We have presented a large amount of information for you to consider. We began by discussing our organizing framework and then looked through that lens to gaze back in history, look at the present, and provide principles and exemplars in our characters about rural domestic violence and disability.

While we still have your attention, we now want to pose principles for informed action.

The principles that we list in Figure 3.1 below emerge from our conceptual framework of Explanatory Legitimacy. Because all response to need is embedded within purposive, value-based contexts, the ability to distinguish among description, explanation, and legitimacy helps to clarify the human phenomena that we encounter and distinguish them from explanations and values that shape responses.

Ascertaining harm consequence occurs at the descriptive stage and attributing the harm to domestic violence occurs at the explanatory stage.

In our efforts to obtain a list of legal, medical and health and law enforcement criteria that would be considered as legitimate for domestic violence we were unable to find consensus.  As example, according to the National Center for the Victims of Crime, the federal definition of domestic violence is:

Domestic violence constitutes the willful intimidation, assault, battery, sexual assault or other abusive behavior perpetrated by one family member, household member, or intimate partner against another. In most state laws addressing domestic violence, the relationship necessary for a charge of domestic assault or abuse generally includes a spouse, former spouse, persons currently residing together or those that have within the previous year, or persons who share a common child. In addition, as of 2007, a majority of states provide some level of statutory protection for victims of dating violence.

As revealed in this excerpt, if the explanation for harm consequences (vaguely described as willful intimidation, assault, battery, sexual assault, or other abusive behavior) contains reference to a qualifying relationship, domestic violence may be suspected and/or assigned as legitimate. Because of this vagueness as well as the prevention, intervention, safety, and flourishing responses for and with rural disabled victims of domestic violence, the ability to identify harm consequences is critical. Beginning with harm as the basis for all intervention assures that no person or group will be excluded from existing services just because the explanations for harm do not fit within explanatory paradigms that structure services for non-disabled or urban individuals. After harm is identified, the task of then determining if the threshold and explanatory causes fit within legitimate parameters of domestic violence legally (determined by the nature of the relationship between perpetrator and victim) can be undertaken and relevant and socially just responses can be crafted. Figure 3.1 below lists the principles to follow to assure that disabled victims will not be overlooked, underserved or unserved.

Assessing harm in rural disabled victims

In order to assure that all victims are identified, we suggest that it is essential to evaluate link the assessment of abuse experiences among people with disabilities to two other areas not typically included in domestic violence assessment

• thoughtful and timely functional assessment, and
• assessment of how the rural context impacts safety and effects harm

Functional assessment

There are numerous existing functional assessments that can be completed in a timely an unobtrusive manner. Many are self-report, can be answered verbally or in writing, and are extensively used by disability providers. Figure 3.2 lists some functional assessments that are most commonly used: Assessing the impact of rural contexts on safety is not as easily done. A short interview can ascertain if an individual is at risk or has experienced harm that is further complicated by the unique attributes of rural contexts. They are listed in Figure 3.3 We refer you to the excellent materials listed in the bibliography (Module on Resources – Annotated Bibliography) for knowledge necessary to develop and enact techniques and approaches consistent with the principles that we have suggested. Remember, working with diversity requires an open and creative approach. If we begin with description, we do not limit ourselves from inclusive responses by imposing explanations and eligibility criteria that exclude individuals, such as victims with disabilities, those who reside in rural areas that pose unique contextual challenges, and those who do not fit within traditional theoretical explanations or legitimacy criteria for victim identification and responses.

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