Our team can advocate for shelter residents, ensuring that all their needs are being met while protecting everyone’s rights involved.

Following is a story where our advocacy was crucial in a very difficult case.

Survivor’s Story

Jean is the mother of two children, Robin (4 years old) and Alexis (2 years old). Jean came to Freedom House due to her husband’s severe emotional, physical, and financial abuse.

Jean’s husband had a lucrative job and was very wealthy. When Jean’s husband realized that she had left home, he immediately went to court and requested custody of the children. Although not granted custody, he was granted overnight visitation rights.

After the second weekend visit, Robin began to complain of pain. Jean immediately took her daughter to the emergency room and the child disclosed that she was being sexually abused by her father during the visits.

Jean was told by her lawyer that she would have to continue to take the child to the visit until the judge amended the visitation order. Obviously, Jean was not happy putting her daughter at risk.

The staff at Freedom House, including the social workers and Directors, advocated that the child not be brought to the visits. We stressed the seriousness and danger of the situation to both Jean’s lawyer and to child protective services. In addition, Jean was encouraged to speak up and share her concerns.

Jean’s lawyer was able to call an emergency court hearing, which resulted in the judge ordering supervised visits until the investigation was completed. To help support Jean through this difficult time, we provided her with individual counseling, allowing her to share her frustrations and fears in a productive and safe manner.

As a result, she was emotionally prepared to face her abuser.

We were also in close contact with her lawyer and child protective services, regularly assisting them in explaining to Jean what the next steps in her case were.

Shortly after coming to Freedom House, Jean found an apartment and moved in to her own place. The investigation was still in process when she left.

Advocacy Key Points:

• Encourage your client/resident to speak up and voice their concerns
• As a professional, voice your concerns regarding the situation
• Be clear and concise about what the problem is
• Assist with problem solving

*http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/advocate

Traditionally persons received a handout of safety guidelines upon receiving services at a domestic violence agency. The safety guidelines include information for de-escalating potential incidents of violence as well as information like essential items to take when planning to leave a batterer, such as birth certificates, social security card/s, medications, checking account information, or any necessary assistive devices.

It’s worth noting that in some cases, however, it can be dangerous to give a handout on safety planning tips to an individual you are working with. It could place the victim in danger if their abuser discovers the handout.

Safety planning is as an ongoing, custom made, and continuously evolving process. Plans take into account the persons immediate needs, from entering shelter to learning ways to recognize potentially dangerous situations, as well as their long-term needs, such as securing housing or learning how to complete activities of daily living more independently.

Factors such as a persons financial resources, social supports, current living situation, location of their abuser, and need for assistive devices, medication, or home care are all taken into account when customizing a safety plan.

It is not always possible to immediately leave one’s home. A comprehensive safety plan includes ways to plan leaving with all of a person’s necessary equipment, medication, and documentation without raising the suspicion of the batterer. A comprehensive plan also includes ways to recognize and de-escalate a violent or potentially violent incident. Furthermore, important contacts and supports should be identified in advance, such as friends, neighbors, or family members that could be contacted in an emergency, the local precinct, and the domestic violence liaisons in the person’s precinct.

It can be helpful to develop a code word or action to use with neighbors to signal the person is in danger. For example, one man worked out the following code with his neighbors: when he hit the pipe in his room 3 times, the upstairs neighbors knew to call the police.

Safety plans should also be developed for persons who have chosen not to leave their abuser or who are not yet ready to plan for leaving. Many of the elements of the safety plan are the same in this scenario; for instance, persons should still have emergency contacts with the police, support systems with others, and contact numbers for domestic violence shelters in the event of an emergency. Again, safety plans must be reviewed regularly for revisions and additions as each person’s situation changes.

Identifying contacts such as supportive friends, family, a support group, or a victim advocate that persons can speak with when they are overwhelmed can go a long way in assisting a victim of domestic violence. Victim advocates and domestic violence professionals who are knowledgeable about the dynamics of domestic violence and the local resources in their area can help as persons explore their options.

Lastly, safety planning can still be conducted for persons who are not in abusive relationships are who are now safe from abusive relationships. Domestic violence education is perhaps one of the most powerful tools to help instill safety. Workers in the field of domestic violence and abuse provide education about warning signs of potentially abusive situations and persons, and information on signs of healthy versus unhealthy relationships. This gives people necessary tools to recognize potentially dangerous

For more information about developing a safety plan, please visit the following websites: New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Center Against Domestic Violence

To speak with a person knowledgeable about safety planning and abusive relationships, please call the Barrier Free Living Domestic Violence Hotline between the hours of 9:00am-5:00pm EST at (212) 533-4358.

A safety plan is a list of strategies to protect oneself from harm, and it can be developed prior to an incident of domestic violence. Below is a sample of a well thought-out safety plan.

Domestic Violence Safety Plan
(Everyone has a right to be safe!)

I. Safety During an Explosive Incident

• If an argument seems unavoidable, try to have it in a room or area that has access to an exit. Avoid the bathroom, kitchen, or any room with weapons.
• Practice how to get out of your home safely. Identify which doors, windows, elevator or stairwell would be best.
• Have a packed bag ready and keep it in an undisclosed but accessible place in order to leave quickly.
• Identify a neighbor you can tell about the violence and ask that they call the police if they hear a disturbance coming from your home.
• Devise a code word to use with your children, family, friends, and neighbors when you need the police
• Use your own instincts and judgment. If the situation is very dangerous, consider giving the abuser what he wants to calm him down. You have the right to protect yourself until you are out of danger.
• Decide and plan for where you will go if you have to leave home (even if you do not think you will need to)
• Always remember—you don’t deserve to be hit or threatened!

II. Safety When Preparing to Leave

• Open a savings account in your own name to start to establish or increase your independence. Think of other ways in which you can increase your independence.
• If your batterer frequently calls you on your cell phone, do not change your number (this could lead to your batterer increasing his efforts to locate you). Instead, get a second phone that only your closest friends and family have. Similarly, think about getting a second e-mail address that your batterer does not have access to.
• Leave money, an extra set of keys, copies of important documents and extra clothes with someone you trust so you can leave quickly.
• Determine who would be able to let you stay with them or lend you some money.
• Keep the shelter phone numbers close at hand and keep some change or a calling card on you at all times for emergency phone calls. (Remember the NYC 24 hour domestic violence hotline number—1-800-621-HOPE / 1-800-621-4673)
• Review your safety plan as often as possible in order to plan the safest way to leave your batterer. Remember: Leaving your batterer is the most dangerous time.

Survivor’s Story

Below is a story about Ms. L, a survivor of domestic violence and former client of the Secret Garden, who was able to utilize the safety plan she developed with her advocate to gain safety from her abuser.

Ms. L was a 58 year old woman with Multiple Sclerosis who reported that her partner of ten years had been emotionally abusive for the duration of their relationship. At the age of 53 Ms. L began using a wheelchair due to the progression of her M.S.

She reported that soon after she began using her wheelchair her partner became physically abusive; the abuse escalated to the point she feared for her life.

When Ms. L first began working with staff at the Secret Garden she was not sure if she wanted to leave her partner because she relied on him for help with daily activities. Her workers informed Ms. L of all of her options for safety, which included getting an order of protection, a home attendant for assistance with activities of daily living, and entering domestic violence shelter.

Ms. L worked together with her advocate to develop a customized safety plan specific to her needs and living situation. Her plan was not written down on a piece of paper, because her batterer routinely searched their home. Instead Ms. L repeated her plan to her advocate several times during their sessions in order to memorize it.

She was able to identify two people that she confides in about her abusive situation; she developed code words to use on the phone with them that signified she was in danger.

Through analyzing past abusive incidents with her advocate, she was able to identify patterns to the abuse and warning signs of abuse that were specific to her partner. This enabled her to identify potentially violent situations before they occurred. She learned to stay close to her front door whenever possible during an argument, and to avoid the kitchen and bathroom due to the multiple hard surfaces in each room that could contribute to a serious physical injury in an argument.

Ms. L was also given a 911 cell phone to keep with her at all times so she could call the police if necessary. In occupational therapy she learned different ways to complete some of her daily tasks so she did not need her batterer’s assistance as frequently.

While Ms. L opted not to leave her abusive relationship, she said the tools she learned while at Secret Garden helped increase her safety. Ms. L stated that she knows what she needs to prepare in advance if she does decide to leave. She also stated that her ability to do more things independently without the assistance of her batterer improved her overall self confidence.

Domestic violence victims often face the highest level of danger when they take action to leave an abusive relationship. Carolyn Block’s “How can practitioners help an abused woman lower her risk of death?”* indicates that for 45% of women who were murdered by an abuser, the precipitating factor was her attempt to leave that abuser.

Deciding to leave an abusive relationship is a difficult choice and can bring up new and serious risks. At times, it can be in the best interest of an individual or a family to move to another state, away from the abuser.

Here are some important factors to consider for individuals once they move to the new state.

Custody and Visitation: State custody laws vary. Issues involving custody and shared custody in one State may not be valid in another. Know the facts before you flee with your children. It is very important to obtain a legal consultation with someone who is aware of issues surrounding domestic violence. In New York the Family Justice Center can assist. http://www.nyc.gov/html/ocdv/html/fjc/fjc.shtml

Public Assistance: If you have a public assistance case it will be important to work with an entitlements specialist. You will need to close your public assistance case in your prior state before you can open up a new case in your current state.

Order of Protection: Your order of protection travels with you and is valid state to state. “The Violence Against Women Act, which is a federal law, states that all valid orders of protection granted in the United States receive “full faith and credit” in all state and tribal courts within the US, including US territories” (http://www.womenslaw.org). *It is important to keep a copy of your valid order of protection on you.

Criminal Court Cases: Keep in contact with the ADA to stay abreast of the court case.

Counseling: Leaving a relationship is difficult. It is important to seek out counseling services to assist during this stressful transition. (See Breaking Barriers in DV article, January, 2011 for more information, available at www.bflnyc.org, home page link to story).

Support Groups: A support group is a powerful experience for many survivors. You will get to meet other survivors and receive additional support from your group members. http://www.nyc.gov/html/ocdv/downloads/pdf/ResourceDirectory_2008.pdf

*Block, Carolyn R (2003) “How can practitioners help an abused woman lower her risk of death?” National Institute of Justice Journal, 250, 5-7

Survivors Story

Ms. G lived in Florida with her two children and her abusive husband. Initially, to escape violence, Ms. G left her husband and moved in with a family member who also lived in Florida. Ms. G obtained an order of protection and was granted temporary custody of her children.

Unfortunately, the abuse continued. Ms. G’s life was threatened many times as her abuser was constantly leaving voice mails and sending her threatening text messages. Ms. G changed her phone number and when the abuser could not contact her he showed up at the family member’s house in Florida.

Ms. G called the police regularly but she felt in serious danger. To be free of the abuse, Ms. G decided to move with her children to New York where she grew up. She moved in with a friend but her abuser found her in New York. Ms. G then called the Safe Horizon Hotline and then entered Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter where the team immediately began to assist her in the transition.

Ms. G’s social worker contacted her lawyer in Florida and obtained a lawyer in NY with the assistance from the Family Justice Center.

In collaboration the FL and NY lawyers worked on the custody case to make sure the custody status was clear and legally sound for Ms. G. The Freedom House entitlements specialist also assisted the family with closing the public assistance case in Florida and in obtaining benefits in NY including health insurance, food stamps, and cash assistance.

Ms. G had Section 8 and the Freedom House housing department was able to advocate for the resident’s section 8 Voucher to be transferred from Florida to New York through coordination of interstate services.

Due to all of the changes and adjustment to living in New York Ms. G regularly spoke with her social worker and went to domestic violence and parenting support groups. Ms. G. has since secured permanent housing with her Section 8 voucher.F

Children’s exposure to violence can occur in various ways.

Some children experience the violence by Hearing an incident. For example, the child is in her bedroom and can hear the yelling. Other children Witness the violence by staring at their parents as they physically fight. A number of children may try to Intervene or actually be part of the violence. An example may be a child trying to push the father away from the mother and the child gets hit. Lastly, a child may experience the aftermath of a violent incident. This may involve seeing their mother with a black eye.

To complicate the issue when working with children, domestic violence is often a “family secret.” A social worker may face challenges initially when attempting to address the violence in the home.

It is important to keep in mind that children react differently when asked to talk about the violence. Some children may get angry, try and change the subject, walk away, or listen quietly. Others may be ready to talk about the violence witnessed openly.

Following are tips on how to begin a conversation about domestic violence.

If possible, involve the non-abusive parent in the conversation to give the child “permission” to speak about the violence. Recognize that talking about the violence is difficult or scary. Assure the child that they did nothing wrong. Some children blame themselves for the violence. You can point out that the person who acted violently is responsible for their behavior.

For younger children, going into details may be very confusing. Simplify the situation: “Mommy and daddy had a fight” OR “Mommy has taken you to a safe place where there will be no more fighting.”

For older children/adolescents, be prepared to answer more specific questions about the abuse/abuser. In your conversation, try not to put down the abuser as this is usually a very emotionally confusing time. Do not make any promises that are not realistic. For example, promising that parents will get back together.

One crucial point: if the child is still living in the abusive household develop a safety plan. This will help the child be safe, know where and how to get help. You can find an example of a safety plan at: http://www.acadv.org/childplan.html

Resources for additional support

If your child is school age, you can reach out to the school guidance counselor for assistance
Local mental health clinic for counseling: Life Net 1-800-LIFENET
Non-residential domestic violence counseling: New York City Domestic Violence Resource Directory http://www.nyc.gov/html/ocdv/downloads/pdf/ResourceDirectory_2008.pdf
Domestic Violence Shelter: Safe Horizon 1-800-621-HOPE
National Parent Helpline 1-855-4A PARENT (1-855-427-2736) Monday-Friday, 10 am -7 PM Pacific Standard Time http://www.nationalparenthelpline.org/

Survivor Story

Ms. B came into Freedom House with her two children, Christine, 5 years old and Jonathon, 12 years old.

During intake, Ms. B requested that I assist her in talking to her children about why they moved to a domestic violence shelter.

I first met with Ms. B and Christine and began by getting permission from Ms. B to talk about the violence. Once Ms. B told Christine it was okay to talk about the violence Christine spoke about seeing her dad hit her mom.

I explained that they came to Freedom House so she doesn’t have to see this happen again. Christine was very excited to know this.

I then met with Jonathon. Again, Ms. B gave permission to talk about the violence.

Jonathon said he saw his parents fight all the time and on several occasions actually had to pull his dad off of his mom. Jonathon said he understood what his dad did was wrong. However, dad was good to him and he expressed the fact that he missed his father. We discussed these mixed feelings about the situation. Over time Jonathon began to understand that it is okay to love his father but also that dad hurt his mother very badly. Jonathon also learned that what he witnessed was an unhealthy relationship and was learning about healthy relationships.

Throughout their stay at Freedom House both Christine and Jonathon received individual counseling to talk about their experiences witnessing domestic violence. The family participated in individual and group counseling to understand their own experiences related to the violence in the home. They were able to begin the healing process and adjusted to their new lives violence free.

*“The Effects of DV on Children” http://www.acadv.org/children.html#statistics.

The response to the last article was tremendous—ranging from a request for training from The Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence, to an invitation to present at the Upper Manhattan Domestic Violence Coalition meeting.

What we heard repeatedly from readers and colleagues is that: domestic violence safety planning can be vague; concrete action items would be very beneficial in working with individuals.

In the first article, we broke down safety into 5 key areas: Travel, Electronic, Financial, Location, and Relationships. This month, in response to reader queries, we have expanded these categories and included more detail.

Travel

· Don’t take the same train or bus route your abuser may frequent.

· Make sure no one is following you while traveling.

· Maintain discretion in new, safe locations.

· Exercise caution in what information is revealed to new acquaintances.

Electronic

· Smart Phones/Phones with GPS – Make sure the GPS is turned off.

· WiFi – Put a password on your account so others do not have access.

· Social Networking Sites such as Facebook – Don’t “check-in” to places, make your page “private,” block people who may be harassing you via social media.

· Online banking/credit card accounts – If fleeing from your abuser don’t use the credit/debt card in your new location as the abuser can check where transactions took place.

· E-Mail passwords and Pin numbers – Change pin numbers and passwords so the abuser cannot access accounts.

· Digital Cameras – If showing pictures make sure your location cannot be recognize in the background. Example: If you take a picture in a train station, can you see the station name in the background? Also, be careful where you post pictures on social media sites and who may have access to view them.

· Paper/Online phone books – Contact your phone company to make sure your phone number and address is not listed.

Financial

· Credit Reports – Some abusers will take out credit cards or loans in the survivor’s name causing them to have a poor credit reports.

· Utility Bills – Be cautious around an abuser running up a utility bill in the survivor’s name such as electric. This can cause difficulties in the future when you need to turn on utilities.

· Joint Bank Accounts – If an account is under both the abuser and survivor be watchful about who is taking out money, how much, and where as both parties have access to the information.

Location

· Revoke HIPPAA consents for medical information.

· Communicate with children’s schools/child care providers/doctors about who to NOT give information to.

· Know where your local police station is. If you have an order of protection, inform the domestic violence liaison at the precinct.

Relationships

· Identify warning signs of an abusive relationship.

· Identify “green flags” of a healthy relationship.

· Understanding healthy boundaries in relationships is important.

Individuals and families fleeing domestic violence can find safety and support at BFL’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter—but their life-long journey to living a ‘safe’ life free of abuse only begins there.

A key component of the overall healing experience at Freedom House involves comprehensive safety planning. Whether it’s developing a preparedness plan (always know where vital identification information and important phone numbers are); or building an inner knowledge of red flag warning signs (a new partner is acting in a way that’s signaling potential abuse), safety planning is crucial.

In 2011 Freedom House partnered with Dr. Alisha Ali, Associate Professor of Applied Psychology at New York University to develop new, state of the art methods to measure safety.

An interdisciplinary team was formed including directors, social workers, housing/entitlements staff, and occupational therapists. The team conducted focus groups over a period of two months with residents and staff to identify attitudes, skills and behaviors related to five areas of safety: travel, electronic (such as cell phone, GPS, stalking devices, computers, internet use, facebook, twitter), finances, location, and safety in relationships.

Working together and focusing on these five targeted areas of safety, the team developed a unique safety survey. (For more on the safety survey: myrar@bflnyc.org).

The survey is completed by a Freedom House resident at several points during their 135 day stay, including:

Within the first two weeks of arrival at Freedom House

After being at Freedom House for 8 weeks
During their week of discharge
When they return to Freedom House for a support group called “Beyond Freedom”. This group focuses on maintaining safety after leaving a domestic violence shelter.
As a resident completes each survey, the Freedom House team evaluates the responses, measuring the level of understanding and comprehension around safety. The survey is reviewed with the resident to discuss their knowledge of safety and how it has evolved.

RESIDENT’S STORY

Clara entered Freedom House with her three young children—ages ten, seven and four—to flee an abusive relationship.

Throughout the years Clara had relied on support from her mother-in-law (Ms. B) who was very close to the children. When Clara finally left her abusive husband after 12 years and entered Freedom House she was very angry, confused, and felt alone. She had lost immediate contact with her support system (which included Ms. B and friends) because she could not disclose Freedom House’s confidential location.

One of her greatest supports had been her mother in law (Ms. B). Ms. B helped Clara in many ways. She was the primary caregiver in the home when Clara was at work. Ms. B also helped pay some of the bills and bought the children basic needs such as food when Clara was struggling with money.

Ms. B, however, was aware of the abuse and condoned her son’s behavior, sometimes even blaming Clara for being hit. When Ms B. found out that Clara left the home she was constantly calling Clara on her cell phone asking her to re-consider the separation.

Clara knew that returning home would be very dangerous. In spite of being aware of the intense abuse, Ms. B continued calling and began to harass Clara. This made Clara feel depressed and confused.

Working with her Freedom House counselor, Clara acknowledged that safety was a crucial part of her new journey. She noted that she had become increasingly uncomfortable traveling around town in fear of being found. Her husband had made threats to kidnap the children.

Clara was one of the Freedom House “safety survey” focus group participants. When the team looked at the first survey Clara completed, it was noted that she scored low in the areas of electronic and travel safety.

Through individual counseling and domestic violence support groups Clara learned how to stay safe in her travels. She chose to not use the train her abuser frequented and she changed her phone number for electronic safety.

When the team looked at the second survey eight weeks into her stay, Clara had scored higher in the areas of travel and electronics which indicated a better comprehension of safety guidelines. When Clara was discharged from Freedom House she was more assertive, empowered and knowledgeable around safety.

Clara attended the Beyond Freedom support group where she continued to learn how to stay safe while living in her new community.

Blog contributor Sara Eldridge, LMSW,  is a Senior Social Worker at Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House domestic violence shelter. Sara is a licensed social worker who received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in 2015.  Sara has been a social worker at Freedom House since 2015, where she provides individual and group counseling to adults, children and adolescents. Prior to Freedom House she worked with youth in alternatives to detention and incarceration programs, student veterans and crime victims.

Approximately 12.7 to 17.9% of American children have been exposed to domestic violence (Centers for Disease Control, Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs).

Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House domestic violence shelter, a fully accessible shelter for survivors with disabilities, offers safety to nearly 170 children per year. Freedom House has a robust children’s services team, including licensed social workers and childcare providers, to support these children and their parents.

Children who witnessed the abuse of their mother are at an increased risk for substance abuse in adolescence and adulthood, as well as chronic physical and mental health problems such as mood disorders (Webb, 2013; Jaffe, et al., 2012). They are also more likely to experience developmental delays, behavioral problems and poor school performance than those who have not been exposed to domestic violence (Woods & Sommers, 2011; Gilbert, Bauer, Carroll and Downs, 2013).

An estimated 13 to 50% of children exposed to domestic violence develop post-traumatic stress disorder (Margolin & Vickerman, 2011).

As these statistics demonstrate, domestic violence affects the whole family, not just the adult victim. Children may feel a confusing mix of anger, fear, and love for the abusive parent, while feeling a desire to protect or defend the victim (The National Domestic Violence Hotline). They may blame themselves for somehow causing the violence or not doing enough to stop it. (Office on Women’s Health). Sadly, children of domestic violence often learn that violence is a way to express love and that violence is an effective way to control situations (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)

Parents who are experiencing or have survived domestic violence are often traumatized and have difficulty coping, which can make it difficult to provide the support their children need. At Freedom House, a full-time Coordinator of Family Services provides assistance in these situations. The coordinator can refer families out for therapy, early intervention assessments, parenting classes, or other programs as needed.

Unique among domestic violence shelters, Freedom House also provides in-house counseling to children between the ages of 4 and 18.

Two well-stocked play therapy offices contain art supplies, puppets, dolls, Play-Doh, and sandboxes. Children are invited to explore the office and choose the toys or activities they want to play with during their session. Social workers provide the children with a warm, nonjudgmental space to explore complicated feelings about domestic violence, previous trauma, relationships with their parents and struggles at school through art projects, pretend play, even board games.

One family with six children arrived at Freedom House after years of domestic violence and abuse. Fortunately, all of the children were able to meet with Freedom House counselors to begin processing their feelings about their experiences.

Several of the children initially struggled to engage in the counseling because they were not used to having the freedom to discuss negative emotions such as anger or sadness.

Over the months that we worked with them, they became much more enthusiastic about and invested in the counseling, drawing pictures of themselves and their families, using puppets to talk about conflict resolution and making pillows symbolically filled with their hopes and dreams.  Their mother reported that the family was communicating better, the children’s behavior had improved, and they were less worried and sad than when they arrived.

One of the teenagers found a part-time job with the assistance of his counselor. His younger brother, who initially compared himself to the Hulk because of his anger, learned to better regulate his emotions through simple techniques like breathing and visualization, leading to fewer arguments at home and at school.  Although the family continued to need therapy after leaving Freedom House, they had begun to deal with their trauma and to learn healthy coping skills.

Kindness is a language which the Deaf can hear and the Blind can see. Mark Twain

For many culturally competent advocates and service providers being kind is not enough.  As strong advocates we need to truly understand the barriers Deaf Survivors encounter when seeking services of any kind, but particularly Domestic Violence services.

 Throughout my years as a Social Worker I have seen victims of domestic violence face many challenges when seeking assistance and finding safety. It can be particularly difficult for Domestic Violence Victims who are Deaf to get help when seeking services. These unique challenges must be understood in order for Advocates, Law enforcement, Social Workers, Community Programs and all Service Providers to provide support, and quality services to this population.

 Not all Deaf Victims, (whether born and raised in the United States, or any other country), are fluent in America Sign Language or in their own native sign language. It is essential to assess the language needs of a person to find the most effective methods of communication. The method of communication may vary and may include:

• Deaf survivors who read lips and can express themselves orally.
• Deaf survivors who cannot express themselves orally and can not read lips and need to communicate through drawing, writing, facial gestures or body language.
• Deaf Survivors who can clearly write in the English language but do not have sign language abilities.
• Deaf Survivors who communicate in Signed English, a different syntax than ASL

 While working with Deaf Survivors, there can be roadblocks to acquiring services based on a program’s “eligibility criteria and acceptance protocol”. Some programs believe that the only way to provide quality service to a specific population is to have staff speak their language, which is not necessarily the answer and can put up barriers for deaf survivors. Instead, it should be about finding unique ways to communicate and understand the Deaf culture. It requires thinking outside of the box.

Deaf survivors can be less likely to stay in a domestic violence shelter than a hearing survivor. The Deaf culture is a very unique and close community which for the most part remains together. In many cases Deaf survivors are less likely to stay in a domestic violence shelter because many can experience a profound sense of isolation.

In the article “Study Reveals Unique Issues Faced by Deaf Victims of Sexual Assault” (2007)  Lauren R. Taylor and Nicole Gaskin-Laniyan, Ph.D. contend that an impediment to Deaf victims seeking help is a lack of awareness about deafness and Deaf culture among hearing people.

 Many view deafness from a medical perspective, focusing on hearing deficits rather than viewing Deaf people as members of a linguistic and cultural community. In fact, many of the Deaf women interviewed in the article do not view themselves as disabled, but rather as having a culture and way of communicating not recognized by the dominant hearing culture.

We still have a lot of work ahead, but creating awareness is the main and most effective way to help others to continue improving their methods of serving in order to better assist the Deaf population.

 Things you can do to help improve communication among programs, communities and service providers

 PROVIDE BASIC TRAININGS ON ALL TYPES OF TDD USED BY THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING SUCH AS:

• TTY (TeletypeWriter)
• TDD – (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf)
• Voice Carry Over
• Captioned Telephones
• Video Conferencing
• IP Relay Quick Connect
• My IP Relay
• T-Mobile Sidekick
• American Sign Language
• Real-Time Captioning
• Video relay
• Internet Relay services
• Interpretype
• iCommunicator
  Speech to Text Transcription
• www.i711.com (Fast and Free Relay Calling for Deaf)

About Freedom House

Freedom House provides unique services to the Deaf and hard of hearing survivors of domestic violence.  We coordinate American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services during individual sessions and all groups including: domestic violence support groups, parenting support groups, community meetings, and housing/entitlements meetings.

Visit our website to learn more: www.bflnyc.org

Safety planning can range from learning about internet related safety for a resident of the shelter, committing to living in a confidential domestic violence location, or following an existing safety protocol so that staff and residents alike remain safe and supported.

During Hurricane Sandy, the Freedom House staff was prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty before and during the storm. Part of the emergency planning in place was an updated contact information list for all staff including cell phone and home phone numbers. Freedom House had mapped out and had on file where staff live in relation to the shelter, which staff relied on public transportation which would not be available in this type of emergency, who was able to sleep over, and who could be on call.

Freedom House is equipped with an emergency generator which powers key lighting in common areas and powers one light and the refrigerator in every apartment. Fuel levels were checked before the storm arrived. When the storm approached, the staff and facility were ready, having purchased flashlights, water, dry food stuffs and other supplies in preparation.

Four resident assistants, one maintenance staff member and the shelter director and director of social services slept at the shelter to make sure that the facility and residents were safe before, during, and after the storm. Staff stayed over three nights.

After the storm passed the program got in touch with as many staff as possible to make sure that they were safe and prepared and able to come to work. Some staff members traveled several hours via bus and ferry to make sure that the residents felt supported during this time of crisis.

For shelter residents, an emergency community meeting was called for both adults and children. Residents had the opportunity to talk about their concerns prior to the storm.

During the meeting, the community agreed upon basic safety procedures. Prior to the storm, residents agreed to obtain supplies including medication, diapers, food, water, and flash lights. Exterior doors would be kept locked for the duration of the storm. Staff provided residents who did not have funds with the supplies that they needed.

Activities were planned for the days of the storm. Planned groups included arts and crafts and yoga for the children. Anne Markowitz, who conducts anger workshops for Barrier Free Living’s programs, came to work as a volunteer, along with a group of undergraduates at Princeton University who volunteered as yoga instructors. All of these activities helped keep people calm and to come together as a community.

Tips

*Maintain a sense of security and safety

*Communicate with the residents about their concerns

*Come up with a plan of action that the residents can participate in

*Plan activities to keep adults and children busy

*Make sure emergency supplies are available to the residents and staff on site

Additional Resources

View the Human Service Council’s updated list of Hurricane Sandy resources for nonprofits HERE. HSC is working with government, our members, and others to compile information that is helpful to the sector.

According to the team at our domestic violence counseling program, Secret Garden, the most dangerous time for a domestic violence survivor is when that individual attempts to leave the abusive relationship. The “escape” button’s purpose is to conceal that the survivor has been looking for domestic violence services. The button is simple and quick to use to ensure the upmost safety.

When a person is using a computer/tablet/cell phone to look for resources/services and the abuser approaches they simply click the escape button to be rerouted, and leave no obvious trace. The button will immediately move from BFL’s webpage to weather.com while simultaneously opening an additional tab at google.com. After using the escape button a user will not be able to “go back” by pressing the back arrow.

While this button works great to exit a website quickly it is not yet able to completely erase the visit to the website in the browser history. Instructions on how to delete browser history can be found below.

In Internet Explorer:

Locate the word “Tools” located below the address bar on the left of the screen
Left click on “Tools” and select the option “Delete Browsing History”
In the window that pops up choose the information to be deleted. Make sure that “History” is selected.
Click delete, a progress bar will pop up and disappear when the information had been deleted.
In Firefox:

Locate the word “Tools” at the top right of the window next to “Bookmarks” and “Help”.
Left click on “Tools” and select the option “Clear Recent History”
In the window that pops up select the time range to erase, to be safe erase the history for as long as you have been online or select “Entire History”
Select “Clear Now” and the history will be deleted.
For Barrier Free Living (BFL) ensuring safety of clients is of the utmost importance. What is safety? To BFL safety consists of clients taking necessary measures to ensure that they do not come to harm. Barrier Free Living’s domestic violence programs, Secret Garden and Freedom House, encourage safety planning and education for all clients through case work and social work services. Through these services clients learn techniques to avoid or minimize harm, as well as ways to reach out for help and services.

Within Freedom House, BFL’s Emergency Domestic Violence Shelter, almost fifty percent of the time with clients is spent covering safety.

BFL C.E.O Paul Feuerstein, in collaboration with NYU associate professor of psychology Alisha Ali, created a safety survey. This safety focus was first presented and discussed in the Breaking Barriers newsletter in February 2012 and the survey was released in March 2012, both articles were written by Cynthia Amodeo (BFL Chief Program Officer) and Myra Ricard (Program Director, Freedom House).

The survey presented in March evaluates safety knowledge and proficiency in a total of five safety areas including travel, electronics, financial, location, and relationships. In support of Barrier Free Living’s safety orientation and due to C.E.O Paul Feuerstein’s interest in outcome measurement, safety has since become a program goal for Freedom House and the survey is now used to determine program effectiveness.

In speaking with Ms. Amodeo regarding safety matters she stated that “…safety is a never ending concern in our work and it encompasses almost every aspect of our client’s lives. We strive to give residents knowledge, information and training in safety aspects and the responsibility to use that information then falls with the residents.”