About

The Deaf Action Initiative is a three-year OVW-funded training and technical assistance project designed to increase the capacity of Deaf organizations to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and/or stalking in Deaf communities in the United States. The project began in October 2015, with initial activities focused on identifying training and technical assistance priorities through a needs assessment process, and based upon these priorities, finalizing our training and technical assistance plan. The Deaf Action team is comprised of representatives from the Vera Institute of Justice, Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services (ADWAS), Advocacy Services for Abused Deaf Victims (ASADV), and DeafHope.

Goals

Goal 1: To build foundational knowledge within emerging Deaf domestic and sexual violence programs. 
Goal 2: To increase the capacity of any (existing and emerging) Deaf domestic and sexual violence programs.
Goal 3: To enhance the capacities of project partners (ASADV, ADWAS, and DeafHope) to design, manage, and deliver a national technical assistance initiative.

Primary Activities

• Convene two (2) in-person trainings,
• Host a bi-monthly webinar series,
• Convene a bi-monthly networking meeting of national Deaf-specific domestic and sexual violence programs,
• Provide video based guidance and support as requested, 
• Conduct in-person site visits as requested,
• Create an online clearinghouse to house information and resources, and
• Support Deaf advocates’ attendance at OVW-funded training events through the provision of scholarships.