From: drarwingnuttephd@gmail.com   
      
   Survey Finds Disability Abuse Widespread   
   By SHAUN HEASLEY   
      
   September 4, 2013    
      
   More than 7 in 10 with disabilities say they've been abused, according to a   
   new national survey, and in many cases individuals say the problems occur   
   repeatedly.   
      
   In what's believed to be the largest survey of its kind, over 7,200 people   
   with disabilities, family members, advocates, service providers and other   
   professionals were polled between May and October 2012.   
      
   The findings, released this week, suggest that abuse of people with   
   disabilities is widespread across the country and often overlooked.   
      
   More than 70 percent of those with disabilities polled said they had been   
   abused and over 60 percent of family members indicated that their loved one   
   with special needs had been mistreated.   
      
   In about half of cases, victims said they experienced physical abuse. Some 40   
   percent reported sexual abuse and nearly 90 percent of those who said they had   
   been violated indicated they were verbally or emotionally harmed. Neglect and   
   financial abuse    
   were also frequently cited.   
      
   "Too many people are abused too much, with very little on the response side to   
   help in the aftermath," said Nora J. Baladerian, director of the Disability   
   and Abuse Project, which conducted the survey. "The extent of abuse is   
   epidemic, and the inadequate    
   response is disturbing."   
      
   Among those who were victimized, more than 9 in 10 said they were abused more   
   than once with 57 percent indicating they had experienced mistreatment more   
   than 20 times, the survey found.   
      
   Incidents of abuse were not reported in about half of cases and even when   
   authorities were alerted, survey results indicate that arrests were made only   
   about 10 percent of the time.   
      
   Findings from the survey are expected to be presented next week at the   
   National Center for Victims of Crime conference in Phoenix and at a joint   
   conference of the American Bar Association and the American Psychological   
   Association in October in    
   Washington, D.C.   
      
      
      
   http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/09/04/survey-abuse-widespread/18652/   
      
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