Professionals working with victims of crime may find the following training-related links of interest:

Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services (ADWAS)
ADWAS was founded in 1986 by deaf women to provide services in a sensitive and healing environment for deaf and deaf-blind victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse in the Seattle area. ADWAS also coordinates education programs on topics such as positive deaf parenting, child advocacy and support, and community outreach. With grant funding from the Office for Victims of Crime, ADWAS is working to replicate its program in 15 cities across the Nation that have large deaf populations.

First Response to Victims of Crime Who Have a Disability (October 2002)
This handbook for law enforcement officers (NCJ 195500) describes how to approach and help victims who have Alzheimer's Disease, mental illness, or mental retardation or who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing. It is designed as a field guide for personnel who respond first to crime victims and includes contacts for assistance.

Meet Us Where We Are (video & guide) (December 2002)
This 14-minute video (NCJ 188515), which presents first person accounts of how crime affects people with disabilities, will help educate disability service providers and people with disabilities about crime victim rights and resources. The accompanying Resource Guide also is available online.
ASCII (19 kb) or PDF (170 kb)

The Time Is Now (video & guide) (December 2002)
This 17-minute video and accompanying print material (NCJ 188514) will help crime victim service providers reach out and serve people with disabilities. The accompanying Resource Guide also is available online.
ASCII (22 kb) or PDF (205 kb)

Victims of Crime With Disabilities Resource Guide
Online, searchable directory of training resources for service providers who work with crime victims with disabilities. Developed as a collaboration between the American Association of University Centers on Disabilities, the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities, and OVC, this resource database includes books, publications, videos, training programs, and contact information for organizations and other resources that may be helpful to practitioners in the disability and victim advocacy fields.

Victims with Disabilities: The Forensic Interview—Techniques for Interviewing Victims with Communication and/or Cognitive Disabilities (April 2007)
This 57-minute DVD (NCJ 212894) and companion discussion guide (PDF 831 kb) provide a specific set of guidelines for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim advocates, forensic interviewers, and others for interviewing adults and children with communication and/or cognitive disabilities. A complete transcript of the DVD and a glossary of terms and concepts used in the film are provided.