New York State
Occupational Therapy Association

By Cara Matthews  Albany Watch  June 18, 2010

The state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities will become the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities if Gov. David Paterson signs legislation that passed the Senate today and was previously approved in the Assembly. The name change would make it clear the agency serves people with all kinds of developmental disabilities and conditions, not just individuals with mental retardation.

The name was chosen with input from people with developmental disabilities, parents, providers and others, according to Senate Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee Chairman Thomas Morahan, R-New City, Rockland County. There has been a growing consensus that “people with developmental disabilities” is preferable to the “mentally retarded,” Morahan said in a statement. The emphasis is on using “person-centered” language when referring to people with disabilities, he said.

“This legislation will help to avoid the negative overtones associated with ‘mental retardation’ and to reinforce the use of person-centered language whenever possible,” he said.  “It is important that state and local laws, regulations, as well as future publications, be revised so that the use of the term ‘mental retardation and mentally retarded’ are removed except for clinical purposes as defined in the mental hygiene law.”

The legislation would take effect immediately. The agency would not change any stationery, signs or other materials with the old name until existing stocks are used up, and until resources permit, Morahan said.

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Name Change at Agency to Remove ‘Retardation’

By Jane Gottlieb   New York Times   June 7, 2010

ALBANY — For the second time in a year, New York legislators are considering changing the name of one of the only state agencies in the country with “retardation” still in its title.

The term, once viewed as clinical and neutral, is now considered so demeaning that leading advocacy groups in the state have promoted a campaign against it and have dropped the word from their own titles.

And yet, the letterhead of New York’s chief caretaking agency still reads “Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.” Of the dozens of states that once used “retardation” in an agency or department title, only New York and Rhode Island still do.

...The office remains an unusual bit of state bureaucracy that works in partnership with its stakeholders. The system they oversee is the largest, best-financed and among the most innovative in the country.

Slowly, its goal has shifted from protecting people to recognizing their contributions in the workplace and other arenas. Many people see “retarded” as conflicting with the drive to emphasize strengths.

“It really is upsetting to me because it’s not just a word anymore; it’s identifying who I am,” said David Liscomb, 63, a consultant and president of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State, who has developmental disabilities. “I want to be identified as a person, and I don’t want the label on buildings and I don’t want the state calling me that.”

States that once used “retardation” in agency names were dropping it by the 1990s, and efforts accelerated in recent years. (Like New York, Rhode Island has introduced legislation to do so.)

Still, it caught advocates off guard last year when the New York Senate, at the request of Mr. Paterson, moved to rename the office.

The agency has worked since then to assuage fears that a new name would hinder services. “Our name may be changing, but who we are and what we do stays the same,” it said in a written statement.

In March of this year, the state agency’s commissioner, Diana Jones Ritter, convened a group of advocates in Albany, who agreed to yet another name: the Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities.

The new legislation, which was approved by mental health committees in both houses last week, goes further than last year’s, striking “retarded” from state buildings and legal language.

It will now be considered by the finance committees. While some analysts say the change could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, the office maintains there will be no expense because the new name can be phased in.

Some advocates say their hesitation to change the name is giving way. “Many years ago people weren’t speaking for themselves and now they are,” Mrs. Messier said. “We’ve worked very hard to give them that right, and they are saying they don’t like the denigrating language. To oppose this would be like clipping their wings.”

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June 18, 2010

Dear Friends:

Wow, we did it!

When we met back in March, we knew that we were making history.  Now it is official!  The Assembly and Senate have both passed the name change bill.

When Governor Paterson signs it, OMRDD will become the New York State Office For People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)! This historic legislation also removes the words “Mental Retardation” from State statute and regulations.

This is the culmination of our partnership and all the work you have done to advocate for the respect and dignity of people with developmental disabilities. Thank you for the memos of support, phone calls, emails, letters to the editor and conversations that you had with legislators.

All of this made the difference!

I am looking forward to making a more formal announcement of our new name in the very near future! Stay tuned and thank you so much for your partnership!

Sincerely,

Diana Jones Ritter
Commissioner