Shevin Consulting
	(315) 443-5179 info@shevin.org	Mayer Shevin, Ph.D. 275 Fellows Ave. Syracuse NY 13210 USA

MAKING YOUR SETTING "ABUSE-PROOF"
Mayer Shevin, Ph.D.

For a wide number of reasons, people with significant disabilities are at a high risk of being abused.  Some of the abuse may be at the hands of other clients served by an agency, by family members or by members of the public at large.  However, a significant portion of the abuse sustained by people with disabilities is at the hands of service provider staff.

In order to help address this important issue, the following services are offered:

WORKSHOPS

Half-day and day-long workshops are offered, primarily oriented toward supervisory and administrative staff, board members, and human rights committees.  Although they are customized to the needs of the agencies involved, these workshops typically cover the following topics:

• Why are people with disabilities at particularly high risk of being abused?
• What are structural factors in the workplace that make abuse more or less likely?
• What are factors in individuals' lives that make them more susceptible to abusing at a given moment?
• What feelings and attitudes are associated with client abuse?
• Steps to prevent abuse:
• Policy development
• Hiring practices
• Training practices
• Administrative support for creating a workplace with a "non-abusive culture."

These issues are presented in both half-day and day-long workshops.  In the day long workshops, participants will also have the opportunity to problem-solve concerning agency strengths, barriers to change, current and needed policies, and next steps to creating an abuse-free environment.

CONSULTATIVE SUPPORTS

I provide ongoing consultation with boards, administrative staff, and human rights committees involved in developing agency policies and staff training in this area.