Thursday, March 15, 2012

Fran Pavley, California State Senator, Introduces Bill To Strip The Word 'Retarded' From State Laws

By Melissa Jeltsen from The Huffington Post

A state legislator introduced a bill to remove the word "retarded" from California's law books on Wednesday, calling the word outdated and demeaning.

State Senator Fran Pavley's legislation would replace all references of mental retardation with the more accepted term "intellectual disability."

Many advocacy groups have already condemned the word. The National Down Syndrome Society states: "People with disabilities, like all people, deserve to be treated as valued citizens and not referred to in a hurtful manner for any purpose. Using the 'R word' is hurtful and suggests that people with disabilities are not competent."

Read more HERE.

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