House Passes Bill Removing R-word from Mass. General Laws

The Mass. House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill that would remove the words "mental retardation" from the General Laws of Massachusetts.The bill, sponsored by Rep. Tom Sannicandro, now heads to the Senate, but its passage is far from assured with formal sessions scheduled to expire Friday at midnight.

"This has always been a civil rights issue for me," said Sannicandro, Vice Chair of the Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities. "This bill will finish the work the Legislature started two years ago in changing the name of the Department of Mental Retardation. This vote comes as a direct result of the tireless work self-advocates and families across the Commonwealth have done to end the use of the r-word."
 
"This is an important step in addressing the stigma faced daily by people with disabilities. Words do matter," said Leo Sarkissian, executive director of The Arc of Massachusetts. "As we saw last year with the name change of the Department of Mental Retardation, removing the R-word from as many government documents and agencies as possible makes a real difference in how thousands of people with disabilities and their families feel about themselves and those charged with helping them."
 
Please call your Senator and tell them to support this important legislation.