Rosa's Law: Understanding The Timeline Of This Landmark Legislation

On October 5, 2010, Rosa's Law was signed into law by United States President Barack Obama. The law substituted the terms mental retardation and mentally retarded with intellectual disability and individual with an intellectual disability in federal health, education, and labor policy. The bill, inspired by nine-year-old Rosa Marcellino, was championed by Senators Barbara Mikulski and Mike Enzi and passed with unanimous support in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Rosa's Law was a significant milestone in the ongoing battle for dignity, inclusion, and respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Rosa's Law was signed into law by President Obama on October 5, 2010

On October 5, 2010, President Barack Obama signed Rosa's Law, a federal law that changed the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" to "intellectual disability" in health, education, and labor policies. The law was inspired by nine-year-old Rosa Marcellino, who has Down syndrome and was labelled "retarded" at school. Rosa's Law was the culmination of a groundswell of advocacy efforts promoting inclusive, people-first language for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Rosa's Law was introduced as bill S.2781 and passed with unanimous support in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The law was commemorated in a White House ceremony on October 8, with a delegation of Special Olympics athletes, leaders, and self-advocates in attendance.

The law sends a strong message that language is essential and that no form of the 'R-word' should be used to refer to citizens with intellectual disabilities. It is a significant milestone in the ongoing battle for dignity, inclusion, and respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Champions of Rosa's Law ensured that updating the language in federal law would not expand or diminish services, rights, responsibilities, or educational opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The legislation is not expected to incur any costs as the alterations will be implemented gradually during routine revisions to laws and documents over several years.

The law substituted mental retardation with intellectual disability in federal health, education, and labor policy statutes

On October 5, 2010, Rosa's Law was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The law substituted the terms "mental retardation" and mentally retarded with "intellectual disability" and "individual with an intellectual disability" in federal health, education, and labor policy statutes. This change was made to promote dignity, inclusion, and respect for people with intellectual disabilities. The bill was named after nine-year-old Rosa Marcellino, who has Down syndrome and was labelled "retarded" at school. Rosa's Law was the culmination of advocacy efforts to promote inclusive, people-first language for individuals with intellectual disabilities, such as the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign.

Rosa's Law amended several acts, including the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Higher Education Act of 1965, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. In the Rehabilitation Act, for example, Rosa's Law substituted "intellectual disability" for "mental retardation" in section 7(21)(A)(iii) and replaced "mental retardation and other developmental disabilities" with "intellectual disabilities and other developmental disabilities" in section 204(b)(2)(C)(vi). Similarly, in the IDEA, the law substituted "intellectual disabilities" for "mental retardation" in sections 601(c)(12)(C) and 602(3)(A)(i).

The law also amended the Health Research and Health Services Amendments of 1976, the Public Health Service Act, the Health Professions Education Partnerships Act of 1998, Public Law 110–154, the National Sickle Cell Anemia, Cooley's Anemia, Tay-Sachs, and Genetic Diseases Act, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. These amendments consistently replaced "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability" and "individuals with intellectual disabilities."

It is important to note that Rosa's Law did not cover all federal programs and policies. For instance, it did not include Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. However, the law was a significant step towards shaping future legislation and efforts to eradicate the outdated and stigmatizing term "mental retardation" from all federal laws and promote the use of people-first language.

Rosa's Law was inspired by nine-year-old Rosa Marcellino, who has Down syndrome

Rosa Marcellino, a nine-year-old girl with Down syndrome, was the inspiration behind Rosa's Law. Rosa's Law was signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 5, 2010. The law replaced the terms "mental retardation" and ""mentally retarded" with "intellectual disability" in federal health, education, and labor policies in the United States.

Rosa's Law was named after Rosa Marcellino, who, along with her family, advocated for the removal of the derogatory term "mentally retarded" from official use. Rosa has Down syndrome, and her family wanted to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities were treated with respect and dignity. The law was a significant milestone in the ongoing battle for the inclusion and respect of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Rosa's Law was the result of a long journey for the Marcellino family, who fought for change after Rosa's elementary school changed her education plan from "health impaired" to "mentally retarded." The family, from Edgewater, Maryland, attended a White House event celebrating the signing of the bill, which was named after their youngest daughter. Rosa's mother, Nina Marcellino, stated that words can hurt people and that it is essential to call people by respectful terms.

The law was also inspired by the testimony of Rosa's 11-year-old brother, Nick, who said, "What you call people is how you treat them. What you call my sister is how you will treat her. If you believe she's 'retarded,' it invites taunting, stigma...It invites bullying and it also invites the slammed doors of being treated with respect and dignity." Nick's powerful statement highlighted the importance of language in shaping how people perceive and interact with those with intellectual disabilities.

Rosa's Law was a key component of a broader groundswell of advocacy efforts promoting inclusive language for people with intellectual disabilities. One such effort was the "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign, which inspired over 1,000,000 people to pledge to end the use of the derogatory "R-word." The campaign evolved into "Spread the Word: Inclusion," focusing on creating a new reality of inclusion for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The bill garnered unanimous support in passing both the House of Representatives and the Senate

On October 5, 2010, Rosa's Law was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The bill, which was championed by Senators Barbara Mikulski and Mike Enzi, passed with unanimous support from both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Rosa's Law was inspired by nine-year-old Rosa Marcellino, who has Down syndrome. Rosa's Law removes the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from federal health, education, and labor policies, replacing them with people-first language such as "individual with an intellectual disability" and "intellectual disability."

The law is a significant milestone in the ongoing battle for dignity, inclusion, and respect for individuals with intellectual disabilities. It sends a strong message that language matters and that no form of the 'R-word' should be used to refer to any citizen. The legislation is not expected to incur any costs as the changes will be implemented gradually during routine revisions to laws and documents over several years.

Rosa's Law was commemorated in a White House ceremony on October 8, with an 11-member delegation of Special Olympics athletes, leaders, and self-advocates in attendance to celebrate this milestone. The law was the culmination of years of advocacy efforts promoting inclusive, people-first language for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The Special Olympics, as the world's largest movement dedicated to promoting respect and human dignity for those with intellectual disabilities, has long championed the use of people-first language. In 2004, the Special Olympics International Board of Directors adopted a resolution to update the movement's terminology from "mental retardation" to "people with intellectual disabilities." In 2008, they launched the website www.r-word.org to combat the inappropriate use of the R-word in common usage.

The passage of Rosa's Law was a powerful message that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve respect and the opportunity to live and access education, employment, and independent living in the community, just like everyone else.

Rosa's Law was a significant milestone in the battle for dignity, inclusion, and respect for people with intellectual disabilities

On October 5, 2010, Rosa's Law was signed into federal law by United States President Barack Obama. The law substituted the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" with "intellectual disability" and "individual with an intellectual disability" in federal health, education, and labor policy. It was inspired by nine-year-old Rosa Marcellino, who has Down syndrome, and her family's battle for respect and acceptance. Rosa's Law was a significant milestone in the ongoing fight for dignity, inclusion, and respect for people with intellectual disabilities.

The use of the word "retardation" and its derivatives has long been stigmatizing and hurtful to people with intellectual disabilities. By changing the terminology in federal law, the United States sent a strong message that language matters and that no form of the 'R-word' should be used to refer to its citizens. Rosa's Law was a key component of a growing movement advocating for inclusive, people-first language for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The law was also a victory for disability advocates, who had been working for decades to change how people with disabilities are perceived and treated in society.

Rosa's Law amended several federal statutes, including the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Higher Education Act of 1965, and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The law did not expand or diminish services, rights, responsibilities, or educational opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Instead, it ensured that federal law language was consistent with that used by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the White House through the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.

The passage of Rosa's Law was met with support and celebration from advocates and organizations dedicated to promoting respect and human dignity for people with intellectual disabilities, such as Special Olympics and The Arc. They recognized the importance of language in shaping attitudes and perceptions toward individuals with intellectual disabilities. The law's implementation marked a significant step toward creating a more inclusive and respectful society for all.

Rosa's Law demonstrated a commitment to treating individuals with intellectual disabilities with the respect, value, and dignity they deserve. It served as a catalyst for further efforts to eradicate the use of the 'R-word' and create a more inclusive reality for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The law's impact extended beyond changing terminology, as it helped raise awareness about the harmful effects of stigmatizing language and the need to foster a more empathetic and accepting society.

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