Marilyn
J. Smith
Founder
of ADWAS
In Fall 1970, as a college student, Marilyn J. Smith of Seattle
became a victim of rape. (An intruder entered the dorm through an unlocked
door while she was sleeping.) She was victimized twice—first by the
rapist, and then by the police. No charges were ever filed. The police didn't
take her seriously, acting like the rape was a social encounter that went awry.
Angry about the injustice
she had experienced, she buried her feelings inside and got on with her life.
Eleven years later, in 1981, a local Deaf woman was brutally
murdered by her Deaf husband, who was acquitted. It was no secret in the Deaf
community that he had been abusing her, but no one had known how to get help
or where to go. There were simply no Deaf-accessible services. Outraged enough
to do something, Smith quit her job and became a full-time advocate for women
who were victims of rape, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. As she said
in 2003, "To be raped or beaten is horrible, but then to not have any place
to go for help is an injustice that is too great to ignore." She wanted a 24-hour,
7-day service that was accessible to Deaf people. Abused Deaf Women's Advocacy
Services was founded in 1986, on the proverbial shoestring, and has grown into
a nationwide model addressing not only the needs of victims, but taking a proactive
approach to educating children, teens, and adults. Despite its name, ADWAS
also serves male victims of rape, SA, and DV.
ADWAS's office is accessible by TTY only. Early on, they made
the crucial decision not to answer incoming voice-telephone calls—the only
Deaf organization in the country to do so. This guaranteed ADWAS's Deaf staffers
equal access to calls, and encouraged hearing callers to use relay services
and TTYs.
ADWAS started small, and as Smith and her dedicated staff
started programs to address one urgent need, they'd see another need, and address
that. ADWAS's Positive Parenting Program was launched in 1995. A Place of Our
Own, a transitional-housing project, opened in 2006, is one of ADWAS's first-of-its-kind
achievements.
Smith set up a 3-year transition plan for her retirement,
mentoring her successor, Tiffany Williams-Granfors, for 3 months. "The agency
will move on. It's ready," she noted. Since her retirement, Smith has maintained
her interest in ADWAS and involvement in the Deaf community—giving presentations,
for example—but enjoying her
new opportunity to spend time as she likes, and to "do some writing."
