Caution – this story details a disabled person being a victim of domestic abuse. If the material is disturbing for you please scroll past.
Astrid didn’t like having carers, needing extra support to keep things tidy. But of all the carers she had, Emma, was sometimes the worst.
Emma was lovely sometimes, but other times there was a wailing banshee inside her. She’d explain the nasty side as trying to support Astrid to manage without help.
Whenever they fell out Emma could also sweet talk her way back into Astrid’s favor.
And because Astrid often felt worthless, and helpless, she didn’t realise that she deserved better. In fact, Astrid was far from helpless, but that didn’t stop the voices saying otherwise. Astrid could be really good at some things, but she didn’t see things the way others did.
It came to a head though when Astrid’s mum started trying to take control of what was happening.
Emma didn’t like that, cause Emma was trying to rewrite the contract and give herself more power over Astrid.
So the fights started with Emma trying to pressure, and Astrid’s mum to control. It was up to Astrid to end it.
At first she was won over by Emma and sided with her for a while. But Mum came back in strong, and showed her the contract that already existed for Emma.
The problem was Astrid felt ashamed standing up to Emma. She had to do it though. This was the only way.
One day, Astrid saw Emma’s dark side come out again and said “You’re fired.”
Emma tried to plead, turned on the charm, but it didn’t work. Astrid could see what was going on plainly. She sent Emma away, and let her Mum help with hiring the next carers. It wasn’t full independence, but it was better than how Emma had behaved.
The Facts
The story above is based on real events, but all names changed. Does it sound familiar to you? Many disabled and learning disabled are victims of domestic abuse, without knowing it or being able to speak out. Why?
They are often socially isolated.
Also, they might not be capable of seeing a doctor or social worker without the abuser there.
Or, they may be dependent on the person abusing.
It is important that they speak out because no one should accept abuse.
Resources
The following resources are available for you in UK.
https://www.anncrafttrust.org/
https://reducingtherisk.org.uk/
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/getting-help-for-domestic-violence/
Beth writes 
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