Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Sexual Abuse in Youth Serving Organizations: Lessons from Disability Services and Adaptive Sports

One staff member can’t be alone with one child. The only acceptable types of touch are fist bumps and high fives. Policies like these help youth serving organizations prevent sexual abuse and problem sexual behaviors. At the same time, these requirements can make programs inaccessible to disabled youth, a group that is disproportionately affected by sexual abuse and too often excluded from positive youth development. In this workshop, participants will learn how disability-specific schools and adaptive sports organizations have created nuanced and inclusive abuse prevention policies and practices. Participants will discuss and strategize around common abuse prevention challenges.