People with disabilities have always had a voice. We’re just teaching the world different ways to listen.
A disability victim services agency

Deaf woman with short hair signing

Adult Advocacy Centers Awarded $26K Grant to Develop Screening, Assessment Tools for Human Trafficking Survivors with Disabilities

December 1, 2021 / Human Trafficking

The Adult Advocacy Centers (AACs) are pleased to announce an award of $26,000 in grant funds from the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington. The money will be used to create screening and assessment tools for human trafficking survivors with disabilities, in addition to a curriculum to train professionals to use the tools. The AACs will also partner on outreach with agencies in Gallia, Lawrence and Scioto counties – the Ohio counties the foundation serves.

“Human trafficking of people with disabilities is a critically underserved problem,” says AACs’ Executive Director Katherine Yoder. “We are honored to have been chosen by the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington to develop much-needed tools that will help professionals in victim services, criminal justice and disability services to better recognize and assess the needs of these victims. It is even more important to have the chance to serve in rural counties like Gallia, Lawrence and Scioto, which are so often overlooked and underfunded.”

The Adult Advocacy Centers (AACs) is a disability-led national organization piloting our groundbreaking programs in Ohio. The AACs were founded to serve adults with disabilities who are alleged victims or witnesses of abuse, maltreatment or neglect. Our staff and partner agencies are expertly trained to meet the needs of every individual in a holistic manner, ensuring they are the center of the investigation and treatment plan. Learn more at adultadvocacycenters.org.

The Pallottine Foundation of Huntington was established with proceeds from the sale of St. Mary’s Medical Center, and continues the legacy established by the Pallottine Missionary Sisters of caring for the spiritual, emotional and physical health of those in the region. The Foundation focuses its efforts on four core areas: food insecurity, mental and behavioral health, substance use disorder, and tobacco cessation. It also supports capacity building and health and wellness. Its service area includes Boone, Cabell, Mason, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo, western Putnam and Wayne counties in West Virginia; Gallia, Lawrence and Scioto counties in Ohio; and Boyd, Carter, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin and Pike counties in Kentucky. Learn more at pallottinehuntington.org.