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Tough Guys: Facing Violence Against Men with Disabilities

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Religion, Disability, and Interpersonal Violence

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Abstract

Little attention has been given to the experiences of abuse by men with disabilities. A few qualitative and quantitative studies are revealing much higher than anticipated rates of abuse for this population. This piece will investigate key issues for disabled men in a range of forms of abuse, such as physical, verbal, and financial, which can occur in relationships with intimate partners, family members, and service providers. The unique life experiences of men who depend upon personal assistance must be considered in understanding the spectrum of abuse. Exploration of strategies for intervention and prevention will assist professionals and community services in reducing this abuse. Recommendations for policy and further research are offered.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The first study this author conducted (Saxton et al., 2006) about disabled men’s experience of abuse was initially rejected for funding by a federal agency. In their comments, federal reviewers questioned whether men with disabilities would talk about abuse. Quite the contrary, participants appeared highly motivated to discuss their experiences and perspectives—many indicated that this study was the first opportunity they ever had to talk about abuse in men’s lives.

  2. 2.

    Readers interested in hate crime, stranger violence, or elder abuse, not addressed here, are directed to the section titled Further Readings, at the end of this chapter.

  3. 3.

    An example of an online forum that anyone can access is Daily Strength—Gay Men’s Challenges Online https://www.dailystrength.org/group/gay-men-s-challenges.

  4. 4.

    An example is the Anti-Violence Project—New York City http://avp.org/. AVP empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender , queer , and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy.

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Acknowledgments

Appreciation is offered to members of the research team who produced the article, We’re All Little John Waynes: Elizabeth McNeff, Laurie Powers, Mary Oschwald, and Mary Ann Curry. Our male team’s researchers with disabilities, Mark Limont and Jack Benson, have since died. This chapter is dedicated to their work and lives as disability rights activists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. World Institute on Disability, Disability Studies Program, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Marsha Saxton

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  1. Marsha Saxton
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Correspondence to Marsha Saxton .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

    Andy J. Johnson

  2. Department of Psychology, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

    J. Ruth Nelson

  3. Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Emily M. Lund

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Saxton, M. (2017). Tough Guys: Facing Violence Against Men with Disabilities. In: Johnson, A., Nelson, J., Lund, E. (eds) Religion, Disability, and Interpersonal Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56901-7_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56901-7_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56900-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56901-7

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