Searching For...

...Karyn.

...Quinny.

...(Insert - your name).

What would it be like if you went across the US on a quest to find out what were the lives of all the individuals with your name. This is what Angela Shelton does in Searching for Angela Shelton. She looks at women in the US named Angela Shelton.

It is a very powerful documentary.

One that speaks to the impact of violence. Angela Shelton found that 24 of the 40 Angela Sheltons she speaks to are the survivors of rape, childhood sexual abuse, and/or domestic violence.

Wow.

If you haven't seen this film, I highly recommend that you watch it. Get out the tissues and be ready for a very intense experience. Angela Shelton even tries to confront her abuser - her father - in the film. Wow.

But there is more that I want you to think about...I understand this may be an overload of information, but it is important to me (and since I mainly write this blog for myself anyway, I am going to say it)...

Individuals with disabilities are abused more than individuals without disabilities. What about the Angela Shelton's who have a disability - how would they fair? The clear percentage of risk of abuse for those with disabilities is not known given the difficulty studying this area - but it ranges from 22% to 70% will experience some form of maltreatment. One in three children with an identified disability for which they receive special education services are victims of some type of maltreatment compared to one in ten children who are non disabled. Individuals with developmental disabilities are 4 to 10 more times as likely to be victims of crime than others without disabilities.

Why do I share this? To freak myself out? Ok that is happening, but there is another reason. I want someone to be their voice. I want someone to be the Angela Shelton of them. I love to find out about advocates in this area - and if anyone knows of anyone who has talked about this issue or has made a film about it - please let me know!

In the meantime, here is the trailer for Angela Shelton. It is an excellent film.



-Karyn