Abusers often used the woman's disability to intensify harm. This includes moving a wheelchair out of reach, using derogatory terms related to her disability, and even leaving her stranded.

The study found that a majority of disabled women in the UK had experienced domestic abuse, with assault and rape rates being double those of non-disabled women. The risk of abuse was applicable regardless of age, ethnicity, or sexuality. 

High Rates of Domestic Abuse Among Disabled Women

Hague, Gill, Ravi Thiara, and Audrey Mullender. “Disabled Women, Domestic Violence and Social Care: The Risk of Isolation, Vulnerability and Neglect.” The British Journal of Social Work, vol. 41, no. 1, Jan. 2011, pp. 148–165. Oxford University Press.

Reference For: Disabled Women, Domestic Violence and Social Care: The Risk of Isolation, Vulnerability and Neglect

Study participants had noted a range of physical and sensory impairments, including multiple sclerosis, hearing and vision impairments, spina bifida, rheumatoid arthritis, brittle bone disease, and more.

Disabilities Represented in the Study

Abuse Often Exploits the Woman’s Impairment

Issues disabled women mostly reported in this study regarding leaving or escaping abusive situations were a lack of accessible refuges, disbelief from professionals, and a dependency on their abuser for daily or intimate care. 

Barriers to Escaping Abuse for Disabled Women

Women reported psychological and financial violations. They also reported violations of privacy by paid caregivers. These cases often went ignored by social services, leaving the women stuck in these abusive cycles. According to the article, social services simply did not care to investigate or did not believe the victims. 

Abuse by Paid Carers and Personal Assistants

Many professionals focused solely on the women's physical needs and overlooked signs of abuse. If the women had developed depression, professionals assumed it was due to the disability rather than the abuse, leading to missed intervention opportunities. 

Lack of Recognition from Service Providers

BME and LGBTQ disabled women often were faced with a double stigma, dealing with cultural insensitivity, racism, or homophobia when they tried to seek help. 

Intersectional Disadvantage in Accessing Support

Domestic violence and disability services often do not view disabled women's abuse as their responsibility, which results in fewer programs tailored to specialized assistance and less outreach in comparison to services available to non-disabled abuse survivors. 

Inadequate Service Provision

When professionals neglect or do not believe those who are abused, women experience extreme feelings of isolation and loss of trust in services, which results in a reduced likelihood of them reporting abuse in the future.  

Psychological Impacts of Being Disbelieved

In some cases, social services suggests placing disabled abuse survivors into residential institutions or caregiving homes when other accessible refuges are unavailable. The study claimed that this is a harmful and unacceptable way of handling these situations. 

Risks of Institutionalisation as a Response to Abuse

Peer-led groups could be formed by other disabled survivors who understand what others may be experiencing and provide emotional support and practical advice. Additionally, all domestic violence service providers should be getting disability equality training, and there should be rules in place to ensure they are acted upon and not neglected. 

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