This bill, weighing in at 392 sections and 66 printed pages, is intended to modernize a language and terminology related to disabilities. It aims to revise numerous existing statutes in the Massachusetts General Laws to use more modern, respectful, and person-first language when referring to disabilities, replacing terms like “handicapped,” “mentally retarded,” etc., with phrasing such as “person with a disability,” “intellectual or developmental disability,” etc. In particular:
It amends language across many chapters and sections of the General Laws, including chapters 6, 6A, 6C, 7, 8, 10, 15, 18, 19B, 19C, 21H, 22C, 23B, 23E, 29, 30, 31, 32, 32A, 33, 34, 38, 40, 40A, 40R, 41, 54, 59, 60, 64G, 64H, 69, 71A, 71B, 74, 75, 76, 78, 90, 92, 93, 93B, 94, 111, 111G, 112, 118A, 118E, 121A, 121B, 121C, 121D, 121E, and more.
The edits are purely terminological:
• It strikes outdated or stigmatizing terms (e.g. “handicapped,” “mentally retarded,” “disabled person,” “handicap,” “the disabled,” “retarded,” “developmentally disabled”)
• It inserts person-first or more precise language (e.g. “person with a disability,” “persons with disabilities,” “intellectual or developmental disability,” “has a disability,” “veteran with a disability,” etc.)
• It also defines a new term in Chapter 121B for “Persons with disabilities of low income” and inserts that definition into housing law context.
The bill does not appear to change the substantive rights, responsibilities, or benefits described in those laws — it is about updating how the laws refer to people with disabilities, aligning legal language with more respectful and current usage.