Senator Pat Jehlen, with advocates from the Arc of Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Legislature passed a bill that removes outdated and offensive language in the General Laws to describe persons with disabilities last week.

The bill, S.2563, removes all variations of outdated terms such as “handicapped,” “disabled,” and the “r-word.” The bill replaces these terms with current terminology, such as “person with a disability.” “Language is constantly changing.

And it’s changing because of the activism of people who were ignored and demeaned for too long,” said Senator Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville), the Senate’s primary sponsor of the legislation.

“When people tell us they feel insulted and offended by the use of outdated words, we worked to change the legal language. It took a long time because we kept finding more examples of offensive language. Language and activism will continue to evolve, and there’ll always be more work to do, but this is a gigantic step forward in respect. Thanks to the many, many people who made this possible.”

Last year, the Massachusetts Legislature renamed the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) as MassAbility, a change that defines the agency’s role in supporting residents with disabilities to live independently. The name change reflects the intention to empower individuals living with disabilities and move away from outdated terminology as the office undergoes broad changes towards a more expansive model for disability employment services and independent living.

The Massachusetts Legislature approved the bill last week, and it was signed by the Governor.