A disabled woman tried to set her Canberra house on fire because her support provider failed to stop abuse from her housemate for over a year.
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That's one of the horror stories Advocacy for Inclusion has heard over the years that shows the additional hurdles victims with a disability face when experiencing domestic violence.
The disability advocacy group has written to an ACT Legislative Assembly inquiry looking at the effectiveness of the ACT's policy response to domestic and family violence to call for government to broaden the relationships covered by the Family Violence Act.
Advocacy for Inclusion acting chief executive Bonnie Millen said there was a "grey area" for people with disabilities who lived in group homes.
She said often the victim did not have a choice in who they lived with, the means to leave or any respite from their abuser.
Failing to recognise domestic violence in disability specific-settings hindered access to targeted victim services and encouraged service providers to treat it as an internal matter, rather than a criminal matter.
"The ACT community needs to recognise people with disabilities do experience the full impact of domestic violence and have the right to feel safe at home, even though their living arrangements can look different to other people's," Ms Millen said.
"The legislation in NSW is less grey in terms of holding authorities accountable to take action."
Advocacy for Inclusion pointed to the story of a woman with a disability who was placed in a house run by a care provider with another disabled woman.
The home was staffed 24 hours a day but the housemate would bite, scratch and pull the woman's hair.
The woman began to scream, damage property and hit staff because of the stress. Workers began to medicate her.
It was only after the woman attempted to set the house on fire that she was moved to a new group home. That was a year after the abuse began.
"The legal framework in NSW has promoted greater recognition of domestic violence in disability specific settings," Advocacy for Inclusion's submission to the inquiry said.
"This has led to better responses by service providers and by government, including the funding of programs and resources. It holds authorities accountable to take action when necessary.
"It will force the system to support people with disabilities to be housed safely and help prevent violence from occurring in the first place."
However former official visitor for disability services and chair of Women With Disabilities ACT Sue Salthouse said there had been an attempt in the ACT legislation to cover these relationships.
She said acts of sexual or violent abuse were still criminal acts under ACT, regardless of their setting.
But Women With Disabilities ACT's submission to the committee acknowledged there was not a clear pathway for disabled people leaving violent situations.
The ACT Crisis Services Scheme has been "underutilised" and many victims were forced back to those situations.
"It is essential that programs and policies designed to prevent and respond to domestic and family violence have proactive, targeted components which support women with disabilities," their submission said.
"There needs to be improved access to options for immediate and long-term housing so that women with disabilities will see that long-term housing security is possible.
"Women with disabilities need to see evidence that their experiences in the justice system will warrant their taking the risk of leaving. This includes access to appropriate legal representation and support."
