Politics & Government

Mass. House Votes to Remove 'Mental Retardation' from State Laws

The phrase would be replaced with terminology less "outdated and offense" to the disability community.

BOSTON, MA—The Massachusetts House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would remove the last of the phrase "mental retardation" from state lawbooks.

The bill, from Rep. Tom Sannicandro, an Ashland Democrat, finished the work former Gov. Deval Patrick began, with 2010 legislation to replace every use of the words "mental retardation" with "persons with intellectual disabilities" in the state's laws. In 2009, Patrick changed the state's Department of Mental Retardation to the Department of Developmental Services.

But, writes Sannicandro in a statement on the bill Wednesday, that previous legislation missed 45 sections of state law.

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His bill would do away with those remaining instances, "and replace the outdated and offensive term with person-first language, such as 'persons with an intellectual or developmental disability,' terminology long preferred by the disability community," the press release said.

“Language shapes understanding," Sannicandro said in the release. "Using antiquated terms to describe people living with disabilities devalues their individuality, their capabilities, and reduces them to a harmful stereotype."

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The bill next goes to the Senate.

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