Lawmakers want to drop term 'mental retardation'

Lawmakers want to drop term 'mental retardation'
The Associated Press • Published February 28, 2009
The term "mental retardation" no longer would be used in new state laws, under a bill that has passed the state House.
House Bill 1835 sailed through the Legislature's lower chamber by a unanimous vote Friday. It now goes to the Senate.
Under the measure, the phrase "intellectual disability" will be used in place of "mental retardation" in all future state laws.
Officials also will have to scrub "mental retardation" from old laws, when those statutes are revised.
Supporters say the term "mental retardation" is an outdated and insulting way of referring to people with intellectual disabilities.
http://www.theolympian.com/legislature/story/772364.html