Susan Whaley and Stacey Hoffman were Special Education teachers when they met in 1991 and together they became alarmed by two distressing circumstances concerning the students they were working with:

• The high rate of abuse affecting students with developmental disabilities*, 

• The lack of educational options for abuse prevention and student empowerment to address the problem abuse.

 

In 1998, Susan and Stacey founded the Safe Life Coalition to develop teaching strategies and educational materials to reduce the risk of victimization and re-victimization of their students and others. From 2002-2006, along with Hyun-Sook Park, they received U.S. Department of Education funding and created the Safe Life Project (SLP). The project produced research-based lessons on personal safety and abuse prevention for students with developmental disabilities, including autism. It provided training and workshops to educators, support agencies and families and also disseminated information to raise awareness. 

 

When the 4-year funding period ended, Stacey and Susan returned to teaching positions and also worked through Safe Life Coalition (SLC) to continue to develop and modify educational materials and to provide services to individuals with disabilities, their families, and support agencies. SLC has continued to present at conferences across the nation and abroad; develop programs for schools and support agencies; consult with educators, universities, families and support agencies; and develop specific tools to help individuals with disabilities reduce their risk of being abused.  In November 2016, Susan and Stacey helped to form the Safe Life Project Non-Profit Organization, which provides classes, regarding the problem of abuse and personal safety/abuse prevention/reporting skills, social skills, & healthy relationships, & overall well-being.

 

The Safe Life Project, Second Edition Program, is the most current abuse prevention program available through Safe Life Coalition. The program is now being distributed through the internet, reaching and helping more and more individuals.

 

* Please see our video for research statistics.

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