Serving the disabled

LIMA - People with disabilities are more likely to be victims of crime but less likely to report those crimes, presenting challenges for law enforcement and other agencies alike.

"The risk to people with disabilities is huge because they are vulnerable, they're isolated, many times there are communication barriers where they're not clearly understood," said Shirley Evans, an investigator with the Allen County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disability.

With a U.S. Department of Justice grant, Crime Victim Services and the board of MR/DD have begun an initiative to increase awareness and provide training for agencies across Allen, Hardin and Putnam counties.

The grant isn't large - $60,000 over two years - but the Building Partnerships Initiative is more about spreading knowledge than greenbacks.

"The hope is by the end of the two-year project to have really developed a networking system that is holding us accountable for who the victims of crime are and how can we do a better job of providing training to law enforcement, prosecutor's office and to other service providers," said Laurel Neufeld Weaver, who is leading the project at Crime Victim Services.

Modeled after a successful Massachusetts initiative, the program centers on teaching law-enforcement officials how to work with people who have disabilities and what resources are available to them.

Both Neufeld Weaver and Evans said the program has been an easy sell, partially because they're not asking for money, but more because it's training law-enforcement officials say they need.

"We have a lot of contact with MR/DD persons who are the victims of criminal acts, so that's where we have to be better prepared to act," said Maj. Kevin Martin of the Lima Police Department.

Martin said city police receive little training to identify people with disabilities. Police are not fully aware of what services are available for victims with disabilities.

In mid-May, the initiative will bring educators from the Avert Project in Lorain to provide specialized training to law enforcement.

And though the training is geared toward serving victims, Martin said it could also help if someone with a disability is accused of a crime.

"I think the greater likelihood is victims with MR/DD, but certainly if they are seen as a suspect it will help us address those circumstances as well," Martin said.

In addition to working with law enforcement, the initiative hopes to serve as a refresher course of sorts, reminding individuals of their moral and legal obligations of reporting cases of abuse and neglect of a person with disabilities.

Doctors, social workers and lawyers are all required to report cases they come across, Evans said.

Though much of the focus is on those with mental retardation or developmental disabilities, Neufeld Weaver said the program covers a much wider range.

"We're talking about people that have mental illness, we're talking about people with brain injuries. There's a much larger population that doesn't come under that (MR/DD) umbrella," she said.

While there always has been a push for prosecution, this is the first time a community-wide program has worked to educate people about the issue.

"Every agency cares," Evans said. "But it's creating an awareness of where there are gaps in services and awareness in barriers to getting the persons with disabilities the services they need."