People with Disabilities Celebrate Department's Name Change

Cheers to the national "Erase the R word" campaign! It's definitely having an impact.

With the start of the fiscal year, the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation has taken on a new name.
The agency, which serves developmentally disabled children and adults, adopted the name Department of Developmental Services Tuesday, signaling a victory for the disabled and their providers who lobbied for years against the pejorative phrase “mental retardation.’’
“I was always ridiculed because I was different,’’ said Craig Smith, 52, of Brighton, who suffers from chronic memory loss. “This day changes everything. It’s about respecting people.’’
Before the House and Senate approved the name change last year, Smith and other members of the Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong, a nonprofit group of those with cognitive and developmental disabilities, fought hard for the measure. They rallied for it at the State House, called, e-mailed, and wrote letters to legislators, and told their stories.