Two state lawmakers are going after the term “mental retardation” and a local group says it’s a step in the right direction.
Julie Tetzlaff is the director of adult services at the CP Center in Allouez. The organization teaches life skills to people with disabilities. Tetzlaff says over her 25 years at the center she’s seen a shift in language. She says it’s just getting rid of the “R-word,” but also using people-first language. Tetzlaff says that means referring to someone….as a person with a disability instead of disabled. She says it does have an impact.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Representative John Jagler of Watertown want to replace the “R-word” with “intellectual disability” in state administrative code.
