Findings

The Legislature finds that disabled persons and particularly disabled children are often more vulnerable and in greater need of protection than the nondisabled. Concomitant with greater vulnerability is the enhanced risk of injury and intimidation, particularly when the child is noncommunicative. Based upon these facts, the Legislature has determined that it is appropriate that enhanced protections be put in place statutorily to provide a framework of protections to improve disabled children’s education and, quality of life as well as ease the concerns of their loved-ones and caregivers. As used in this article: (1) “Disabled child” means a child with any physical, intellectual, developmental, communication, or psychological disability or impairment. A disability includes , but is not limited to one that: (A) Limits the child’s ability to recognize abuse, unlawful activity, or his or her rights to safety and protection, or that makes the child rely on others to recognize that he or she is being abused; (B) Limits the child’s ability to recognize unlawful sexual abuse or misconduct; (C) Causes the child to be dependent on others to assist with any activity of daily living or personal care; (D) Limits the child’s ability to formulate or execute a response to abuse, to verbally or physically defend himself or herself, or to physically escape from an abusive environment; or (E) Limits the child’s ability to disclose abuse. (2) “Noncommunicative child” means a child who, due to physical or developmental disabilities, is unable to functionally articulate verbally, in writing, or through a recognized sign language, (3) “Person in a position of trust in relation to a disabled child” means any adult who is acting in the place of a parent and charged with any of a parent’s rights, duties, or responsibilities concerning a disabled child or someone with supervisory responsibility for a disabled child’s welfare, or any person who by virtue of their occupation or position is charged with any duty or responsibility for the health, education, welfare, or supervision of a disabled child, (4) “Repeatedly” means on two or more occasions, (5) “Supervisory responsibility” means any situation where an adult has direct supervisory decision-making, oversight, instructive, academic, evaluative, or advisory responsibilities regarding the child. Supervisory responsibility may occur in a residence, in or out of a school setting, institutional setting, and in curricular, co-curricular, or extra-curricular settings.