Familial Disability Exploitation: Bringing it to Light
Brenna Wallace | September 21 | 3:15-4:15 pm
Topic: Experience | Knowledge Level: Beginner
Disability familial exploitation is happening every day, everywhere; this needs to be brought to light. Brenna has a unique understanding of disability exploitation by outside agents or family members, witnessing how people treat differently-abled people like they are less than human. Brenna will use 15 stories from her own experiences of both intentional and unintentional cases of exploitation. Since people with disabilities often communicate differently, people treat them like they do not have voices, choices, or dreams, making decisions for them, instead of respecting their choices. People with disabilities often have it reinforced if they say no, they will be labeled as combative, defiant, resistant, or confrontational. If they do not like something, they will be confined and drugged until they submit. Learned helplessness is a damning legacy that is forced on people every day. This needs to change; it's time that these abusers are recognized as perpetrators of a hate crime. Recognizing these victims is crucial to their safety, as is dealing with them using a trauma-informed client-centered approach. Every human being is entitled to the same respect, dignity, and sovereignty as everyone else. People just want to be loved and accepted for who they are. That does not happen all the time, and organizations, governments, and individuals need to make real changes. During this session, familial trafficking survivor, Brenna Wallace, will discuss her experience during and after her exploitation.
Presentation Objectives:
· Raise awareness of familial disability exploitation and trafficking
· Provide a call to action for people working with individuals with disabilities
· Share her lived experience as a familial trafficking survivor with a disability