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http://www.miltoncanadianchampion.com/news/article/227065
A local support network aims to break through the silence — literally — in an effort to help those most at risk.
Halton’s Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services (SAVIS) has created a new education/prevention tool for deaf children, who according to studies are two-to-three times more likely than their hearing counterparts to be sexually assaulted.
“Deaf and hard of hearing girls and women, and those living with other disabilities, are less likely to receive information on sexual assault,” said SAVIS counsellor Nicole Pietsch, whose group provides free and confidential 24-hour support for all survivors of sexual violence.
“Amongst hearing communities and professionals, we tend to relay information through print — brochures, literature, handouts, etc. In addition, crisis lines are almost always voice lines. Deaf populations may find these ways of receiving information ineffective. This in turn means less access to crisis and counselling services, including preventative information about sexual assault laws, abuse in relationships and their own sexual rights.”
SAVIS is looking to combat that bleak scenario with its new violence prevention magnetic word set, which helps reduce the amount of text and medical and legal jargon usually found in traditional brochures. Instead, pictures, colour and simplified English is used to convey information about sexual assault and direct victims toward support options.
‘No means no,’ one magnet reads.
The magnets can be separated and arranged to spell out healthy relationship and violence prevention messages. Funded by the Ministry of the Attorney General Ontario Victim Services Secretariat, the magnet set includes American Sign Language fingerspelling for every letter of the alphabet, colour emoticons and a large-print announcement of SAVIS’s mandate and contact information, including its website and TTY (teletypewriter for the deaf) number.
For more information about the magnet set or to have one sent, contact SAVIS at (905) 825-3622,TTY (905) 825-3743 or e-mail nicole@savisofhalton.org .
A local support network aims to break through the silence — literally — in an effort to help those most at risk.
Halton’s Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services (SAVIS) has created a new education/prevention tool for deaf children, who according to studies are two-to-three times more likely than their hearing counterparts to be sexually assaulted.
“Deaf and hard of hearing girls and women, and those living with other disabilities, are less likely to receive information on sexual assault,” said SAVIS counsellor Nicole Pietsch, whose group provides free and confidential 24-hour support for all survivors of sexual violence.
“Amongst hearing communities and professionals, we tend to relay information through print — brochures, literature, handouts, etc. In addition, crisis lines are almost always voice lines. Deaf populations may find these ways of receiving information ineffective. This in turn means less access to crisis and counselling services, including preventative information about sexual assault laws, abuse in relationships and their own sexual rights.”
SAVIS is looking to combat that bleak scenario with its new violence prevention magnetic word set, which helps reduce the amount of text and medical and legal jargon usually found in traditional brochures. Instead, pictures, colour and simplified English is used to convey information about sexual assault and direct victims toward support options.
‘No means no,’ one magnet reads.
The magnets can be separated and arranged to spell out healthy relationship and violence prevention messages. Funded by the Ministry of the Attorney General Ontario Victim Services Secretariat, the magnet set includes American Sign Language fingerspelling for every letter of the alphabet, colour emoticons and a large-print announcement of SAVIS’s mandate and contact information, including its website and TTY (teletypewriter for the deaf) number.
For more information about the magnet set or to have one sent, contact SAVIS at (905) 825-3622,TTY (905) 825-3743 or e-mail nicole@savisofhalton.org .