Senator Jerry Moran, chairman of the Congressional Down Syndrome Task Force, along with Senator Gary Peters and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, has reintroduced legislation to update the District of Columbia (D.C.) Code by removing outdated language referring to individuals with disabilities.

In 2010, Congress passed Rosa’s Law, which removed the term “mental retardation” from federal law. However, Title 11 of the D.C. Code still contains variations of this language, which can only be changed by Congress. The proposed Words Matter for the District of Columbia Courts Act would replace these terms with “persons of moderate intellectual disabilities” to ensure greater respect and dignity for individuals with disabilities.

“Individuals with disabilities deserve to be respected and valued,” said Sen. Moran. “Language that is degrading to individuals with disabilities should be eliminated from our laws and courts. This legislation makes certain the D.C. courts are using language that is both accurate, appropriate and maintains the dignity of all people.”

This legislation is also supported by the National Down Syndrome Society, National Down Syndrome Caucus, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, Association of University Centers on Disabilities, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities and Special Olympics.