Rosa’s Law and the Butterfly Effect

Persons with disability and disability advocates earned a seemingly small victory in October with President Obama’s passing of Rosa’s Law.  Seemingly, that is, because the victory is only small in nature—a rephrasing of existing legislation, to be precise.  The implications of the victory, however, may prove to be monumental.

On Friday, October 8^th, President Obama signed Rosa’s Law, a bill that strips the terms mental retardation and mentally retarded from several Federal statutes.  The former terms are to be replaced instead with intellectual disability and individual with an intellectual disability, respectively (i).  This evidence of sensitivity awareness at the Federal level further illustrates the growing concern for individuals with disabilities in American society.

Though minor changes in legislative semantics, there is much to be gained through the restructuring of Federal legislation to more aptly reflect the individuals to whom the words refer.  The butterfly effect is a well-known metaphor that can help explain the long-term benefits of this minor change.  The flapping of the wings of a butterfly today, the metaphor teaches, may alter the atmosphere in ways that disrupt the weather patterns of the future.  In the very same way, the changes employed by Rosa’s Law will have an affect on policymakers, the public, and persons with intellectual disabilities.  This affect will likely be positive, as substituting mentally retarded with intellectual disability will help combat the stigmas associated with the latter.

It is important to diminish the stigmas associated with the term mentally retarded because it is simply too broad.  The term leads individuals to infer that a person who is mentally retarded suffers retardation, or deceleration, of all processes involving the mind.  This, however, is over generalized.  Many individuals with intellectual disabilities have fully functional and fascinating mental abilities.  It is individual, specific components of intellect with which individuals with intellectual disability may have challenges.  Understanding the difference is crucial, as applying the definition of the term is instrumental in developing associated beliefs and attitudes.

Sensitivity training is one method of exploring these issues, particularly in the context of a work environment.  Sensitivity training is becoming more broadly applied in diverse workplaces to facilitate disability education, teaching employees about different disabilities, disability etiquette, working with peers with disabilities, and servicing customers with disabilities.

(i)http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/10/obama_signs_rosas_law_mental_r.html