● Domestic violence : In the U.S., domestic violence is the cause of women losing an average of 8 million days of paid work per year. The Violence against Women Act (VAWA) has led to lowered rates of gender-based violence in the U.S. thanks to the programs and services it has provided since its introduction in 1994 and reauthorization in 2022 (VAWA, 2022). The passage of the VAWA introduced a coordinated community response across local, state, and federal levels to domestic violence and sexual assault. VAWA helped create the first sense of coordination between the legal system, social services, and private nonprofit organizations in their efforts to address domestic violence. In a 2005 statement, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated that “VAWA is one of the most effective pieces of legislation enacted to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. It has dramatically improved the law enforcement response to violence against women and has provided critical services necessary to support women in their struggle to overcome abusive situations" (ACLU, 2005). Provisions introduced by VAWA include: ○ A federal rape shield law, which limits the ability for rape complainants to be questioned regarding their past sexual history. Disability Physical, intellectual, mental and behavioral health, and other long-term disabilities constitute another facet of diversity within the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; 2020), 61 million adults (26% of adults) in the U.S. live with a disability. Those with disabilities have experienced a history of discriminatory practices that have often resulted in exclusion from mainstream society. Historically, individuals with disabilities have been physically segregated from others as a result of policies encouraging the institutionalization of people with physical, developmental, and/or mental and behavioral health disabilities. Institutionalization has prevented many individuals with disabilities from meaningful education and work and has limited opportunities to socialize with the broader community. At its worst, institutionalization has resulted in the neglect, mistreatment, and abuse of individuals who identified as having a disability. Deinstitutionalization was ushered in by the very public exposure of the abuses of those living in Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. In 1972, Geraldo Rivera, a television reporter, was given the key to the school by one of the physicians employed there to expose its squalor and the neglect of the children residing there. His reporting, a better understanding of how to effectively treat those with disabilities, and the introduction of psychotherapeutic medications resulted in the beginning of the end of institutionalization and the beginning of offering those with disabilities community-based services. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC; 2021) Enforcement and Litigation Statistics and Agency Financial Report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, retaliation was the most frequently alleged discriminatory claim, accounting for 55.8% of all charges. Disability (36.1%) was the next most alleged category of discrimination, followed by race and sex. The percentage of each category decreased or remained stable compared to FY 2019 except for claims of retaliation, disability, color, and genetic information (EEOC, 2021). Table 5 shows the percentage of adults with specific categories of disability in the U.S.
○ Victim protection for those evicted from their home due to domestic violence or stalking. ○ Funding for rape crisis centers, hotlines, and other victim assistance services. ○ Legal aid for victims of domestic violence. Unfortunately, the programs and services of the VAWA are not able to meet the ongoing needs of domestic violence survivors without more funding and expansion of resources (Bleiweis et al., 2020). The VAWA must be renewed every five years, with the most recent reauthorization occurring in March 2022. In addition to securing funding for services, the 2022 reauthorization also strengthened nondiscrimination laws for all genders and created an LGBTQ services program, among other new provisions. Self-Assessment Quiz Question #3 Which of the following persons is most likely to live in poverty? a. A woman who self-identifies as Alaska Native. Table 5: Percentage of Adults with Functional Disability Types in the US Functional Disability Description Percentage Mobility Serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs. 13.7%. Cognition Serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions. 10.8%. Independent Living Difficulty doing errands alone. 6.8%. Hearing Deafness or serious difficulty hearing. 5.9%. Vision Blindness or serious difficulty seeing. 4.6%. Self-Care Difficulty bathing or dressing. 3.7%. Note: From CDC, 2020. Evidence-based practice! Research shows that adults living with disabilities are more likely to smoke, have obesity, have heart disease, and/or have diabetes (CDC, 2020). Healthcare professionals must be alert to diseases that are linked to disability. These diseases can compound the challenges that people with disabilities face. b. A man who is 45 years of age. c. A married man with two children. d. An unmarried woman without children. The CDC (2020) points out that: ● Two in five adults age 65 years of age and older have a disability. ● One in four women have a disability. ● Two in five non-Hispanic Native American Indians/Alaska Natives have a disability. People with disabilities face several barriers to accessing healthcare. These include the following (CDC, 2020): ● One in three persons does not have a primary healthcare provider (Age group: 18-44 years). ● One in three people has an unmet healthcare need because of cost in the past year (Age group: 18-44 years). ● One in four people did not have a routine check-up in the past year (Age group: 45-64 years). Disability often compounds issues of poverty and access that can lead to an array of health consequences such as substance abuse, domestic violence, malnutrition, and even chronic mental and behavioral health conditions.
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Book Code: PYFL4024
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