NJ students with disabilities say they are glad the R-word is going away

From the Asbury Park Press:

TINTON FALLS, N.J. — Tyshon Woods, a student at the Arc of Monmouth's Dorothy B. Hersh High School here, pulls no punches as to how the word "retarded" makes him feel when directed at him and his friends.

"It makes me feel like less than what we are," said Woods, 20, of Long Branch.

A movement to end the use of that word, once used medically and professionally but now viewed by the special-needs community as a derogatory term, is growing throughout the country. On Aug. 16, Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill removing all usage of the word from state law.

Instead, the terms "intellectual disability" or "developmental disability" are to be used, according to the governor's office.

The terms "mentally retarded," "mental retardation" and "feeble-minded" are also to be changed to "developmentally disabled" and "developmental disability," according to the bill.

"Using antiquated, degrading terms to describe individuals with disabilities is an affront to the integrity of the person and their family, and below our common decency as a people," Christie said in a statement.

In addition to removing the offending language, another component of the legislation stresses the importance of "people first" language, referring to "people with disabilities" as such, rather than saying "disabled people."

The Arc of Monmouth is a nonprofit organization that supplies support, resources, education and job training and opportunities to people in Monmouth County with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

It is a local branch of the Arc of New Jersey, and larger, the Arc of the United States, which was once called the Association for Retarded Citizens, but dropped that name in 1991 because of complaints from members.

At the Arc of Monmouth's Work Opportunity Center in Long Branch, where about 150 people perform subcontracted work for hospitals and local manufacturers from Monday through Friday and receive a small wage for their work, a group of adults said the bill was important.

"We don't like to be called retarded," said Diana Donato, 54, of Ocean Township. "Some people do that, and they can hurt somebody else's feelings."

Matthew Nepper, 42, of Middletown recently attended a rally at Rutgers with Arc vocational counselor Heather Warner to speak out against the offensive word.

"It's a curse word to us," Nepper said.

Donato and Nepper are both members of an Arc-affiliated self-advocacy group, along with Craig Goldenthal, 50, of Marlboro, the group's president.

"I think it should be banned; I think it's not nice," Goldenthal said of the word. "That word should not be used at all. People should think twice before they talk."

Celine Fortin, associate executive director for the Arc of New Jersey, said the passage of the bill resulted from a largely grass-roots campaign organized by people with disabilities and their communities throughout the state, going back several years.

The N.J. Statewide Self Advocacy Network consists of more that 110 advocacy groups throughout the state, Fortin said.

For the 2007 general election, the network succeeded in getting a question placed on the ballot that asked to have the words "idiot" and "feeble minded" removed from the state constitution. The question ultimately passed.

From there, the network set forth on an even bigger goal, writing letters to legislators and newspapers, and visiting communities and schools, as members did with the ballot question, to limit the offending language even more, Fortin said.

Around that time, national discussion grew about the use of derogatory language to refer to those with special needs, Fortin said, spurred by the release of the movie "Tropic Thunder," which contained material offensive to some disability advocacy groups.

Through those discussions, it was revealed that many people did not realize they were causing harm through their choice of language, Fortin said.

"Words are critically important," said Renay Zamloot, a special education advocate based in Annandale, Clinton Township in Hunterdon County. "When people in a position of authority eliminate the use of derogatory language . . . it has the effect of trickling down into other areas of life."

Zamloot said she never hears the word "retarded" used professionally anymore. However, it is still prevalent in bullying cases, meaning young people are still using it as a slur to refer to their peers.

She hopes that the new legislation will set a trend to dispel offensive language against all forms of disabilities, she said.

"It's an important step in creating a more accepting atmosphere and also of understanding that we're speaking about people," she said.

Fortin said the next step is to remove the offensive language from federal legislation. The advocacy network has been speaking out in the community and continues to work with legislators to accomplish this goal, she said.

"With the passage of this bill, it's great because it's very visible, very public, and it makes everyone think about their language," she said. "We take that and we keep moving."