Today, October 5, President Obama signed Rosa's Law into law. Below is the exact wording of the statute:
S. 2781, the “Rosa’s Law,” which changes references in many Federal statutes that currently refer to “mental retardation” to refer, instead, to “intellectual disability”
This law will change references in federal laws from mental retardation to intellectual disability, and references to a mentally retarded individual to an individual with an intellectual disability. Learn more about the Special Olympics' campaign to Spread the Word to End the Word, and read Disability.Blog's latest post, "'I Just Didn’t Know’: The Power of Language."
Senator Barbara Mikulski said this when introducing the bill to the Senate with bipartisan support last November: “This bill is driven by a passion for social justice and a compassion for the human condition. We’ve done a lot to come out of the dark ages of institutionalization and exclusion when it comes to people with intellectual disabilities. I urge my colleagues to join me in a step further. Help sponsor the legislation that I offer on a bipartisan basis. Help me pass the law and know that each and every one of us makes a difference. When we work together, we can make change.”
For local information about state policies and people with disabilities, visit Indiana's Governor's Planning Council for People with Disabilities.
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