One of the heaviest parts of our work is addressing the crisis of sexual violence affecting the disability community.
We know individuals with disabilities experience sexual violence at a rate 7 times higher than those without disabilities. We're driven to create a culture of prevention.
On Monday, Julie, our Executive Director, testified at the Minnesota State Capitol in favor of proposed legislation that would mandate sexual violence prevention training for Direct Service Professionals (DSPs), who are some of our most important partners in this work. We're hopeful that, as part of a wider effort, the proposed changes can have a powerful impact on prevention.
Upstream Arts is honored to be part of a coalition of advocates working on multiple levels to raise awareness and shift culture.