Victims with Disabilities

Victims with Disabilities

Victimization can happen to anyone at any time, the fact that a disability may exist may increase the chances of someone being victimized.  Persons with mental disabilities have been sexually assaulted and taken advantage of in a multitude of ways.  Someone may become disabled because of the victimization.  A rape victim may test positive for HIV infection and will have to not only deal with the trauma of the rape, but the lifetime treatment that occurs when someone is diagnosed with HIV and it transgresses to AIDS. 

The approach will have to be different from standard assessments and special care should be taken with disabled persons.  Wallace and Roberson (2011) stated that there is a set of rules and guidelines a mental health therapist should follow when interviewing and assessing individuals with disabilities.  They include; looking directly at the individuals, asking them how they would like to be addressed and approached, speaking directly to them regardless of the presence of a third party, offer physical assistance but do not assume they need or will accept the help, help arrange social service needs, do not show sympathy or tell them that you admire them, they do not want to be thought of as hero’s for their situation, lastly in humorous situations take a cue from the client on how to react (Wallace, 2011).      

The Advocacy Center (2011) state that people with disabilities may be more at risk for many types of abuse and neglect including sexual, emotional and financial, and may be perpetrated by their caregivers.  In this situation it is good to ensure that they are removed from this persons care as soon as the victimization is discovered.   Studies estimate that between 40% - 97% of crime against persons with disabilities goes unreported (Wallace, 2011).  Among women with disabilities, the average rate of rape and abuse is five times greater than that of the general population (Wallace, 2011). 

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Victimization

The LGBT community is a very diverse group of individuals that have a lot of stigma attached to their lifestyle.  There are a lot of civil rights issues that the group faces, they are unable to marry, and transgender face bathroom related issues on a daily basis.  An example of this occurrence is when a transitioning male to female youth attempted to use the women’s bathroom and was approached by a security guard, pulled out the bathroom and escorted off of campus.  She was told that what she had done was illegal and it could possibly resort in her expulsion from school.  She of course suffered some trauma and humiliation of being pointed out as a transgender person.  Fortunately a new guideline has been established to protect transitioning individuals from this type of victimization, although it is certain that this will do little for the actual discrimination they face on a regular basis. 

The LGBT community faces victimization at a higher rate than the general population (Wallace, 2011).  There is a core group of citizens that believe that the LGBT community is un-natural and against God.  At a gay Pride event there are usually protesters outside the gates with signs that read “Whoever told you that you were born this way hates you and wants you to go to hell”.  This can create a lot of shame in some individuals and that shame can then become internalized and thus they become a victim of societal views placed upon them.  Mental health professionals should ensure that their office paperwork is inclusive of all groups, since this is the first thing that they most likely will encounter.  Asking what pro-noun they would like to be addressed as is very important since many self-identify differently.  A gay woman may identify as a she or a he depending on how she views her or himself.  A transitioning male to female will likely be addressed in female terms and addressing them as a male can be very damaging to any rapport that one is trying to build.  It is important to remember that 1/3 of hate crimes occur with members of the LGBT community and it is highly likely that they go unreported because of the fear and shame that society places on this community.  Trainings to become more informed about this group is very important, because while being a part of the LGBT community is a special experience there are a number of sub-groups within the group, a lot of internalized homophobia and discrimination exist within the group and to be culturally competent enough to work with this mistrusting group is an intense process that involves and extremely open-mind. 

References

The Advocacy Center (2011) Abuse and Neglect, retrieved on June 11, 2011 from  http://www.advocacyla.org/tl_files/publications/AbuseandNeglect.pdf

Wallace H., Roberson C. (2011) Victimology; legal, psychological and social perspectives, third edition, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.