skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Saturday, April 20, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps; 12-member jury sworn in for Trump's historic criminal trial; the importance of healthcare decision planning; and a debt dilemma: poll shows how many people wrestle with college costs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Civil rights activists say a court ruling could end the right to protest in three southern states, a federal judge lets January 6th lawsuits proceed against former President Trump, and police arrest dozens at a Columbia University Gaza protest.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

Report: A Disability Raises the Risk of Domestic Violence

play audio
Play

Wednesday, October 29, 2008   

Taylor County, WV - A disability may be a risk factor for domestic violence, according to a study presented this week at the American Public Health Association. It shows that close to one woman in three with disabilities has been physically assaulted by an intimate partner.

Carol Moats, an outreach advocate with the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center in Taylor County, says abuse takes many forms, and mental abuse is usually even more common. She says family members, friends and medical providers can pick up on clues that abusive treatment has been happening.

"During an appointment, an abuser will speak for, or speak over, the victim, so the victim's story doesn't come out. It's important for people close to the abused, such as medical workers, to recognize if that is taking place."

The good news, Moats says, is there are resources available to create safe environments and help people with disabilities move on to better lives. She says one woman with diabetes, who was blind, was being abused by being given intentionally-wrong dosages of medication. The woman reached out for help and is much healthier.

"By living alone in an apartment, with proper medication, and without the abuse and stress, her eyesight has improved."

Moats says that if abuse is suspected, it's important to convey to the victim that it is safe to talk. She says people with disabilities face additional challenges in reaching out, because the abuser may not allow them to be alone, or might threaten to no longer help care for them if they tell. The West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence has also provided training to disability service providers to help them screen for abuse.

More information on the study presented at the meeting is online at www.apha.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The Bureau of Land Management's newly issued Public Lands Rule is designed to safeguard cultural resources such as New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Park. (Photo courtesy SallyPaez)

Environment

play sound

Balancing the needs of the many with those who have traditionally reaped benefits from public lands is behind a new rule issued Thursday by the Bureau…


Health and Wellness

play sound

Alzheimer's disease is the eighth-leading cause of death in Pennsylvania. A documentary on the topic debuts Saturday in Pittsburgh. "Remember Me: …

Social Issues

play sound

April is Financial Literacy Month, when the focus is on learning smart money habits but also how to protect yourself from fraud. One problem on the …


Outdoor recreation added $11.7 million to the Arizona economy in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Arizona conservation groups and sportsmen alike say they're pleased the Bureau of Land Management will now recognize conservation as an integral part …

play sound

Across the U.S., most political boundaries tied to the 2020 Census have been in place for a while, but a national project on map fairness for …

The 2023 Annie E. Casey Foundation Data Book ranked Arkansas 37th in the nation for education, and said 56% of young children were not in preschool programs to help get them ready for school. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The need for child care and early learning is critical, especially in rural Arkansas. One nonprofit is working to fill those gaps by giving providers …

Environment

play sound

An annual march for farmworkers' rights is being held Sunday in northwest Washington. This year, marchers are focusing on the conditions for local …

Social Issues

play sound

A new Gallup and Lumina Foundation poll unveils a concerning reality: Hoosiers may lack clarity about the true cost of higher education. The survey …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021