Joe Shapiro is SOOOOO good to us all! I agree we each need to reach out and thank him.

 

 

Thanks Donna,

These stories are really hard to listen to, but so important. We put the announcement on social media last night and had more than 5,000 views by morning. Wondering if all of us can take the time to thank NPR and Joe Shapiro for their perseverance on this project. Also, we have a board members who works in the sexual assault/prevention field for people with I/DD and are following up with our local public radio to see if they want to interview her. If you folks have experts in your state, it might be a good local connections.

Thanks to all,
Beth

 

 

We have just learned from our colleagues at RespectAbility that NPR is starting a series of pieces tomorrow and lasting through the next two weeks, on sexual harassment and sexual assault and people with I/DD. Some of you may know that NPR veteran reporter Joe Shapiro, who will be doing this series, is a long-time collaborator and supporter of our work in the disability community. RespectAbility reports that much of the information for this series comes from their earlier report on disability and criminal justice reform, where they highlighted issues around sexual assault of People with Disabilities and an earlier piece they had published on that topic. We are grateful to RespectAbility for pushing for this important topic to be addressed.

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At a moment of reckoning in the United States about sexual harassment and sexual assault, a yearlong NPR investigation finds that there's little recognition of a group of Americans that is one of the most at risk: adults with intellectual disabilities. The series starts on Monday, January 8 and runs through January 18th.

Jan 8: Morning Edition. Correspondent Joe Shapiro talks about the series with host Steve Inskeep

Jan 8: All Things Considered: The epidemic of sexual abuse of people with intellectual disabilities. Numbers obtained by NPR show they are sexually assaulted at rates more than 7 times those for all adults without disabilities. 

Jan 9: Morning Edition: A visit to a Sex Ed class for people with intellectual disabilities. They talk about how they want relationships, but how the sexual violence of their past often gets in the way. 

Jan 10: All Things Considered: On cases that go unnoticed when people have difficulty communicating. 

Jan 16: All Things Considered: Police and prosecutors are often reluctant to take these cases. NPR goes back to Essex County, New Jersey, where the first case to get widespread attention--in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, 25 years ago--was prosecuted. And look at what prosecutors have learned since.

Jan 18: Morning Edition: Therapists Nora Baladerian and Karyn Harvey talk about the stunning violence in the lives of their clients.

Jan 18: All Things Considered: Self-advocates speak--thoughtfully--of the effects of sexual violence. This piece is entirely in the voices of people with intellectual disabilities (plus Joe Shapiro). 

There will be print stories (with photos and art) on-line at npr.org. And the radio stories can be heard there.

 

Please check your local listings for when/how you can hear these stories on NPR.

 

Best,

Donna

 

 

 

Donna A. Meltzer, CEO

National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities

1825 K Street, NW Suite 600

Washington, DC 20006

202-506-5813 extension 103

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