The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) is proud to present End Violence Against Women with Disabilities (EVAWD), a grant project of the Department of Rehabilitation.  Awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women (OVW), the goal of the two-year collaborative project with both the Family Crisis Center (FCC) and the Valley Association for Independent Living (VAIL) is to provide education and technical assistance in the form of training, consultations and information to organizations and programs providing services to women with disabilities and to domestic violence programs providing shelter and related assistance.
          The EVAWD Project is multi-jurisdictional serving the four county area consisting of Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy, and Cameron, commonly referred to as the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). This geographic region along the southern tip of Texas on the border with Mexico is unique. It is largely Hispanic/Latino (90% of residents), has high unemployment rates and an overall low socioeconomic status. Due to a lack of resources and the complexity of providing culturally appropriate training and materials, existing programs are not currently meeting the needs specific to WWDs in that they: are unprepared to recognize the nature and characteristics of abuse against WWDs, often have a lack of culturally sensitive educational and training materials to train service providers, have a lack of information related to referral services that can increase the independence of WWDs, have a lack of community outreach services, and are often lacking in accommodations as required by the ADA in order to increase accessibility to services.
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