What Does Retarded Mean?
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Pennsylvania ‘Words Do Matter’ Bill to be signed into law
Advocates for the disabilities community said the change is not a move toward political correctness, but rather a step forward for the community that will have a profound effect on their members and how they are viewed by others.
Missouri Eliminates R-Word, Creates Check-Off for Waiting List Donations
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has signed into law the Missouri Most Vulnerable Persons (MVP) Act, a piece of omnibus legislation dealing with multiple issues relating to individuals with disabilities. The bill was sponsored by state Representative Jeff Grisamore (R-Lee’s Summit/Greenwood), chairman of the House Special Standing Committee on Disability Services, created this year by House Speaker Steve Tilley and charged with passing legislation that is responsive to concerns in the disabilities communities. The Missouri MVP Act includes provisions that would:
§ remove all references to “mentally retarded” or “mental retardation” or “handicapped” in state law, changing them to “developmentally disabled,” “developmental disability” or “disabled;”
§ create a tax check-off whereby Missouri taxpayers can donate through their state tax return to help reduce the Developmental Disabilities Waiting List;
§ add individuals with developmental disabilities, especially autism, to the list of people whose service dogs must be allowed access to public places, especially for search and rescue of a person who may become lost;
§ create new protections to protect the parental rights of individuals with disabilities; and designate the month of October as Disability History and Awareness month in Missouri’s K through 12 public schools.
FMI:
http://lstribune.net/lees-summit-news/missouri-house-passes-historic-disabilities-legislation.htm
http://dmh.mo.gov/docs/dd/DirectConnectSept.pdf
The legislation can be read at http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills111/billpdf/truly/HB0555T.PDF.
Project Unify, ending the ‘R’ word for good
Four high schools in the Boise School District are part of a big community service project this week! They are working on Project Unify, a major effort to put an end to the use of the “R” word. It’s all about acceptance, inclusion and awareness. People with disabilities are often targeted with the “R” word. These high schools are pushing to make it known that it’s not okay!
Faculty told not to use “R-word”
At the suggestion of a Student Assembly initiative, faculty and staff received an email from the William & Mary’s College administration Thursday reminding them to be more conscientious of their language — specifically to avoid using the word “retard.”
http://flathatnews.com/content/75970
“Dear Colleagues,
As part of our ongoing effort to create a collegial learning environment, please remember to consider the terms used in lectures and class discussion. For example, the word retarded has returned in slang usage to mean dumb or stupid, but this is not an appropriate way to use the word in class. It reinforces stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities, suggesting that they are less valued members of society.
“Thank you for your continued efforts to create a positive and creative learning environment for William and Mary students. Your thoughtfulness and commitment to undergraduate education makes William and Mary the unique liberal arts campus that it is.” — Dean of Undergraduate Studies Kelly Joyce
She Called Them ‘Retards’
She Called Them ‘Retards’
BY Pat Archbold
I begin this post with some consternation, some preamble, and a warning. In it, I relay events that I witnessed this weekend while participating in a local 5k event. Don’t worry, it is not another boring post about running; the race is just the setting for a disturbing story about man’s inhumanity to man. It is a story about the callous disregard of some for their fellow man and it is a story of triumph. Fair warning, some of what I will relay is offensive but, alas, true.
Read the rest of the post: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/she-called-them-retards/
North Dakota Becomes Latest State to Drop R-Word from Statutes
North Dakota Becomes Latest State to Drop R-Word from Statutes
Community Services Reporter (CSR), August 2011,published monthly by the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS)
The North Dakota legislature has passed a bill removing the term “mental retardation” from state code. The law amends and reenacts all sections of the North Dakota Century Code relating that contain the term, replacing it with “intellectual disability,” and replacing “mentally retarded” with “intellectually disabled.” The law is comprehensive and provides guidelines for future legislation, while not altering services or eligibility for individuals with a disability. Tina Bay, Director of the Developmental Disabilities Division in the Department of Human Services in North Dakota, testified in favor of the bill. During her testimony, she indicated that her department had “received written approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to make the change from Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded to Intermediate Care Facility for the Intellectually Disabled.”
FMI: Director Bay’s testimony is available at http://www.nd.gov/dhs/info/testimony/2011/house–human–services/sb2142–3–8–11–changing–mr–to–id.pdf.
New Laws Promote Dignity for Persons with Disabilities
New Laws Promote Dignity for Persons with Disabilities
http://www.wgmd.com/?p=32427
Wilmington, DE –Governor Jack Markell signed into law today three bills that reflect the state’s progress in recognizing the importance, inclusion and dignity of persons with disabilities in Delaware. Children, advocates and legislators joined Markell for the signing at the Can-Do Playground at Alapocas Run State Park, a playground built to be accessible to and enjoyable for all children, regardless of physical, mental and sensory abilities.
“Words matter. They do have power. These bills ensure we emphasize people first and disabilities second when we use them in law,” said Governor Jack Markell. “People live with their disabilities. They should not be defined by them. The language used in our laws, codes and regulations to describe disabilities have not in the past reflected that fact. It will going forward.”
The bills are part of the national movement for People-First Language, which makes clear that a person should be placed before their disability in descriptions (i.e., a “person with disability” not a “disabled person”). HB 91 requires that we ensure that all new state laws, regulations and publications show respectful language for “people with disabilities.” HB 214 requires us to look through the language in our current state code and do the same. With those changes in place, HB 123 designates the month of October as “Disability History and Awareness Month,” where schools and organizations will have a month to generate greater understanding and education around the issue.
“Civil rights start with civil treatment of all people,” said Sen. David Sokola, D-Newark, who co-sponsored the legislation in the Senate. “Changing the way we word our laws may not seem like much, but it’s that kind of civil treatment that can help change people’s attitudes and start the process of recognizing people as our fellow human beings instead of walling them off behind a label.”
Rep. Debra J. Heffernan said HB 91 would help Delaware government set a respectful tone when referring to people with disabilities.
“One in five Americans have some type of disability, and it is the only minority group that any person can become a member of at any time through an accident, illness or one many are familiar with, the aging process,” said Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred South. “These bills ensure that all state laws, regulations and publications in Delaware will use respectful, inclusive language to refer to people with disabilities by putting the person first before their condition or disability.”
Rep. Quinn Johnson, who sponsored HB 123, noted that efforts to raise awareness about people with disabilities began two years ago and the bill is a continuation of that effort.
“I’m pleased the Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens and the school districts worked so well and embraced the initiatives started two years ago. Now we are able to make it a permanent part of our school curriculum,” said Rep. Johnson, D-Middletown. “My son, who has a disability, makes sure that his disability doesn’t define him. He defines who he is, and that is what we hope to communicate to people by raising awareness and educating them.”
“I have enjoyed working with members of the disability community throughout the years and I think it’s extremely important that we focus on the fact that they are people first,” said House Majority Whip Rep. Valerie J. Longhurst, D-Bear and a co-sponsor of HB 123 and 214.
The bill was endorsed by Special Olympics Delaware, Autism Delaware, the Developmental Disabilities Council, the Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens and the State Department of Health and Social Services.