Grant to Help Protect Adults with Developmental Disabilities from Abuse
January 2012
From: Oak Hill
Contact: Trish Hesslein, Director of Community Relations & Communications, 860-769-3876, 860-948-8385 (cell)
Oak Hill has received a $137,050 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving to prepare new resource materials for adults with developmental disabilities on topics of sexual health and abuse prevention.
Lucille Duguay, LCSW, director of the Oak Hill Center for Relationship & Sexuality Education (CRSE), shared, “People with developmental disabilities are often vulnerable to exploitation where they live and work. They may have difficulty making judgments about safe relationships as they strive to develop friendships and become less isolated. Inadequate knowledge places them at a much higher risk of sexual abuse and the unintended consequences of sexual behavior than the typical population.”
Oak Hill is thrilled to receive this grant, which will enable CRSE to create more innovative resources on these sensitive topics. “The Hartford Foundation is to be commended for recognizing this unmet need and for their consistent commitment to underserved populations. In 2009 the Hartford Foundation also funded, in part, the CRSE’s previous publication, Positive Choices: A program on healthy relationships, sexuality, and safe boundaries for secondary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Lucille Duguay.
Oak Hill shares in the Hartford Foundation’s commitment to improve the quality of life for residents throughout the region by identifying and addressing important community needs. For over a century, Oak Hill has provided services and solutions for people with disabilities to help them develop their potential. Today, Oak Hill is the largest private nonprofit provider of disability services in Connecticut, offering community-based education, housing, and employment; assistive technology; therapeutic education on healthy relationships; early intervention; arts and recreation. For more information about Oak Hill, visit www.ciboakhill.org or call (860) 242-2274 or find “Oak Hill” on Facebook. For more about the Oak Hill Center for Relationship & Sexuality Education (CRSE), visit www.oakhill.crse.org or call 860-769-3500.
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, dedicated to improving the quality of life for area residents. Hartford Foundation receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families and in 2011 awarded grants of more than $28 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations. For more information about the Hartford Foundation, and its strategic plan, Accelerate Success, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.