Disability, Child Abuse and Criminal Justice
The problems facing the sexually abused child involved in the criminal justice system have been well rehearsedl and steps have been taken to respond to their plight.2 But there has so far been little recognition of the added difficulties confronting children with disabilities3 and relatively few cases involving such children have so far reached the courts. Children whose disability results in a lack of verbal skills are particularly disadvantaged in a legal culture which takes oral communication for granted and relies heavily upon it. This article will consider the vulnerability of disabled children to abuse. It will then go on to examine the communication difficulties which affect many of them and the extent to which these difficulties inhibit or debar them at each stage of the criminal process. Finally, it will suggest what needs to be done to ensure that disabled children are afforded equal access to the criminal justice system.