Changes Proposed in Terms for Intellectual Disability

Intellectual Disability Terminology

On Tuesday, Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Michael Enzi (R-WY) introduced "Rosa's Law"(S. 2781) a bipartisan bill to substitute outdated, stigmatizing terms in federal health, education and labor laws. The terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" would be substituted with the terms "intellectual disability" and "individual with an intellectual disability." The change in terminology would in no way alter the eligibility requirements for services and supports. See related stories on Disability Intel.