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Connecting on Disability and Abuse
Connecting on Disability and Abuse (CODA) is a community-based initiative dedicated to working towards developing awareness and understanding of the abuse people with disabilities can face and working towards its prevention.
On May 4th, Crime Prevention Ottawa, in collaboration with its community partners, held a workshop called " Communicative Disabilities and Abue: Understanding, Empowerment and Action". The workshop explored abuse issues facing people with communicative disabilities such as hearing imparment, aphasia or learning disabilities-in particular, vulnerabilities and strengths of those affected, along with the difficulties inherent in reporting abuse. View the presentaiton by Alexandra Carling-Rowland.
On Monday, November 28th , CODA and CPO hosted a speaker series event entitled: “Violence, Gender and Disability: Deepening our Understanding.” The Keynote Speaker was Bonnie Brayton of the Disabled Women’s Network of Canada, check out her presentation.
The new committee has a goal of developing community capacity to address issues of abuse and disability. By providing an open forum for discussion on the issues; conducting research; defining emerging priorities to influence policy, legislative, funding and service decisions; and, by advocating for the rights and needs of people with disabilities, particularly in the Ottawa area, CODA hopes to break the silence around issues of abuse and disability and to develop effective partnership networks and initiatives. See our Terms of Reference and Definition of Abuse.
The committee meets every two months, for more information or to join the committee please contact CPO@Ottawa.ca.
CODA has been working on a number of projects:
Rising Strong : Disability and Abuse and Prevention II
Report Understanding and Preventing Abuse Against People with Disabilities.pdf
