§ 25.5-10-201 — Legislative declaration

(1) In recognition of the varied,
extensive, and substantial needs of persons with intellectual and developmental
disabilities, including the urgent need to enhance the development of children with
intellectual and developmental disabilities, the general assembly, subject to
available appropriations and subject to the existence of appropriate services and
supports with available resources, hereby declares that the purposes of this article
are:

(a) To provide appropriate services and supports to persons with intellectual
and developmental disabilities throughout their lifetimes regardless of their age or
degree of disability;

(b) To prohibit deprivation of liberty of persons with intellectual and
developmental disabilities, except when such deprivation is for the purpose of
providing services and supports which constitute the least restrictive available
alternative adequate to meet the person's needs, and to ensure that these services
and supports afford due process protections;

(c) To ensure the fullest measure of privacy, dignity, rights, and privileges to
persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities;

(d) To ensure the provision of services and supports to all persons with
intellectual and developmental disabilities on a statewide basis;

(e) To enable persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to
remain with their families and in the community of their choice, to minimize the
likelihood of out-of-home placement, and to enhance the capacity of families to
meet the needs of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities;

(f) To provide community services and supports for persons with intellectual
and developmental disabilities which reflect typical patterns of everyday living;

(g) To encourage state and local agencies to provide a wide array of
innovative and cost-effective services and supports for persons with intellectual
and developmental disabilities;

(h) To ensure that persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities
receive services and supports which encourage and build on existing social
networks and natural sources of support, and result in increased interdependence,
contribution to, and inclusion in community life; and

(i) To recognize the efficacy of early intervention services and supports in
minimizing developmental delays and reducing the future education costs to our
society.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2013: Entire article added with relocations, (HB 13-1314), ch. 323, p. 1744, � 1, effective March 1, 2014.