Miss Melissa Jones1
1Yarrow Place, North Adelaide, Australia
Abstract:
People living with a disability experience extremely high rates of sexual violence. Recent statistics suggest that 70% of people living with any disability, and 90% of people with an intellectual & or communication disability have experienced at least one occurrence of sexual violence during their lifetime. It was identified in partnership with our survivor advocates that Yarrow Place's accessibility and inclusivity required significant improvement to ensure all victim/survivors were receiving the same level of care. This need for accessible and inclusive healthcare and its importance in upholding human rights has also been highlighted by the recent Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
The committee has worked on the following improvements.
– Creating accessible pathways
– Maximising safety and a level of comfort during the provision of invasive and uncomfortable services such as forensic medical examinations
– Developing communication Resources to improve communication access- Access audit
– Resource development (communications boards, booklets, cards)
– Specialised training in using the developed tools
– Building consumer confidence that Yarrow Place offers a service that is accessible & tailored to individual needs by up skilling Yarrow Place staff.
– Increasing community awareness within the disability sector by hosting a sexual violence and disability networking forum.
– Co-designed tailored training to Recognising and Responding to Sexual Violence & Disabilities training.
– Accessible entrance design improvements
– Sensory design improvements; art, plants, lighting, paintings
– Universally designed signs
– Sensory modulation tools
– External Counselling Spaces with a local disability service