Getting Free From Abuse
A Guide for Women with Disabilities
Stories from Women with Disabilities
Abuse can happen to anyone, including women with disabilities.
These are real stories from women with disabilities. Each of them has survived abuse. They shared their stories so that others could learn from their experiences.
Some talk about how they were abused by a parent or family member (see Rose Lillian's story, Katerina's story, Sandy Jeffs' poetry), others tell about abuse by a partner or husband, or by someone else (see Isabella, Molly, Mary, Anj, My Journey ). Some women already had a disability when they were abused, while for others, the abuse caused a disability (see Katerina, Anj).
The women also provide advice for others.
Stories:
When I was married he liked to control everything ...Isabella tells us about her experiences of abuse and stalking, and how she used services to help...see Isabella's Story
'My father had an awful temper...' Katerina tells us about her experience of abuse by her father, and how this caused her an acquired brain injury...see Katerina's Story
'.. I have an intellectual disability and my husband doesn't accept that... because he can't see it.' Molly tells us about her husband's abusive treatment of her and her son, how she separated from him, her experience of contacting services and staying in women's refuges, and more...see Molly's Story
'Through sheer determination and willpower I'm where I am today, gradually reclaiming my life'
Anj tells us how, as a teenager, her boyfriend physically assaulted her so badly that she suffered a severe brain injury...see Anj's Story.'He never hit me in any physical way unless you call kicking my wheelchair hitting...He took complete control over everything.' In this story, a woman describes how her husband abused her and her son. She tells us how she escaped go to a women's refuge, and how she went to court to get custody of her son. She says ' I’m stronger, wiser and maybe even a nicer person' because of her experiences...see "A Story about ME"
'If I fall from my wheelchair he doesn’t tell my carers or take me to the doctor or hospital'...Mary says her husband controls all the money and her communication with her carers and others...see Mary's Story
'The sexual abuse by my brother had long-reaching effects'...Rose Lillian describes how abuse resulted in post-traumatic stress. She tells us about the response of mental health professionals, and more...see Rose Lillian's story.
'My husband was not interested in my health and wellbeing, he was only focused on sex'..This story describes one woman’s struggle with mental health and medical problems, and her relationship with an abusive husband, who, she says, was ‘mentally abusive, not often physically abusive’. She has since endured other violent relationships. She has used a range of accommodation and other services...see 'My Journey'
'We played happy family'...Sandy Jeffs has lived with schizophrenia and all its moods for over thirty years. In her poetry, she writes about her experiences of violence in her family...see Sandy Jeffs' Poetry
Read Advice from Women who have Experienced Abuse
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