POLICY 
STATEMENT 



PROTECTION 
POLICY STATEMENT 
People with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities15 must be protected from 
harm and injury and must have the tools and supports so that they can protect themselves. 

ISSUE 

Abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of our constituents by the general public, service providers, 
and even their own families are all too common. Families often lack the supports necessary to 
avoid undue stress as well as access to resources to help them protect their children from 
abuse, neglect, and mistreatment by others. Individuals living outside the family home, 
regardless of the size or location of the residence, are particularly vulnerable. In addition, 
existing laws, regulations, and policies may fail to prevent abuse and neglect. 

POSITION 

Protection from harm of people with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities is 
vital. 

Children 

In most situations the birth, adoptive, or foster family is the best source of protection from harm 
for a child. To fulfill that role, a family should have access to: 

• 
Family support services. 
• 
Parent support groups. 
• 
Information and referral networks. 
If the family is unable to provide necessary protection for any reason, federal, state and local 
child protection laws and regulations should be applied to protect the child. Any protective 
action should infringe as little as possible on the individual’s and family’s right to privacy and 
self-determination. 

Adults 

When an adult needs protective assistance, the best protection usually comes from the person’s 
family, community, and friends. Protection services should be provided through adult protective 
agencies or advocacy groups. Individuals should be trained to better protect themselves. As 
with children, whenever applicable and available, the full force of the law should be applied to 
protect the individual. 

Adopted: 
Board of Directors, AAIDD 
May 28, 2002 

Congress of Delegates, The Arc of the United States 
November 9, 2002 


15 "People with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities" refers to our constituency, i.e., those 
defined by the AAIDD classification and the DSM IV. In everyday language they are frequently referred to as 
people with cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities although the professional and legal definitions of 
those terms both include others and exclude some defined by DSM IV. 

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