Serving Victims With Disabilities Responding to Victims With
Disabilities Most people will face some type of disability at
some point in their lives. The disability could be temporary,
such as a broken leg; connected to age, such as hearing or
vision loss; the result of a disease, such as cancer or heart
disease; the result of an accident, such as a spinal cord injury
or amputation; or may be a late-onset condition or the result of
life circumstances, such as schizophrenia, depression, or
posttraumatic stress disorder.57 Therefore, it is important to
provide programs and services that are not only barrier free,
but also adapted to fulfill the needs of all people equally.
First Response to Victims of Crime is a practical DVD with a
companion guidebook designed for law enforcement responding to
victims with disabilities such as Alzheimer's disease, mental
illness, or intellectual disabilities, as well as victims who
are blind or visually impaired or deaf or hard-of-hearing. The
DVD also addresses older victims,