Love2ASL.com, is offering a mentoring opportunity, with a specialized training program, Domestic Violence Prevention, Personal Empowerment Program.  We are working jointly with the PEP program and protective shelters for women and children.

For those of you who have completed your interpreter training and are not feeling ready to go out on your own, or have been interpreting and want this specialized training, this is a unique opportunity to continue to bridge between you and the Deaf community.

How this program works, I am contacted by therapists or shelters who have Deaf clients who need Personal Empowerment Program training. Love2ASL.com’s Domestic Violence Prevention Program to Empower and Educate Deaf women works in conjunction with therapists and  shelters to provide the interpreters so that the Deaf consumer can attend the Personal Empowerment Program. At times there are men who attend  the Personal Empowerment Program itself, however, we have never had a Deaf male participate yet. 

The Personal Empowerment Program is held by an organization, at a undisclosed location, to protect the whereabouts of the victim from the predator. The actual location will be given only to those who have registered and attend  the orientation. Our goal is to help victims become victorious over their batterer.

This is a rare opportunity and is tremendously needed to help educate deaf individuals to learn how to protect themselves from being abused.  Because this program is only available on a “as needed” basis the opportunity is on a first come first serve basis.  You can make this opportunity happen for this Deaf consumer, who is in need of Domestic Violence Prevention to  learn how to avoid or get out of a Domestic Violence environment. 

The California Superior Courts are mandated to order the Batterer to a        52-week Domestic Violence Batterers Treatment Program and anger management, however, the courts are not mandated to order the victim to the Personal Empowerment Program. Mandated programs provide sign language interpreters, non-mandated programs do not provide sign language interpreters.

requests to participate will be handled on a “first come - first serve”  basis.  Because this training is done during the actual Personal Empowerment Program group, it is limited to 3-Mentee / Interpreters. 

Training: you will receive one,  8-hour day of orientation, where we will review the entire 10-week Domestic Violence Prevention, Personal Empowerment Program. We will review each week’s topic from the Personal Empowerment Program notebook.  During the review of each topic, we will discuss any sign language that is specialized to the D.V. situation, we will discuss how to visualize ASL concepts, and when to use ASL expansion, we will discuss which words need to be reinforced by finger spelling and more. We will meet on a Saturday or Sunday for the orientation which will be determined at a later date.

Love2ASL.com’s Domestic Violence Prevention Program, consists of 12-weeks of hands-on mentoring, individual evaluation of your skills, feedback on how to strengthen your signing skills and debriefing the interpreting event. The cost to you will be,  $24.00 per week and you can pay as you go or receive a free Domestic Violence Prevention Manual worth $50.00 if the 12-weeks are paid in full at the first meeting.

Type of Training: Domestic Violence Prevention, “Personal Empowerment Program”
Location:  Anaheim-Fullerton Area
Time: 7:00pm-8:30pm
Day: Tuesdays

If interested please email your request to participate to Free4U2Bfree@yahoo.com

your name will be added to a waiting list and you will be notified when interpreter/mentees are needed.

Many thanks,
Juti

Suggestions for Domestic Violence Survivors:

• Contact a local domestic violence program. These programs are in many communities around the country and can provide: counseling and support groups; information about legal options, the criminal justice system, and social services; shelter; attorney referrals; vocational counseling; safety planning; and case advocacy. Programs will assist victims regardless of their decision to stay in, or leave, the relationship.
• Create a comprehensive safety plan. With assistance from a victim service professional, victims should create an individualized plan for safety in all situations, including a checklist of necessary items to take when leaving an abusive situation. For more safety planning suggestions, please refer to the GET HELP bulletin entitled, Domestic Violence: Safety Plan Guidelines.
• Consider legal options. In every state, domestic violence is a crime. For information on criminal penalties for abusers, and protections for victims through the criminal justice system, victims should contact local law enforcement or prosecutor's office. Reporting domestic violence incidents may raise safety concerns, so this option should be discussed with a victim service professional. Whether victims choose to report, it may be helpful to document evidence of abuse (i.e., pictures, witness statements, tape recordings), to be used in criminal proceedings, or in custody or divorce hearings. Every state also has a process for obtaining civil protective orders (also known as no contact orders, or restraining orders) that prohibit contact between an abuser and a victim. For more information on civil protective orders, victims should contact a local domestic violence program.

Definition of Domestic Violence:

FAQ:One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime (Tjaden, Patricia et al., 2000),

and females who are 20-24 years of age are at the greatest risk for intimate partner violence (U.S. Department of Justice, 2006).

In 2005, 389,100 women and 78,180 men were victimized by an intimate partner. These crimes accounted for 9 percent of all violent crime. (Shannan M. Catalano, 2005).

The majority (73%) of family violence victims are females: 84% were spousal abuse victims and 86% were victims at the hands of a boyfriend (U.S. Department of Justice, 2005).

A 2004 study found that women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more than twice as likely to be the victims of intimate partner violence than women in more affluent neighborhoods (Michael Benson et al., 2004).

One study found that women who have experienced any type of personal violence (even when the last episode was 14 to 30 years ago) reported a greater number of chronic physical symptoms than those who have not been abused. The risk of suffering from six or more chronic physical symptoms increased with the number of forms of violence experienced (Christina Nicolaidis et al., 2004).

In 2003, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, or transgender people experienced 6,523 incidents of domestic violence; 44% were men, 36% women and 2% transgender (National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 2004).

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE

If Someone you Know is Involved in an Abusive Relationship

• Become involved. Advise victims of ways you can help (i.e., providing housing, money, child care, etc.). Help victims locate shelter and resources. Offer to call attorneys or make appointments with social service agencies. Provide transportation to the appointments and support throughout the decision-making process. If you hear a violent incident occurring, call the police.
• Demonstrate concern. Tell victims the abuse is not their fault. Let them know you are afraid for their welfare and the welfare of their children. Many victims may not be able to see the harm violence does to their family until someone outside the family voices their concern. Hearing that others see the effects of violence on the children will often prompt victims to seek assistance.
• Provide support and encouragement. Victims should hear from friends and family that they are worth better treatment and deserve to be loved. Supportive positive messages may enable victims to find the strength within themselves to escape the violence. Understand if victims are reluctant to leave: staying may be a survival strategy. Let victims know you are willing to help when they are ready to ask for assistance