Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy Services (ADWAS)

Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services (ADWAS) empowers Deaf and DeafBlind survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment to transform their lives, while striving to change the beliefs and behaviors that foster and perpetuate violence. We provide comprehensive services to individuals and families, community education, and advocacy on systems and policy issues.

ADWAS acknowledges its unique and valuable position as an organization run by and for Deaf people. We center our work around a Deaf perspective, creating deep cultural and linguistic capacity for all members of Deaf communities. We recognize the intersectionalities of identities within the Deaf and DeafBlind communities and create fully accessible services.

ADWAS is committed to excellence in all the work we do to end violence in the community. We are invested in working with survivors to recognize their own power while bringing our whole selves to the daily work and to the movement. Survivors’ experiences are paramount in shaping our daily work as reflected by our policies, practice, and programs.

ADWAS recognizes that the liberation of any people is tied to the liberation of all people. We acknowledge the multi-layered inequality driven by oppression and privilege – both systemically and socially. We further acknowledge that this results in divided communities and increased violence. We embrace the richness that comes from operating in solidarity with members of marginalized communities.

ADWAS is committed to ensuring safety and self-determination. We understand the privilege that comes with access to highly sensitive information. With the information ADWAS holds in confidence, we respect people’s ability to make informed choices about the sharing of their own information.

At ADWAS, we expect honesty from ourselves, our work, and each other with grace. We ensure congruency between our words and actions while we acknowledge both the intentions and the impacts of our actions.