Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz commends Ohio for moving toward banning the word “retardation” from state and county agencies that serve those with developmental disabilities. Ohio’s bill has already passed the state senate. Forty other states have approved the change.

For Schultz, the word conjures up the memory of her Uncle Francis, a valued and valuable member of the family.

It’s a good start, and way overdue. And what took us so long? I’d be quicker to lunge at the legislature if I weren’t so embarrassed that it took me longer than it should have to recognize the injustice. As my 21-year-old daughter pointed out to me this week, calling someone a “reeee-tard” is still common among her peers, and always intended to deride.

It’s a hurtful term, and it often wounds people who are not the intended target. Whenever I hear someone deride another as retarded — I heard it at a recent Cleveland Indians ballgame, and saw it in the headline on a blog — the sting is quick, and personal.

(Photo from Cleveland Plain Dealer)

This entry was posted on Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 8:20 am and is filed under commentary, intellectual/developmental disabilities, language. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.