Triangle Abuse Prevention & Safety

Triangle Abuse Prevention & Safety (TAPS) provides abuse prevention, healthy relationships, and personal safety programming for both youth and adults with disabilities. TAPS is a part of Triangle’s Compliance and Integrity Department under the leadership of Chief Integrity Officer, Melissa Strout.

TAPS staff members Mike and Adriana recently joined Steve Nearman on the WATD 95.9 FM radio show “Breaking the Ice – Let’s Talk Inclusion”! Mike and Adriana chatted with Steve about the TAPS program and demonstrated some scenarios that they use to help build confidence in their students and to help keep them safe in potentially dangerous or uncomfortable situations.

Click here to listen to a recording of the show!

Meet the Team

As part of integrating TAPS into Triangle’s Compliance and Integrity Department under the supervision of the Chief Integrity Officer, two longtime abuse prevention professionals will leverage more than three decades of combined experience from the field to implement and expand innovative, person-centered programming for people with disabilities.

Melissa Strout, Chief Integrity Officer

Melissa oversees Triangle’s Compliance and Integrity Department, including our new Triangle Abuse Prevention & Safety team. She is also responsible for managing organizational-wide projects with an emphasis on collaboration and using an interdisciplinary approach to ensure effective, high-quality person-centered services for each person in our programs. Melissa has worked in the human services field for over 15 years and lead Triangle’s clinical services since 2017. She serves on the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services Positive Behavioral Supports leadership council and frequently advises Triangle’s fellow providers on matters of clinical implementation practices.

Mike Perry, Triangle Abuse Prevention Operations Manager

With 30 years of experience, Mike has played a critical role in the development of abuse prevention programs for people with disabilities as the author of the original self-defense curriculum. He has served as the program’s lead instructor and has trained 23 instructors during his tenure. He served as a co-developer of additional curricula, including healthy relationship and online safety programs. Mike has reached more than 5,000 students and adults over the past 13 years, including 70% of recent abuse prevention classes for people with disabilities.

Adriana Li, Triangle Abuse Prevention Operations Manager

Adriana joined Triangle, Inc. in 2017, specializing in programs for people with disabilities. She served as a program coordinator in Triangle’s Community-Based Day Services programs. During her tenure, she served as a co-developer of healthy relationships and online safety programs and trained visiting partner chapters from other regions of the US on disability-specific curricula. She also created abuse prevention content for trauma survivors of color and LGBTQ+ communities. Adriana has reached more than 2,000 students and adults over the past 5 years, including 70% of recent abuse prevention classes for people with disabilities.

TAPS Program Offerings

Triangle Abuse Prevention & Safety (TAPS) is a newly incorporated program that specializes in providing a variety of programs that empower and enrich the lives of people with disabilities as they pursue all of their personal and professional goals. Our programs are implemented in multiple settings and different stages in life – both youth and adults. TAPS programs are crafted with an understanding that abuse prevention programs need to reflect various situations as individuals grow into different stages in life. Each partnership starts by developing a deep understanding of the needs of each student to create and deliver customized and highly effective learning sessions.

Click here to view a list of specific topics that we teach to people of all abilities.

TAPS Offerings for Youth and Adults

For Youth:

Core Triangle abuse prevention & safety programs for students (middle & high school)
Advanced Triangle abuse prevention & safety programs for students (high school & transitions cohorts)
Healthy adolescent and peer relationships
Peer-to-peer positive school culture programs

For Adults:

Triangle abuse prevention & safety for adults (DDS provider offerings)
Healthy relationships in the workplace, at home, and consent for adults

For Learners of All Ages:

Pre-employment workplace communication and boundary-setting
Internet safety and online communications
Supplements for travel training, such as interacting safely with strangers and avoiding vulnerable situations
Skills to self-regulate stress responses

For Staff:

School/organization staff trainings
Institutional-specific curriculum development
Abuse prevention, healthy relationships, and school/agency climate consulting services
Skills to self-regulate stress responses

Additional Resources:

EPIC (Empowering People for Inclusive Communities), a Triangle affiliate, can offer additional self-advocacy trainings to youth (traditionally incorporated in abuse prevention classes) and disability inclusion/ableism trainings to students (both with and without disabilities) and school/organization staff.

Contact

For more information, contact:
Melissa Strout, Chief Integrity Oﬃcer
Phone: 781.388.4343
Click to email

Mike Perry, Triangle Abuse Prevention Operations Manager
Phone: 781.354.1125
Click to email

Adriana Li, Triangle Abuse Prevention Operations Manager
Phone: 339.300.5300
Click to email