BPA partnered with Oregon Health Sciences University, in Portland, Oregon, to conduct a survey of women with disabilities who use personal assistance services (PAS). This survey was part of a three-year federal grant awarded jointly to Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, and the World Institute on Disability in Oakland, California by the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The purpose of this project was to increase the identification, assessment, and response to abuse by formal and informal PAS providers of women with physical disabilities and physical and cognitive disabilities living independently in the community.

The goal of the survey was to learn about the kinds of behaviors that respondents identified as harmful or abusive, and what strategies they identify that might be useful in effectively preventing or managing abuse from others, including personal assistance service providers. BPA staff participated in designing the survey instrument, and managed administration of the survey by interviewers. Most of the surveys were completed over the phone or TDD with a portion of in-person interviews conducted with local women with developmental or other disabilities who would find it difficult to complete the survey over the phone. The results of the survey are used to develop and field-test a set of screening and assessment questions that women, providers, and advocates can use to prevent and identify abuse among women with disabilities.