The information provided on this site is for information only and not intended to substitute for professional help, intervention, or treatment. If you or someone you know is or you suspect is being abused, neglected, or exploited please immediately call 911 or PA Adult Protective Services at 1-800-490-8505 or PA Child Protective Services ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.
According to the most recent United States Census Data, people with disabilities make up nearly 19 percent of the population. From statistics we know that people with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism are two to three times more likely than the general public to be victims of abuse or violence. In spite of these incredible rates of victimization, few steps are taken to report incidents, little is done to their perpetrators, and little to no victim services are offered to the victims; keeping the atrocities against them invisible and untold.
Little is heard about abuse and neglect as it relates to people with disabilities and autism in the general public. The silence is particularly alarming because people with disabilities are among those most at risk of experiencing verbal or physical abuse, neglect, exploitation, rape or sexual assault and they are most in need of protection. They also face overwhelming barriers to obtaining assistance. Victims are often not believed, nor seen as credible reporters, and due to cognitive or language difficulties their abuse remains underreported, and they are left to be victimized over and over again, sometimes by the same perpetrator. While they are over three more times more likely than people without disabilities to experience these crimes, they are 10 times more likely to receive no justice for the horrific acts against them.
As long as acts against people with disabilities, individually and collectively are ignored or hidden, efforts to address the violence in their lives remains sorely inadequate and their civil rights denied. Imagine if that was your life or the life of someone you love?
Voices Rising for Justice is committed to raising awareness of these issues and advocating for system policies and practices that will promote safety and protection; we intend to amplify our voices, demanding accountability from the systems meant to support and protect the most vulnerable, and to bring access to justice to the victims so those who do them harm will never harm anyone again.
We need you to join us in our efforts
