Get Involved – Visit the Discussion Groups

We are excited to have you join the project! If you are interested in joining our Listservs, there is information below the form as to the various groups that you can join. We will add you to these groups once we receive your form. Thank you.

Information about each Listserv Group:

Addressing violence against people with disabilities and crime victims with disabilities. A repository of information and resources, and a place for discussion. Owned and operated by Nora Baladerian, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and an expert in the field for more than 40 years. Please visit www.DisabilityWithoutAbuse.com and www.NoraBaladerian.com.
To see postings to this group: https://disabilitywithoutabuse.topicbox.com/groups/nora  Some of these posts are cross-posted to other groups, depending on the content.
This is a discussion group addressing Deaf community interactions with law enforcement. Includes discussions about the application of the ADA to these encounters.
This discussion group will address persons with disabilities, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and encounters with law enforcement, including training issues and material, and ADA guidance. 
This is a discussion group concerning abuse and criminal victimization of persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities, including sexual abuse, physical abuse, and psychological abuse. To send email to this group:
This discussion group addresses experiences of people with disabilities, including members of the Deaf community, within prisons and jails.
This discussion group will address how the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment will impact persons with disabilities, and examine the intersection of disability rights and rights that will be advanced upon passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.
This discussion group will bring together attorneys and groups assisting crime victims, including law  firms. prosecutors, defense at, victim services programs, and others whose focus is on crime victims. Discussions will include information, resources, and expertise in this area, including those who serve crime victims with disabilities. It is hoped that through these discussions and collaboration, resources, training materials, and strategies for improvement will be identified and developed. Non attorneys may participate as well, but it is hoped that lawyers will get involved and drive the discussions.
This group will provide discussions, resources, and expertise about the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to crime victims with disabilities and abuse of persons with disabilities.
This is a group discussing criminal justice issues concerning people with disabilities.
This discussion group is designed to offer students with an interest in this subject to discuss and share ideas. It is hoped that their involvement with the Disability Without Abuse Project will enhance their desire to work on these issues as they develop their careers. In addition, participation will enhance their awareness of the work that is being done and the work that is needed. This group will include college students, medical students, graduate students, and law students. Professors are also welcomed.
This discussion group will address persons with disabilities involved in relationships where domestic violence is occurring or has occurred. Discussions will include ways that people with disabilities experience domestic violence, the effects of domestic violence upon children witnessing it, and custody battles where domestic violence has been present in the relationship.

This group is designed exclusively for members of the Deaf and hard of hearing communities to share insights, concerns, and expertise in an effort to educate others about abuse and criminal victimization in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities. Discussions of Deaf culture and issues of importance to these communities are also welcomed. To post to the group: To see postings in this group: https://disabilitywithoutabuse.topicbox.com/groups/deaf

This group will discuss human trafficking of people with disabilities. "In terms of the types of abuses we’re seeing, we’re seeing forced labor of persons with disabilities. We’re seeing commercial sexual exploitation of people with disabilities, both adults and children. We also see something that we refer to as sexual servitude as forced labor and what that is is that it’s non-commercial sexual abuse, but we consider that forced labor, as well as sexual violence and sexual assault. Anecdotally some of these cases have some of the most extreme physical violence and abuse that we’ve seen among human trafficking cases. We have hunches as to why, but, you know, we don’t have a firm answer as to why these cases are sometimes so horrible." https://mn.gov/web/prod/static/mnddc/live/human-trafficking/sarah-bessell.html

This group will address sexual, physical, and emotional abuse of people with disabilities in nursing homes and group homes. Caretaker abuse, prosecution strategies, and law enforcement involvement will also be discussed.

To see postings to this group: https://disabilitywithoutabuse.topicbox.com/groups/nursing-homes-and-group-homes
To send email to this group:

This group will address issues concerning people with disabilities and COVID-19, sharing information, resources, and expertise on how COVID-19 affects public policy concerning people with disabilities, how the ADA applies to the provision of services, and other information of interest to people with disabilities concerned about COVID-19.

To send email to this group:

To see postings to this group: https://disabilitywithoutabuse.topicbox.com/groups/covid-and-pwd

This group will set forth subjects and schedules for online discussions. We will be using Join.me, GoogleMeet (provides captioning), and zoom. We will send out invitations to this group in advance of online meetings. Check back for upcoming discussions, and send your suggestions for topics to . Please include your email address and phone number when submitting suggestions.

To send email to this group: 

To see postings to this group:
https://disabilitywithoutabuse.topicbox.com/groups/online-discussions-topics-and