The Social Security Administration issued a request for comments on proposed language changes that would begint using the term “intellectual disability” in place of “mental retardation.”
Two years ago, Congress required the language changes in all federal health, education and labor policy under “Rosa’s Law.” Social Security officials indicated that they will propose these edits in their terminology even though the agency does not have any mandate to do so. THey say:
We propose to replace the term `mental retardation’ with
`intellectual disability’ in our Listing of Impairments (listings)
that we use to evaluate claims involving mental disorders in adults and
children under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (Act) and
in other appropriate sections of our rules. This change would reflect
the widespread adoption of the term “intellectual disability” by
Congress, government agencies, and various public and private
organizations.”
The proposal’s publication this week triggers a 30-day public comment period before any official change can take place. See link to comment page by clicking here.