[Counselor_Educ] Fwd: [NRCA] Senate Law Seeks to Replace "Mental Retardation" with "Intellectual Disability"

    robinsoh at ohio.edu robinsoh at ohio.edu
    Mon Nov 23 08:54:30 EST 2009 
    ----- Forwarded message from NRCAOFFICE at aol.com 
-----
From: NRCAOFFICE at aol.com 
To: NRCA at sword.net 
Subject: [NRCA] Senate Law Seeks to Replace "Mental Retardation" 
with "Intellectual Disability"
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:46:11 EST


-------------------------------1258983971
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=20
November 18, 2009
=20
Senate Law Seeks to Replace "Mental Retardation" with  "Intellectual=20
Disability" - Community Applauds
=20
=20
Press Release from Senator Mikulski  (11/17/09):
SENATOR MIKULSKI INTRODUCES BILL TO STRIKE TERMS =E2=80=9CMENTAL RETARDATI=
ON=E2=80=9D  AND=20
=E2=80=9CMENTALLY RETARDED=E2=80=9D FROM FEDERAL  LAWBOOKS

=E2=80=9CRosa=E2=80=99s Law=E2=80=9D  honors young girl whose brother said=
, =E2=80=9C=E2=80=A6 what you call=20
people is how you treat  them.=E2=80=9D=20
WASHINGTON,  D.C.  =E2=80=93 U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski today introd=
uced =E2=80=9C
Rosa=E2=80=99s  Law,=E2=80=9D a bill that will eliminate the terms =E2=80=
=9Cmental retardation=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9C
mentally  retarded=E2=80=9D from the federal law books. U.S. Senator Micha=
el B.=20
Enzi  (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension=
s =20
Committee, is the Republican sponsor of the bill. =20
Under Rosa=E2=80=99s Law, those terms would be replaced with  =E2=80=9Cint=
ellectual=20
disability=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cindividual with an intellectual disabilit=
y=E2=80=9D in  federal=20
education, health and labor law. The bill does not expand or diminish  ser=
vices,=20
rights or educational opportunities. It simply makes the federal law  lang=
uage=20
consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control, the World =
=20
Health Organization and the President of the United States, through his =
=20
Committee on Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.  =20
Rosa=E2=80=99s  Law  replicates a law recently adopted in Maryland. Senato=
r=20
Mikulski first heard  about the state law from Rosa=E2=80=99s mother durin=
g a roundtable=20
discussion about  special education held in Edgewater, Maryland. Due to=20
requirements in the  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),=
 each=20
student who receives  special education services at public schools has an=
=20
individualized education  program (IEP) that describes the student=E2=80=
=99s disability=20
and the special education  and services that child will receive. Rosa has=
 an=20
intellectual disability =E2=80=93  Downs Syndrome =E2=80=93 and so was des=
ignated as a=20
student with =E2=80=9Cmental retardation=E2=80=9D in  her IEP, giving way=
 to people at the=20
school referring to Rosa as retarded.  Senator Mikulski promised Rosa=E2=
=80=99s mother=20
that if the bill became law in Maryland,  she would take it to the floor=
 of=20
the United States Senate.  =20
=E2=80=9CThis bill is driven by a passion for social justice and compassio=
n for =20
the human condition,=E2=80=9D said Senator Mikulski, a senior member of th=
e HELP =20
Committee. =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99ve done a lot to come out of the dark ages=
 of =20
institutionalization and exclusion when it comes to people with intellectu=
al  disabilities. I=20
urge my colleagues to join me to take a step further. The  disability=20
community deserves it. Rosa deserves  it.=E2=80=9D=20
=E2=80=9CMental retardation=E2=80=9D  and =E2=80=9Cmentally retarded=E2=80=
=9D are terms commonly used in=20
federal laws, including the  Individual With Disabilities Education Act,=
 the=20
Higher Education Act, the  Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also=20
known as No Child Left Behind, and  the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. =20
=E2=80=9CWe know now that words have  meaning, sometimes far beyond what=
 we intend,=E2=80=9D
 added Senator Enzi.   =E2=80=9CTherefore, we must be very careful about=
 the way we=20
describe the people we see  every day, including those with disabilities,=
=20
or those who are undergoing  treatment for a variety of health issues. =20
Unfortunately, the federal  government has not dropped this term from our=
 laws=20
and it still appears in the  regulations and statutes that come before our=
=20
legislative bodies and our courts.  I am pleased to have this opportunity=
 to=20
join my colleague from Maryland,  Senator Mikulski, in introducing Rosa=E2=
=80=99s law.=20
 I would like to thank her for  her leadership and her commitment on this=
=20
issue.  Simply put, this  legislation will make an important change in the=
=20
words we use to refer to those  with intellectual disabilities.  It is a=
 much=20
needed change in the law that  is fully deserving of our support.=E2=80=9D=
=20
When Rosa=E2=80=99s Law was being  considered by the Maryland General Asse=
mbly, Rosa
=E2=80=99s 13-year-old brother, Nick,  successfully testified on her behal=
f for a=20
substitution of mentally retarded  with intellectual disability. He=20
explained, =E2=80=9CSome people say they are just  words, and it=E2=80=99s=
 not going to make a=20
difference if we just change the words. Some  say we shouldn=E2=80=99t wor=
ry about the=20
words, just the way we treat people. But when  you think about it, what yo=
u=20
call people is how you treat them! If we change the  words, maybe it=E2=80=
=99ll be the=20
start of a new attitude towards people with  intellectual disabilities.=20
They deserve it.=E2=80=9D=20
=E2=80=9CSenator Mikulski=E2=80=99s bill is a most welcome and necessary=
 step in ending =20
the pervasive discrimination against the 7 million people living with =20
intellectual disabilities in this country,=E2=80=9D stated Peter V. Berns,=
 the Chief =20
Executive Officer of The Arc of the U.S. =E2=80=9CWith federal adoption of=
 the term  =E2=80=98
intellectual disability=E2=80=99 perhaps our society and others will begin=
 to =20
understand the legitimacy of the condition and treat those living with it=
 in a =20
more respectful fashion.=E2=80=9D=20
The Arc is the world=E2=80=99s largest community based organization of and=
 for =20
people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It provides an ar=
ray=20
of  services and support for families and individuals and includes over=20
140,000  members affiliated through more than 780 state and local chapters=
 across=20
 the nation. The Arc is devoted to promoting and improving supports and=20
services  for all people with intellectual and developmental  disabilities=
.=20
Rosa=E2=80=99s Law has garnered support from six additional cosponsors fro=
m both =20
sides of the aisle, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio),  Senator Benjamin L.=
=20
Cardin (D-Md.), Senator Lamar  Alexander (R- Tenn.), Senator John Barrasso=
=20
(R-Wyo.), Senator Richard Burr  (R-N.C.), Senator Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), Sen=
ator=20
Tom Harkin  (D-Iowa), and Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), as well as  more th=
an=20
30 national organizations to date:=20 _http://mikulski.senate.gov/_pdfs/Press/Organizations.pdf_ 
( http://mikulsk= 
i.senate.gov/_pdfs/Press/Organizations.pdf)=20
. =20





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<DIV>
<H2 class=3Ddate-header>November 18, 2009</H2>
<DIV=20
class=3D"entry-category-current_affairs entry-category-legislative entry-c=
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<H3 class=3Dentry-header>Senate Law Seeks to Replace "Mental Retardation"=
 with=20
"Intellectual Disability" - Community Applauds</H3>
<DIV class=3Dentry-content>
<DIV class=3Dentry-body>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><S=
PAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'"><SPAN=
=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Press Release from Senator=
 Mikulski=20
(11/17/09):</SPAN></SPAN><STRONG><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'"><BR></S=
PAN></STRONG></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal=20
style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><STRONG><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'"><FONT=
=20
face=3D"">SENATOR MIKULSKI INTRODUCES BILL TO STRIKE TERMS =E2=80=9CMENTAL=
 RETARDATION=E2=80=9D=20
AND =E2=80=9CMENTALLY RETARDED=E2=80=9D FROM FEDERAL=20
LAWBOOKS</FONT></SPAN></STRONG><STRONG><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'"><BR><BR=
> </SPAN></STRONG><FONT=20 
face=3D""><EM><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'">=E2=80=
=9CRosa=E2=80=99s Law=E2=80=9D=20
honors young girl whose brother said, =E2=80=9C=E2=80=A6 what you call peo=
ple is how you treat=20
them.=E2=80=9D</SPAN></EM><STRONG><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'"><O:P></=
O:P></SPAN></STRONG></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><FONT face=3D""><STRONG=
> <SPAN=20 
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 's=
erif'">WASHINGTON,=20
D.C.</SPAN></STRONG><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 's=
erif'">=20
=E2=80=93 <STRONG>U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski </STRONG>today introduc=
ed =E2=80=9CRosa=E2=80=99s=20
Law,=E2=80=9D a bill that will eliminate the terms =E2=80=9Cmental retarda=
tion=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cmentally=20
retarded=E2=80=9D from the federal law books. <STRONG>U.S. Senator Michael=
 B. Enzi=20
(R-Wyo.)</STRONG>, Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pens=
ions=20
Committee, is the Republican sponsor of the bill. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT=
> </P> 
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 's=
erif'"><FONT=20
face=3D"">Under <EM>Rosa=E2=80=99s Law</EM>, those terms would be replaced=
 with=20
=E2=80=9Cintellectual disability=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cindividual with an=
 intellectual disability=E2=80=9D in=20
federal education, health and labor law. The bill does not expand or dimin=
ish=20
services, rights or educational opportunities. It simply makes the federal=
 law=20
language consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control, the=
 World=20
Health Organization and the President of the United States, through his=20
Committee on Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.=20
<O:P></O:P></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><FONT face=3D""><EM><SP=
AN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 's=
erif'">Rosa=E2=80=99s=20
Law</SPAN></EM><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 's=
erif'">=20
replicates a law recently adopted in Maryland. Senator Mikulski first hear=
d=20
about the state law from Rosa=E2=80=99s mother during a roundtable discuss=
ion about=20
special education held in Edgewater, Maryland. Due to requirements in the=
=20
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), each student who recei=
ves=20
special education services at public schools has an individualized educati=
on=20
program (IEP) that describes the student=E2=80=99s disability and the spec=
ial education=20
and services that child will receive. Rosa has an intellectual disability=
 =E2=80=93=20
Downs Syndrome =E2=80=93 and so was designated as a student with =E2=80=9C=
mental retardation=E2=80=9D in=20
her IEP, giving way to people at the school referring to Rosa as retarded.=
=20
Senator Mikulski promised Rosa=E2=80=99s mother that if the bill became la=
w in Maryland,=20
she would take it to the floor of the United States Senate.=20
<O:P></O:P></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 's=
erif'"><FONT=20
face=3D"">=E2=80=9CThis bill is driven by a passion for social justice and=
 compassion for=20
the human condition,=E2=80=9D said Senator Mikulski, a senior member of th=
e HELP=20
Committee. =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99ve done a lot to come out of the dark ages=
 of=20
institutionalization and exclusion when it comes to people with intellectu=
al=20
disabilities. I urge my colleagues to join me to take a step further. The=
=20
disability community deserves it. Rosa deserves=20
it.=E2=80=9D<O:P></O:P></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoListParagraph style=3D"MARGIN-LEFT: 0in">&nbsp;=E2=80=9CMent=
al retardation=E2=80=9D=20
and =E2=80=9Cmentally retarded=E2=80=9D are terms commonly used in federal=
 laws, including the=20
Individual With Disabilities Education Act, the Higher Education Act, the=
=20
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind=
, and=20
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. </P>
<P class=3DMsoListParagraph style=3D"MARGIN-LEFT: 0in">=E2=80=9CWe know no=
w that words have=20
meaning, sometimes far beyond what we intend,=E2=80=9D added Senator Enzi.=
&nbsp;=20
=E2=80=9CTherefore, we must be very careful about the way we describe the=
 people we see=20
every day, including those with disabilities, or those who are undergoing=
=20
treatment for a variety of health issues.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the federal=
=20
government has not dropped this term from our laws and it still appears in=
 the=20
regulations and statutes that come before our legislative bodies and our=
 courts.=20
I am pleased to have this opportunity to join my colleague from Maryland,=
=20
Senator Mikulski, in introducing Rosa=E2=80=99s law.&nbsp; I would like to=
 thank her for=20
her leadership and her commitment on this issue.&nbsp; Simply put, this=20
legislation will make an important change in the words we use to refer to=
 those=20
with intellectual disabilities.&nbsp; It is a much needed change in the la=
w that=20
is fully deserving of our support.=E2=80=9D</P>
<P class=3DMsoListParagraph style=3D"MARGIN-LEFT: 0in">When Rosa=E2=80=99s=
 Law was being=20
considered by the Maryland General Assembly, Rosa=E2=80=99s 13-year-old br=
other, Nick,=20
successfully testified on her behalf for a substitution of mentally retard=
ed=20
with intellectual disability. He explained, =E2=80=9CSome people say they=
 are just=20
words, and it=E2=80=99s not going to make a difference if we just change=
 the words. Some=20
say we shouldn=E2=80=99t worry about the words, just the way we treat peop=
le. But when=20
you think about it, what you call people is how you treat them! If we chan=
ge the=20
words, maybe it=E2=80=99ll be the start of a new attitude towards people=
 with=20
intellectual disabilities. They deserve it.=E2=80=9D</P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'"><FONT=
=20
face=3D"">=E2=80=9CSenator Mikulski=E2=80=99s bill is a most welcome and=
 necessary step in ending=20
the pervasive discrimination against the 7 million people living with=20
intellectual disabilities in this country,=E2=80=9D stated Peter V. Berns,=
 the Chief=20
Executive Officer of The Arc of the U.S.&nbsp;=E2=80=9CWith federal adopti=
on of the term=20
=E2=80=98intellectual disability=E2=80=99 perhaps our society and others=
 will begin to=20
understand the legitimacy of the condition and treat those living with it=
 in a=20
more respectful fashion.=E2=80=9D</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'"><FONT=
=20
face=3D"">The Arc is the world=E2=80=99s largest community based organizat=
ion of and for=20
people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It provides an ar=
ray of=20
services and support for families and individuals and includes over 140,00=
0=20
members affiliated through more than&nbsp;780 state and local chapters acr=
oss=20
the nation. The Arc is devoted to promoting and improving supports and ser=
vices=20
for all people with intellectual and developmental=20
disabilities.<O:P></O:P></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman', 'serif'"><FONT=
=20
face=3D"">Rosa=E2=80=99s Law has garnered support from six additional cosp=
onsors from both=20
sides of the aisle, <STRONG>Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)</STRONG>,=20
<STRONG>Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.)</STRONG>, <STRONG>Senator Lamar=
=20
Alexander (R- Tenn.), Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senator Richard Burr=
=20
(R-N.C.), Senator Judd Gregg (R-N.H.)</STRONG>, <STRONG>Senator Tom Harkin=
=20
(D-Iowa)</STRONG>, and<STRONG> Senator John Thune (R-S.D.),</STRONG> as we=
ll as=20
more than 30 national organizations to date: </FONT><A=20
title= 3Dhttp://mikulski.senate.gov/_pdfs/Press/Organizations.pdf=20 
href=3D" http://mikulski.senate.gov/_pdfs/Press/Organizations.pdf" 
><FONT=20
face=3D""> http://mikulski.senate.gov/_pdfs/Press/Organizations.pdf</FONT 
><=
/A><FONT=20
face=3D"">.=20
<O:P></O:P></FONT></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></DIV><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></H=
TML>

-------------------------------1258983971--


----- End forwarded message -----



Mona Robinson, Ph.D., PCC, CRC
Assistant Professor
Rehabilitation Counseling and Chillicothe Program Coordinator
President-Elect, NAMRC 
Ohio University
386 McCracken Hall
Athens, Ohio 45701
740-593-4461 Office
740-593-0477 Fax robinsoh at ohio.edu 
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