WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Legislators want state to strike "retardation" from agency name
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Associated Press - November 28, 2009 3:05 AM ET
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - Members of the Monroe County Legislature in Rochester want the state to drop the word "retardation" from a state agency name.
They want the name of the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities to be changed to the Office of Developmental Disability Assistance.
The request comes after a county legislator was accused of using the slur "retard" against a colleague during a meeting earlier this year. The incident led to an outcry from disabilities advocacy groups.
The local bill is a largely symbolic gesture to show Monroe County's support for a state Assembly bill that has proposed the name change.
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