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2020 Annual ReportAdult Advocacy
Centers
A Note from Our Executive DirectorThis past year has been full of unexpected twists and turns due to the ongoing precautions in place for COVID-19. Yet even with all the un-certainties, the Adult Advocacy Centers have been able to forge ahead and make impactful change for crime victims with disabilities throughout Ohio.
Our trainings in the field of forensic interviewing has been lauded as “best practice” through-out the nation, thanks in no small part to the amazing group of national experts we have assem-bled, including the talent of the Modell Consulting Group.
We are also offering technical assistance and expertise through the creation of our guide-books, each focusing on a different profession and the issues that directly apply to crime victim with disabilities. In addition, we are now able to offer tele-forensic interviews and have worked with prosecutors to make this evidence collection piece of the investigation as accessible and accommodating as possible.
Ultimately, the foundation of our success has been, and continues to be, the outpouring of support from the disability community, advocacy groups, state agencies, law enforcement, crim-inal justice agencies and victim services. We are truly thankful for the work we do together to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Ohio.
Sincerely,
Katherine Yoder Executive Director Adult Advocacy Centers
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The AACs are InnovatingIn 2020, we developed:New Protocols
⚫ Tele-forensic interview protocols for adult crime victims with disabilities
⚫ Adapted protocol: forensic interviews for individuals who do not speak
New Guidebooks ⚫ Self-Directed Safety Planning Guidebook ⚫ Assisted Safety Planning Guidebook ⚫ A Forensic Nurse Examiner’s Guide to Caring for Patients with Disabilities
⚫ A Guide to Informed Consent for People with Dis-abilities
⚫ A Jurist’s Guide for Criminal Cases Involving Individ-uals with Disabilities
⚫ Prosecutor’s Guide for Crimes Involving Victims with Disabilities
New Data ⚫ Needs Assessment: Human Trafficking and People with Disabilities
A New Look ⚫ New AACs branding
New Organizational Tools ⚫ New financial forms ⚫ Employee handbook updates ⚫ Board of Directors’ bylaw updates ⚫ Three new grant related templates
New Projects to Serve Our Neighbors ⚫ A letter writing campaign for patients at state psychiatric hospitals with Ashland Mental Health & Recovery Board and Catholic Charities Ashland County
⚫ Amazon Wish List Projects for state psychiatric hospitals
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The AACs are Collaborating
In 2020, we partnered with agencies: ⚫ Adult Protecive Services ⚫ Advocacy & Protective Services Inc. ⚫ Catholic Charities Ashland County ⚫ Child Advocacy Centers in Ohio ⚫ Deaf World Against Violence Everywhere ⚫ Disability Rights Ohio ⚫ Forensic Nursing Network ⚫ Law enforcement agencies in Ohio ⚫ Local county boards of developmental disabilities
⚫ The Mental Health and Recovery Board of Ashland County
⚫ The Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities
⚫ The Ohio Attorney General’s Office ⚫ The Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center ⚫ The Ohio Department of Aging ⚫ The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
⚫ The Ohio Victim Witness Association ⚫ The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
⚫ Prosecutor offices in Ohio ⚫ Victim services agencies in Ohio
We signed a Memoradum of Understanding with one agency to provide direct services.
We worked with consultants: ⚫ A-Baney Consulting Group ⚫ Diana Spore ⚫ Forensic Nursing Network ⚫ Judy Jackson Winston ⚫ Modell Consulting Group ⚫ Susan Kahan ⚫ Shari Cooper ⚫ SimplicIT ⚫ Temple Grandin
We engaged with funders: ⚫ CARES Act funds ⚫ Victims of Crime Act funds ⚫ Individual donors
We provided consultation or direct services on cases in 11 counties.
We published 20 blog posts written by
7different writers.
The AACs are ConnectingOur staff attended trainings in the following areas in 2020:
⚫ Trauma: 4 hours ⚫ Underserved Populations: 33.5 hours ⚫ Cultural Humility: 85 hours ⚫ Ethics: 3 hours ⚫ Victim Services: 61 hours ⚫ Other: 16.75 hours
1,133 people and pages have chosen to follow us on Facebook.
119 have signed up for our email list.
The AACs are Educating
In 2020, we held
9 Project FIND trainings.
147people took our basic Project FIND Training.
12 people attended our first Prosector Training.
12 people participated in our first Adapted Training.
We were featured in 8 media stories: ⚫ WEWS News Channel 5 Cleveland ⚫ WCPO News Channel 9 Cincinnati ⚫ The Columbus Dispatch ⚫ The Ashland Times-Gazette ⚫ The Canton Repository ⚫ The Richland Source
We released 19 publications on a variety of topics, including many in collaboration with our consultants and other partners.
Adult AdvocacyCenters
© 2020 Adult Advocacy Centers
This publication was supported by grant number 2021-VOCA-133873581 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice,
through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Victims of federal crimes will be served.
