Supreme Court Drops the R-Word

In a move hailed by advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court used the words intellectual disability instead of mental retardation in a recent ruling, becoming the latest and perhaps one of the last national institutions to make the change, DisabilityScoop reported.

The long overdue change occurred in a ruling issued by the court last month and represents a big step in a push by advocates to end use of the word retarded, according to DisabilityScoop.

“Getting the name change in the eyes of the court is kind of the last step in a 25 year process to affirm the dignity of people with intellectual disability,” said Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc.

A grassroots effort that began with self-advocates who didn’t want to be called “retarded” lobbying organizations like those now known as The Arc and the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to modify their own names, ultimately led most states to alter language in their laws. — “In Shift, Supreme Court Moves Away From ‘Mental Retardation’ ” 6/3/14.

Read the whole story at DisabilityScoop.