Abstract
<p>Domestic violence is a pervasive and insidious phenomenon in the United States and in the world. Studies of intimate partner violence among people with disabilities are scant and even more scarce for people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The research questions guiding this study are: How much do Gallaudet students know about intimate partner violence, and how many students have experienced abuse in their intimate relationships? The survey sample included a nonrandomized sample of 226 deaf and hard of hearing students at Gallaudet University. Results revealed that the students knew a great deal about intimate partner violence and answered multiple-choice questions from 71% to 96% of the time correctly, with one exception related to police arrests. Out of185 respondents who answered the questions about current and past intimate relationships, 16.2% reported being in an abusive relationship and 26.78% reported being in an abusive relationship previously. An ANOVA indicated a main effect on resolving conflicts and abuse scores, indicating that those who had difficulty resolving conflicts were more likely to have experienced an abusive relationship. The author discusses distrust of police, cultural loyalty, and issues that may affect whether deaf and hard of hearing people report abuse.</p>
