Massachusetts Just Changed the Law. Words Matter, and This Proves It.

Removing offensive terminology is a great start to dignity for all individuals.

Governor Maura Healey recently signed An Act Dignifying Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities into law, and it's the kind of news that deserves more attention than it's getting.

The legislation does something long overdue. It removes outdated, offensive terminology from Massachusetts state law and replaces it with person-first language. Terms like "mentally retarded" are replaced with "person with an intellectual or developmental disability." References to "a disabled person" become "person with a disability." The change is intentional and meaningful: the law no longer defines people by their diagnoses.

Nothing about eligibility for services or benefits changes. This is purely about language, and that's exactly why it matters.

In my work with families, I see every day how the words used to describe children shape how they're treated. It happens in IEP meetings. It happens in evaluations. It happens in the way school staff talk about students when they think no one is listening. Language sets a tone, and when the tone is reductive or demeaning, it bleeds into decisions that affect real kids.

Massachusetts has now made a clear statement that its laws will no longer reflect an outdated view of disability. Senate President Karen Spilka put it plainly in her remarks: this is a statement about Massachusetts values at a moment when disability rights are facing real pressure at the federal level. That context matters. At a time when protections for people with disabilities are being questioned nationally, our state is moving in the opposite direction.

For families navigating the special education system right now, this is a reminder that advocacy works. The disability community, self-advocates, and legislators pushed for this change for over a decade. It passed because people kept showing up.

Person-first language isn't a formality. It's a foundation. When we lead with personhood instead of diagnosis, we're making a choice about how we see someone. That choice should be reflected in everything, including the law.

Massachusetts got this one right.

Source: Office of Governor Maura Healey, mass.gov