Because individuals with disabilities are at risk for horrible outcomes that result from violence (Corr & Santos, 2017; Njelesani et al. 2018), it is important for those of us who advocate for these people (children, youths, and adults!) to have resources for addressing this problem. The US Department of Education announced a series of “Community Violence Webinar Series” on 23 June 2021 (i.e., 1:00 PM EDT today) on this topic.

It’s important that people concerned about individuals with disabilities have evidence-based resources about this topic. Though I don’t know by what criteria it decides if information or recommendations are “evidence-based,” the ED report promises such help. Here’s a snippet from its press release:

The first webinar, “Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Webinar Series Part 1:
Evidence-based Theory and Research on CVI” will take place on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET. In this webinar, presenters will discuss immediate steps communities can take to reduce community violence as well as the social determinants of health (e.g., norms, policies) that can lead to inequities in violence. Within this framework, presenters will define CVI, including the theory and research behind specific CVI models such as street outreach, violence interrupters, group violence interventions, and hospital-based interventions, as well as the role of the community and law enforcement within CVI.

Although the announcement was posted 22 Jun 2021, US ED asks that people register for the event. The “department” is using some (uhm proprietary) WEBEX system to register participants, so I can’t link directly to a Web resouce for the Webinar (US ED, apparently and understanably, is trackiing visitors)…but here’s what I have (ugh)):

https://ojpevent.webex.com/mw3300/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=ojpevent&service=6&rnd=0.21511665558545623&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fojpevent.webex.com%2Fec3300%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Ddetail%26%26%26EMK%3D4832534b000000057ad9ed7c041d0e842eaca07d1c5dacb97cf9791c469ed1d420dba19b8c085e1d%26siteurl%3Dojpevent%26confViewID%3D197105480707913013%26encryptTicket%3DSDJTSwAAAAV2FNSgpXNROstXEB87PiMukHgn3dQOxEe1TlyXitqZ9Q2%26

Privacy be damned, clicking that link probably will tie you to (a) this SET posting, (b) a mailing from the US ED folx, and (c) me. Ugh. You can complain about this tracking-privacy issue by writing to BJANTTAC@ojp.usdoj.gov.

If any reader listens-participates-engages in this Webinar, please post a review. What evidence did the peeps present? Was the argument causal (not casual)? Were there actionable recommendations? Etc.

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References

Corr, C., & Santos, R. M. (2017). Abuse and young children with disabilities: A review of the literature. Journal of Early Intervention, 39(1), 3-17.

Njelesani, J., Hashemi, G., Cameron, C., Cameron, D., Richard, D., & Parnes, P. (2018). From the day they are born: A qualitative study exploring violence against children with disabilities in West Africa. BMC Public Hhealth, 18(1), 1-7.