Click here to go to a page with an overview about domestic violence. Then see below for information about how domestic violence happens in the lives of people with disabilities. People with disabilities are diverse and prevalent in West Virginia. West Virginia has the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the nation. Disabilities can include mobility impairments, sensory impairments, cognitive impairments and mental illness.
Some disabilities are more visible than others.
Defining domestic violence for people with disabilities. People with disabilities may experience domestic violence in ways that differ from people without disabilities. That is, they experience a pattern of behaviors used to exert power and control by someone with whom they have a relationship. However, the behaviors used to exercise that power and control and the types of relationships may not be easily characterized as domestic violence. For example, people with disabilities may have caregivers, paid and unpaid, with whom they have developed a personal relationship.