How Do Employees in the Disability and Family and Domestic Violence Sectors Respond to Disclosures of Violence From Women With Disability?

Women with disability experience higher rates of family and domestic violence (FDV) compared to the rest of the population. There is limited research into how workers in FDV and disability organizations respond to violence against women with disability. Using a case study vignette of a woman with disability disclosing FDV, this phenomenological study explored how 10 employees across the disability and FDV sectors respond to disclosures of abuse, the barriers that influenced their response, and suggested ways to improve their practices. The study found that responses were often insufficient to meet the needs of women with disability.

Exploring Lived Experience of Family and Domestic Violence Against Women With Disability: A Scoping Review.

This article reports on a scoping review exploring understandings of family and domestic violence (FDV) against women with disability (WWD) within the literature and constitutes the second article in a two-part series, the first critiquing the categorization and measurement of FDV and disability. We report findings from qualitative studies included in the review, predominantly interpretivist and critical in orientation. The scoping review included 43 articles, 15 of which are included here, as they draw upon data directly from the perspectives of WWD. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted, utilizing both inductive and deductive coding, and consultation between the authors. The analysis highlighted experiences of disability-based abuse, the nexus of ableism and sexism within the everyday, and meanings of justice and resilience for WWD. Disability-based abuse was perpetrated primarily by intimate partners, including financial and physical disability-based abuse, and was used to exploit and perpetuate situations of isolation. Sexist and ableist expectations, assumptions, and attitudes converged in everyday encounters within the community, with workers and systems. However, WWD reported strategies of resistance, healing, coping, and moving on in the aftermath of FDV and indicated what can be done to promote justice, both personally and within systems. The findings were discussed drawing on Axel Honneth's theory of recognition to highlight the mechanisms by which recognition and respect can be enhanced to enable full access to citizenship, in particular, for WWD to live free from violence.

Spirituality and children: Perspectives of occupational therapists working with children.

INTRODUCTION: Spirituality is included as a core part of occupational therapy models, as it can enhance connectedness and belonging and provide meaning to occupations. However, research that has explored occupational therapists' perspectives on spirituality has found that a lack of education and understanding of the concept means that currently many therapists do not address it in their practice. Existing research focusses on adult clients, and there is no known published research that focusses on occupational therapists working with children and their views on spirituality in clinical practice. This study explored the perspectives of occupational therapists working with children on spirituality in their clinical practice with children. METHODS: This study used a qualitative descriptive design. Participants included 20 registered occupational therapists working with children in Australia. Data were collected using focus groups and interviews and analysed using thematic analysis to determine key themes. FINDINGS: Five themes were developed: (1) vagueness and subjectivity of spirituality, (2) overlapping characteristics of spirituality and religion, (3) indirect focus on spirituality, (4) differences in children's spirituality, and (5) outcomes of addressing spirituality. CONCLUSION: Occupational therapists working with children report difficulty conceptualising spirituality and describing its role in clinical practice with children. Despite this, most suggested that spirituality is indirectly applied and has a role in improving the wellbeing of children. There is a need for exploration of how to directly support the use of spirituality in practice with children to further support holistic and family-centred care.