Mental retardation’ removed from Missouri division’s name

Source: KC Star

Gov. Matt Blunt signed an executive order Thursday removing the term “mental retardation” from the name of a division within the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

The division will now be known as the Division of Developmental Disabilities, rather than the Division of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

The governor said he made the change to bring Missouri in line with a nationwide consensus on terminology for individuals with mental disabilities.

“Advocates have actively called for this change both nationally and in Missouri,” Blunt said in a statement. “And while the change has absolutely no impact on the funding or function of the division, it has a significant benefit to the division’s statutory obligation to reduce the stigma of having a developmental disability.”

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics/story/844916.html

Bout time.

I don't understand why.

make no mistake that these name changes are important and substantial.

Mental retardation is an accurate term. Waste of time and resources.

and does not contain the germ of a slur.

I work for MO DMH. It's considered out-dated and inaccurate, partly because the Division was called "Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities"...MR is a subset of DD, there's no need to even have it in the name.

Also, only seven other states have failed to take this action. New York being among them, oddly enough.

DESE had stopped using MR then brought it back maybe 10 years ago. It's really a horrible term and I have sat in on more than one conference with a parent who broke out into tears when told their child is "mentally retarded".

:wow:

guess the saying about a broken clock being right twice a day is a true one...

:shrug: