Rosa's Law: "Intellectual Disability" Replaces "Mental Retardation" in Federal Laws
President Obama earlier this month signed “Rosa’s Law” which replaces the term “mental retardation” with “intellectual disability” in federal education, health and labor laws. Named after a young girl in Maryland with Down Syndrome whose family successfully led the effort to change the terminology in Maryland, the law states that for purposes of the amended statutes and implementing regulations, a reference to an “intellectual disability” shall mean a condition previously referred to as “mental retardation” and a reference to “individuals with intellectual disabilities” shall be a reference to those previously referred to as “individuals with mental retardation.” Based on the federal government’s change in terminology, watch for more states to pass similar measures.
