Sara Eldridge attended the event, and spoke to approximately 400 middle and high school students about domestic violence.

The chosen scenes portrayed an episode of domestic violence and a discussion about the incident that occurred the following day in the play.

The readings provided an opportunity for the students in attendance to engage in a discussion about the present-day impact of domestic violence on individuals, couples, children, caregivers, and communities. The young adults provided incredible insight as they were given an opportunity to share their points of view and at times their own personal experiences with domestic violence.

Sara and Larry each participated in one of the sessions and brought an informed, holistic understanding of domestic violence to the conversation. The social workers used the reading and the ensuing discussion to reflect on the power and control dynamics evident in an abusive relationship, the problem with friends who normalize abusive relationships, and the challenges of knowing how best to intervene when witnessing an abusive relationship.

They encouraged the students to reach out to guidance counselors, teachers, and other adults for help if they were in an abusive relationship or were engaging in abusive behavior themselves.

If you are interested in having someone from Barrier Free Living speak about domestic violence and disability, please contact us at [email protected].