Rick Scott Signs Bill Eliminating R-Word from Florida Statutes

Gov. Rick Scott signed the "Intellectual Disabilities" bill Thursday while co-hosting an Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) town hall meeting in Orlando.

The Intellectual Disabilities Bill will remove the phrase mental retardation from state statutes and instead will replace it with intellectual disabilities. Mental retardation was once considered a valid medical term, but over the years it has become a slang term that promotes negative stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities.

It is our responsibility to protect those most vulnerable in our state," said Scott Thursday. "The Intellectual Disabilities bill will protect Floridians across the state from being labeled and ridiculed, offering them a chance to live a more peaceful life. In addition to this new law, I am proud that for the first time in eight years, with a $36 million investment, we will move more than 750 people off the APD waiting list so that they will receive the services they need to find a job.

I am so happy that Governor Scott and legislators took this opportunity to ceremonially sign the R word bill as part of our agencys town hall meeting today," said APD Director Barbara Palmer."This legislation is important to the people we serve, and I am thrilled that our governor and legislators have taken this critical step by changing Floridas law. Also, their involvement in the town hall meeting demonstrates their commitment to individuals with developmental disabilities. We appreciate Governor Scott co-hosting this town hall meeting and making our APD customers concerns a priority.

During the town hall meeting, Scott highlighted the $1.1 billion investment into APD as part of the 2013-2014 Florida Families First budget. Of that funding, $36 million will allow individuals on the waiting list to enroll in the APD Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid waiver and start receiving services in their local communities.