“They Didn’t Ask.” Rural Women With Disabilities and Experiences of Violence Describe Interactions With the Healthcare System

Women with disabilities are at risk of experiencing multiple forms of severe and prolonged violence, yet guidelines for screening this population are unclear, screening rates are historically low, and screening tools may be inadequate to capture disability-related aspects of abuse. We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews with 33 rural women in the United States with diverse disabilities and experiences of violence. They described overarching healthcare provider and system factors that influenced their trust and confidence in healthcare delivery as an avenue to support their safety. Women described interactions with the healthcare system during their experience of violence as a missed opportunity for identifying and responding to their abuse and connecting them with resources. We conclude with policy and practice recommendations based on women with disabilities’ perspectives and insights.

A Missed Opportunity for Community Engagement and Data Collection

This research is a case study that explores the dissemination and learnings of information which takes place in a diaspora organization in Toronto, the Kutchi Cultural Association. As a community of first-generation immigrants in Canada, the informal settings and learnings within this organization play an important role in their settlement process and build a sense of shared efficacy. The diaspora gatherings become the quintessential point of community engagement where knowledge is transferred and shared. This exploratory research discovers how information and learnings flow both within the organization as well as with mainstream institutions such as the libraries, archives, and museums. It highlights a missed opportunity for mainstream institutions of engaging such diaspora organizations that play a significant role in the sharing and gathering of information, albeit veiled and unaccounted for through official means and calls for more extensive research on the subject.