NCVLI is excited to announce that registration is now open for the SVAA Advanced Academy, which will be offered as an in-person Pre-Conference Institute that will take place on June 5^th, the day before NCVLI’s annual two-day Crime Victim Law Conference this coming June!  Early bird pricing is available until May 5^th, and more information about the Pre-Conference Institute, as well as the Conference itself is available on NCVLI’s website.  There is also a direct link to the registration page.

Advocating for crime victims and their rights is always challenging; when that advocacy is for vulnerable victims, the advocacy can require even more expertise.  Between 2009 and 2019 the rate of violent victimization against persons with disabilities was almost four times the rate for persons without disabilities.  During their career, victim advocates and victims’ rights attorneys will undoubtably encounter many clients with disabilities—clients who will often have unique and complex challenges in the criminal justice system.  The Pre-Conference Institute will provide attorneys and victim advocates with an understanding of these challenges and how to work together to overcome them to provide effective, trauma-informed advocacy services to this victim population.  The Institute will begin with short overviews of victims’ rights and disability law; then attendees will divide into attorney and advocate tracks where they will use a case scenario to explore best practices. The Institute will culminate with a panel of diverse experts discussing the scenarios, giving practical suggestions for advanced advocacy, and answering attendees’ questions.   Takeaway materials will include a “Checklist of Considerations to Promote Victims’ Rights Enforcement” with particular application to persons with disabilities. The session will be led by the National Crime Victim Law Institute and Disability Rights Oregon.