On October 5, 2010 a bill called Rosa’s Law (S. 2781) was signed by President Obama and became Public Law No. 111-256.  Rosa’s Law amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and several other federal laws to strike variations of the term “mentally retarded” and replace them with variations of the term “intellectual disability.” The bill was first introduced in Congress in November 2009 and stemmed from the experiences of Rosa Marcellino and her family after Rosa, who has Down syndrome, was labeled mentally retarded by officials at her elementary school. After the bill was introduced, a report by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions admonished the use of the term “mentally retarded” and similar terms as insensitive and stigmatizing when used to describe individuals with cognitive disabilities. The Committee report concluded that variations of the term “intellectual disability” were more appropriate; the bill was subsequently passed by the U.S Senate and House of Representatives and signed by the President. Rosa’s Law is not intended to change the coverage, eligibility, rights, responsibilities or definitions in the amended laws and does not require states to change terminology in state laws to reflect the changes in the federal laws. 

About Patsy Crawford

Patsy Crawford, Director of Legal Services, PCG Education, has over 30 years of legal experience and is responsible for providing legal and regulatory compliance support to the PCG Education management team. Since joining the firm in 1997, Patsy has worked closely with school district administrators and PCG Education managers and consultants to coordinate with state and federal Medicaid agencies to protect and improve billing programs for school districts. She has provided direct legal support to PCG Education projects in multiple states across the country.

Read More