Hesperian Health Guides
Personal Safety
Since people with a disability may be less able to protect themselves than people without a disability, they may be more at risk for violent attack and abuse. But there are things you can do to defend yourself. It may help to practice some of these things with other people with disabilities:
- If you are in a public place and someone tries to hurt or abuse you, shout as loudly as you can.
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self defense- Do something an attacker might find disgusting, such as drooling, or trying to vomit, or acting like you are âcrazy.â
- Use your stick, crutches, or wheelchair to hit or try to hurt the person.
- If the abusive person is someone in your family, try to talk about it with another family member you trust. It may also help to talk about it privately with a group of women with disabilities.
This page was updated:13 Nov 2023