Crime Victimization of Adults with Disabilities

and of the Elderly

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Hosted By
Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA)

Bucks County Area Agency on Aging

Bucks County Department of Mental Health and Developmental Programs

Presented By: Dr. Scott J. Modell

Dr. Scott Modell has been a leading advocate for applying human factors and systems safety principles to human service agencies. Dr. Modell and his collegues were referred to as pioneers in safety science by the Federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities. Dr. Modell is a nationally recongnized speaker in the areas of child abuse, crime victims with disabilities, and the application of safety science to human services agencies. He has conducted workshops and trainings, reaching thousands of police officers, educators, and protective professionals. Dr. Modell is the Co-Founder of Collaborative Safety, LLC. He has served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services and Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Prior to moving to Tennessee, Dr. Modell spent 15 years as a professor at California State University, Sacremento. Over his last five years at the University, he additionally served as Director of the University's Autism Center for Excellence. 

General Description

The participants in this training will develop a broader understanding of disabilities and aging, as well as new strategies for communicating and gathering reliable information from vulnerable adult crime victims. 

Objectives

Objective 1: Participants will be able to describe the unique characteristics of adults and older adults with disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, autism, dementia, mental health disorders, and other developmental disabilities that increase the risk of abuse.

Objective 2: Participants will demonstrate an understanding of verbal communication in the context of communicating with and interviewing individuals with disabilities.

Objective 3: Participants will be able to recall specific interview techniques for use in the investigative and legal environments to optimize communication with adults and older adults with disabilities.

• Participants will recieve an overview of Bucks County's Special Victims Initiative Program by Bucks County MDT members.

Conference Details

• There is no cost for this training
• Continental breakfast included
• Lunch on your own, college cafeteria will be available
• Registration will begin at 8:00 am and the conference will begin promptly at 8:30 am

This conference has been approved by the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commussion for 6 CLEEs.