Throughout Ohio we are hearing good news about a step in the correct direction.
Jessica Brown from cincinnati.com wrote a piece about Governor Ted Strickland's signature on Senate Bill 79.
"The word, he says, has become an insult. It's not something that should be used to describe him or anyone else with a developmental disability. Yet the government agency that provides support for Shuemak, who was born with developmental disabilities that affect his sight and movement, uses the word in its title - the Hamilton County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
That's about to change.
Legislation signed Tuesday by Governor Ted Strickland's drops the term "Mental Retardation" from the names of the state and county boards of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities."
Rita Price from The Columbus Dispatch writes about the requirement of agencies to change their name by October 17, 2009.
"The programs that serve 14,000 individuals and families are "MRDD" no more: Now they are
delivered by the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
"We're the exact same agency," Superintendent Jed Morison said yesterday. "Only the name has
changed."
The name of the state department will change to the Ohio Department of Developmental
Disabilities. An abbreviation could be more complicated.
"They're concerned about being ODDD," said Bob Morgan, head of the Delaware County Developmental
Disabilities board.
Sherry Steinman, spokeswoman for the state agency, disagreed that it's a concern. "We haven't
decided on the acronym yet," she said, partly because technology staff must research a new domain
name.
The Delaware board was the first in Ohio to drop
mental retardation, changing its name in 1990 largely because officials wanted a
shorter one.
The bill Strickland signed stemmed from a passionate, grass-roots campaign to banish a term that many view as offensive and hurtful. Most other states already have switched.
The Ohio Association of County Boards of MRDD, which also will change its name, said the state doesn't have to be stuck with an unwanted tag.
It could choose a suitable abbreviation, such as DODD -- for Department Of Developmental Disabilities, said Linda Oda, spokeswoman for the association.
"If they don't call themselves ODDD, nobody else will."
As most of you know The Arc is undergoing a new marketing plan. We are no longer using The ARC of Hamilton County, for the very same reasons that Governor Ted Strickland signed the SB79. LPK has generously donated their services and with our new branding and logo we will no longer capitalize A-R-C (formerly known as Association for Retarded Citizens and previously Associate for Retarded Children) in stead The Arc will symbolizes the connection that we offer the community to different resources. Stay tuned for more detailed information on our re-branding.
And if you can hear us cheer in the office for this small step in the very right direction - don't be shy to cheer along!
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