I'd have to say, based on an intersectional understanding of people, especially in the context of this discussion, that would depend on what her disability is. What we need to think about, of course, is accommodation and understanding what issue is important for somebody. There could be a number of factors, including her disability, or accommodations for a disability. There could be the issue, which I raised really clearly here, of communication for some women and making sure they're supported in that regard. It's also understanding that presenting in plain language for a woman, depending on her disability, would be very important, and that's not always accommodated.
Of course, I cite Eldridge, not in the context of sexual assault, but in the context of a deaf woman's right to be fully supported through a process. That means that from when she reports the sexual assault, through the entire process, she's entitled to interpretation, sign language or captioning, whatever she needs. Again, that individual should be able to identify what her disability support or accommodation is.
In terms of the issues that women with disabilities face that are important to talk about, a good example, I think.... When we talk about indigenous women, for example, in the context of the missing and murdered women's inquiry, a lot of people may not understand that a large number of women in that context would have had brain injuries. Brain injury is a hidden disability, and consequently many people who have brain injuries, including women who experience gender-based violence and sexual assault, are not aware of it and have not had a diagnosis. The consequence is that she's undermined by something that neither she nor others understand.
There are a lot of different things we need to think about, but I think the most important thing we need to understand is that when we develop the training for judges, the full breadth of that understanding needs to be there. It's not a simple issue and you can't put everybody in one box. When you're looking at sexual assault and the victim, you need to look at her from all of those intersections: race, indigeneity, sexual orientation and disability.