The old Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation has started the new fiscal year with a new name: The Department of Developmental Services. The change marks a victory for people with disabilities, who lobbied for years to eliminate wording that they perceived as an insult.
“It was really an effort from the ground up, led by consumers and self-advocates who found the terminology used in this field to be offensive, said Gary Blumenthal, executive director of the Waltham-based Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers. … Only five or six states still have the words “mental retardation’’ in the names of agencies serving the developmentally disabled, said Elin M. Howe, commissioner of the department."
No comments:
Post a Comment