FISA is pleased to continue its partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice, a national organization with expertise in addressing the disproportionate rates of abuse and violence against people with disabilities. Vera has curated a three-part webinar series and will facilitate a discussion with experts in disability and racial justice, human trafficking, campus sexual violence, and transformative justice to raise awareness, educate stakeholders, and begin community efforts to address ongoing challenges related to abuse of people of color with disabilities. The series free and open to the community.
Co-sponsored by: Autism Connection of PA, Black Girls Equity Alliance, City of Pittsburgh Gender Equity Commission, Gwen’s Girls, Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, Opportunity Fund, Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy, Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education (PCHE), SisTersPGH, University of Pittsburgh School of Education, and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine.
Please join us for the following programs:
Meeting the Needs of Human Trafficking Victims with Disabilities
September 28, 1:00-2:30 ET
Join us for an informative and interactive webinar applying a disability justice framework to address human trafficking of people with disabilities, who are often people of color. Panelists include Olga Trujillo, Vera Institute of Justice; Justine Shorter, National Disability Rights Network, and Erika Reil, Vermont Center for Independent Living.
More Information and Registration
From Classroom to Dorm Room: Serving Survivors with Disabilities on Campus
October 20, 2:00-3:30 ET
This webinar will explore barriers to serving college students with disabilities who experience sexual assault or abuse and will also provide solutions to address these challenges. Panelists include Kaitlin Shetler, Vera Institute of Justice; Maria Cristina Pacheco, National Organization for Victim Assistance; and Wanda Swan, Founder and Executive Director of the Swan Center for Advocacy and Research, Inc.
More Information and Registration
Transformative Justice in the Lives of Survivors with Disabilities
In November—exact date coming soon.
With high rates of victimization and incarceration, people with disabilities have an elevated likelihood of having contact with the criminal legal system. This contact can be deadly, with 50% of people killed by police in the United States having a disability. This long history of being harmed by the state-sponsored justice system has led people with disabilities, and specifically people of color with disabilities, to seek alternative ways to heal and promote accountability. Transformative Justice (TJ) was created by and for people from marginalized communities to respond to violence when calling the police may not be a viable or safe option.