Spectrum News: Disabled victims, under-reported crimes center of new research

UC researchers receive grant to study crime reporting for individuals with disabilities

A federal grant from the Department of Justice will allow researchers from the University of Cincinnati's College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services and the College of Allied Health Sciences to determine better ways for individuals with disabilities to report crimes against them. 

“I began looking in some of the national data sets, and what was really evident to us at that point in time was that individuals with disabilities were at much greater risk for victimization,” the study’s co-lead author Brittany Hayes told Spectrum News.

Hayes, an associate professor with the University of Cincinnati’s School of Criminal Justice, and Amanda Simmons, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, have begun seeking participants for the study, which will include focus groups.

The researchers will determine barriers to reporting as well as protype new methods of reporting.

Read more about the study. 

Featured image at top courtsey of UnSplash/Alexander Grey.

Impact Lives Here

The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.

Related Stories

1

News Cincinnati loved in 2025

January 2, 2026

The story of prohibition bootlegger George Remus was among WLWT's favorite segments in 2025. UC Law Professor Christopher Bryant spoke with journalist Lindsay Stone about Remus using a temporary insanity defense during a murder trial.

2

What to know about this year’s big tax changes

January 2, 2026

Local 12 reported that taxpayers can expect some major changes this tax season. Gary Friedhoff, adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business, recently spoke to Local 12 about how to avoid surprises.