Disability Justice

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The Disability Justice Initiative is a collaboration of many different stakeholders who have the common vision of addressing justice issues that impact the ability of individuals with disabilities and/or Alaskan seniors to live safely with appropriate supports in their communities. This website was created to be the central location for relevant education and training resources and information specific to two projects. These two projects are funded by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and are coordinated by the Center for Human Development project staff.

Alaskans Speak Up! Project

In a growing concern for violence towards individuals with disabilities and Alaskan seniors, the Alaskans Speak Up! project was created to provide training, technical assistance, and outreach to victim advocates, disability providers agencies, other community provider agencies, individuals who experience disabilities or chronic healthcare conditions, and their families/natural supports on how to recognize and respond to interpersonal violence. This project’s goal is to increase the awareness of the high prevalence of violence against people with disabilities and to provide all stakeholders information on safety planning unique to the challenges faced by victims with disabilities to promote living safely in one’s own community.

Serving Offenders with Cognitive Impairments Project

Serving criminal and/or sexual offenders with cognitive impairments in the community requires specialized expertise and understanding. In order to help community providers in social services, law enforcement, and correctional settings the Serving Offenders with Cognitive Impairments was developed to provide training, technical assistance, and consultation on the current national best practices models, tools, and techniques to help reduce recidivism. The highlight of this project is the two-day Annual Statewide Conference on Serving Offenders with Cognitive Impairments scheduled each spring that brings providers from all over the state to hear nationally recognized experts on what’s new in the field and provides an opportunity for networking across communities as well as professional fields.

For more information on either project, contact:

Christine King, Project Coordinator at anckk@uaa.alaska.edu or by phone at 907-264-6241 and/or Kathy Rudolph, Project Assistant at ankar1@uaa.alaska.edu or by phone at 907-264-6274.