The passage of House Bill 281, The Mental Health and Disability Terminology Act, means we are one step closer to defeating the stigma surrounding people with mental illness and developmental disabilities.
We applaud the efforts of Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, and Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Township. MHAOhio was proud to be part of the coalition of organizations that helped them draft the bill and provide testimony as it went through committee.
The bill’s “people-first” language helps ensure the respect and dignity of people with disabilities by referring to them not by disability, but as people. Derogatory language, such as “lunatics,” “deaf and dumb,” and “mentally retarded,” has been removed from the Ohio Revised Code. (We chose to mention the removed phrases here in the interest of further educating our readers about stigmatizing language.)
Mental Health America of Ohio will continue to support policies and initiatives that align with our mission: transforming how people think about mental illness, making it easier to get help, and giving people the support they need to get better and stay better.
