‘Intellectually disabled,’ not ‘mentally retarded’
January 19th, 2008Some lawmakers want the state code changed because, says one, “Words matter. They matter a lot.”
From the [Newport News, Virginia] Daily Press, Roanoke Times, and WVIR-TV, the NBC affiliate in Charlottesville:
Legislation is moving through the Virginia General Assembly that would remove the phrase “mental retardation” from the state code and replace it with “persons with intellectual disabilities.” The change is being pushed by several lawmakers who say the phrase is hurtful.
“It’s a pejorative term. It’s like the ‘N-word,’ ” said Nancy Mercer, executive director of the Arc of Northern Virginia, an advocacy group for people with developmental disabilities. “By changing it on the state code … we get rid of that word. It really isn’t just a word change. It’s a civil rights issue.”
The Senate Education and Health Committee unanimously endorsed the measure and sent it to the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, which will look at the phrase as it applies to capital punishment. Virginia does not execute anyone who is deemed mentally retarded. A similar bill easily cleared a House panel earlier in the week.
It’s estimated that it would cost about $75,000 to change letterhead, signs, business cards, plaques and other documents.
Related story: Last fall, voters in New Jersey voted to remove the word “idiot” from the state Constitution.
Column: ‘Retard: A mother’s view of a word that wounds
See also this post: The people behind the effort to ban the R-word from Virginia statutes
Our RSS Feed