Disability Access Toolkit

Introduction and Purpose of the Tool

The Disability Access Review Tool was developed by Activating Change with support from the Office on Victims of Crime (OVC) as part of our technical assistance to OVC’s Enhancing Access grant program to evaluate the accessibility and inclusiveness of Disability Organizations, Domestic Violence Organizations, Victim Service Organizations, legal services, and law enforcement organizations. The tool aims to ensure that survivors (victims) with disabilities and Deaf survivors (victims) who experience violence and abuse receive equitable and welcoming support. 

The five elements of an organization - physical, communication, policy, attitudinal, and adaptive equipment- provide ample opportunities to evaluate access and accessibility. By using this review tool, your organization can comprehensively assess the five elements and identify barriers that hinder accessibility. This assessment will help you generate creative solutions to remove these barriers and improve the access and well-being of the people you serve.

How to Use This Tool

Ensuring and enhancing accessibility for all victims and survivors is a shared value and guiding principle that informs this process.

The Disability Access Review tool is divided into five sections, which are designed to help organizations examine the specific environments that are most relevant to their services. These sections include the physical, communication, policy, attitudinal environments, and adaptive equipment.

It is important to approach the tool with a solution-focused mindset and be immediately followed by the development of a Disability Access Plan. The image below illustrates the steps involved in this process.

For comprehensive instructions on using this toolkit, please download the PDF of the Disability Access Review Toolkit: