Rep. Jarrells announces House passage of HB 281 to remove derogatory language from the Ohio Revised Code

State Reps. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) today announced the House passage of House Bill (HB) 281, also known as the “Mental Health and Disability Terminology Act, that replaces derogatory language related to people with disabilities and updates other statutory provisions in an effort to ensure all Ohioans are treated with dignity, kindness and respect. 

“The passage of this bill truly brings me hope. This could not have been done without all of the advocates in the disability, mental health, deaf, and victim services communities. We are very grateful for our House leadership, Chairman Lipps and Speaker Cupp for giving this bill a chance. This is the next step in reducing institutionalized stigmas related to people with mental illnesses and disabilities,” said Rep. Jarrells.

“We believe this is a more broad based approach for using ‘people first’ language which emphasizes the individuality, equality, and dignity of people with disabilities. Rather than defining people primarily by their disability, people-first language conveys respect by emphasizing the fact that people with disabilities are first and foremost just that—people,” explained Rep. Young.

The drafting of HB 281 started earlier this year when a community coalition reached out about changing terms such as “lunatics,” “deaf and dumb” and “mentally retarded” that still exist in the Ohio Revised Code.  

HB 281 now moves to the Senate for further consideration.