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 with Disabilities: Collaborative, Multidisciplinary First Response (March 2009)
This training DVD and guide (NCJ 223940) were developed under the guidance of a national advisory board to demonstrate effective techniques for first responders who have been called to the scene of a crime in which the victim has a disability. This educational multimedia package not only provides guidelines for interacting with adult and adolescent victims of crime who have communication and/or intellectual disabilities, but also helps law enforcement personnel gain a deeper understanding of the lives, personal attributes, and abilities of individuals with disabilities. (PDF, 870 kb)

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.