Expanding How We Understand Domestic and Sexual Violence
At ICADV, we are continually exploring new and meaningful ways to understand the experiences of survivors across Indiana. One area where traditional data collection consistently falls short is in capturing the realities of Disabled people and people with disabilities who experience domestic and sexual violence.
Many existing data sources do not collect disability status at all or rely solely on the six standard disability questions used in federal surveys. Even when disability is measured, reporting systems and data collection tools are frequently inaccessible. Physical, cognitive, and other barriers can prevent people with disabilities from safely reporting harm or participating in research. As a result, disabled survivors are often underrepresented—or entirely missing—from the data that informs policies, programs, and prevention strategies.
With more than one in four Hoosiers identifying as disabled, these data gaps have serious consequences. When disabled people are left out, our understanding of violence is incomplete, and our prevention efforts fail to reach those who may be at greatest risk.
Moving Beyond Counting Harm
Collecting, analyzing, and publishing data about violence against disabled people is essential. However, data must do more than count incidents after harm occurs. We must also understand what keeps people safe, what promotes healing, and what helps disabled people thrive within their communities.
This includes examining how we create protective, affirming, and accessible environments that support autonomy, dignity, and resilience. To do this effectively, we need data collection methods that are as inclusive, flexible, and creative as the communities we aim to serve.
Art as Data: Centering Disabled Voices
With support from the Noyes Foundation, the Hub exhibits expressive arts projects that invites disabled people to share their experiences, identities, barriers, and sources of strength through creative expression. This approach allowed participants to communicate on their own terms, using methods that felt safer and more accessible than traditional surveys or reporting tools.
The artwork produced through this project is not only beautiful, it is data. It is storytelling. It is lived experience. It offers insights that traditional research methods are rarely designed to capture. By treating art as valid and meaningful data, we are able to learn directly from disabled people in ways that honor their expertise in their own lives.
As we reviewed the artwork and accompanying reflections, clear themes emerged that deepen our understanding of both risk factors and protective factors related to domestic and sexual violence within disabled communities.
Protective Factors That Support Well‑Being
Many participants emphasized the importance of supportive relationships and environments. Words such as love, joy, calm, family, encouragement, acceptance, and stable housing appeared repeatedly throughout the artwork. These concepts highlight how affirming relationships, safe housing, and access to people who can help connect individuals to resources play a critical role in safety and healing.
Stable housing was consistently identified as foundational to well‑being. A safe place to live is not just a basic need, it is a key factor in reducing vulnerability to violence.
Identity and empowerment also emerged as strong protective themes. Participants reflected on disability identity, queer identity, visibility, and dignity as sources of strength. They shared that being able to define oneself and be recognized as a full, autonomous person is closely linked to self‑worth, confidence, and meaningful connection.
Creativity itself played a protective role. Engagement with special interests, passion projects, and artistic expression supported mental health, joy, and agency. Creative work offered participants a way to process experiences, express identity, and cultivate a sense of purpose.
Risk Factors That Increase Vulnerability
Alongside protective elements, participants also shared experiences associated with increased risk and harm. This included references to mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, chronic stress, sadness, and suicidal ideation. These themes underscore the need for mental health supports that are affordable, accessible, and affirming for disabled people.
Trauma, abuse, and oppression were recurring themes throughout the artwork. Participants named experiences of violence, discrimination, stereotyping, internalized ableism, and isolation. These harms are not individual failures; they are the result of systemic inequities and social exclusion.
Barriers to autonomy were also commonly described. Participants shared experiences of having decision‑making power taken away, being treated as a burden, or feeling constrained by systems that limit independence. These conditions can increase vulnerability to abuse and negatively impact mental health.
Social isolation appeared repeatedly as both a risk factor for violence and a consequence of ableism—particularly when disabled people are excluded from community spaces and relationships.
Participants also pointed to unmet needs, including exhaustion, emotional distress, and concerns about safety. These reflections signal gaps in support systems and highlight areas where intervention is urgently needed.
What This Means for Prevention and Public Health
Together, these insights point to several critical considerations for public health and violence prevention efforts. Participants’ reflections reinforce the importance of intersectionality, particularly for people who are disabled, queer, neurodivergent, or navigating multiple marginalized identities. Prevention strategies must recognize these overlapping experiences and address compounded forms of stigma.
The data also highlights the value of safe and nurturing environments, including stable housing, supportive relationships, and spaces that encourage creativity and independence. Supporting autonomy and decision‑making is essential for promoting safety and well‑being.
Finally, the prevalence of trauma and mental health concerns reinforces the need for accessible, trauma‑informed, and disability‑affirming services across systems.
Expanding What Counts as Data
This project demonstrates that disabled Hoosiers are fully capable of sharing their experiences. The challenge has never been communication—it has been whether our systems are prepared to listen.
When we expand our definition of data to include art, creativity, and expressive storytelling, we gain deeper and more accurate insights. We center people who have historically been excluded, strengthen our understanding of both risk and protection, and inform prevention strategies grounded in real lived experiences.
As you explore the art on the IDJ Resource Hub, we invite you to appreciate the talent on display, reflect on the messages the artwork conveys, and commit to being inclusive and creative when collecting valuable information from communities with distinct needs and powerful solutions.
ICADV will continue to use innovative and inclusive data methods to build safer, more ccessible, and more responsive systems for all survivors.
This content was written by Timike Jones at tjones@icadvinc.org.
To learn more about how we evaluate or do violence prevention, please email barizmendi@icadvinc.org.
