Massachusetts Removed Offensive Language From State Laws
Governor Maura Healey signed legislation to replace outdated terms in state statutes with respectful, person-first language.
Updated on Sept. 25, 2026 in Special Needs
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Governor Maura Healey has signed a new law that removes offensive terminology, including the r-word and the term handicap, from Massachusetts state statutes. The legislation aims to modernize state legal language by prioritizing person-first phrasing across more than 350 sections of the general laws.
Why it matters
Updating state law ensures that government documents and statutes reflect respectful, inclusive language for individuals with disabilities. This shift marks the culmination of a long-term effort to eliminate derogatory descriptors that have persisted in legal code for decades.
The legislation amends 350 sections of state general law to remove archaic terms like the r-word and hearing-impaired. It also formalizes the rebranding of three major state departments to use more inclusive terminology.
The players
Maura Healey
Maura Healey is the Governor of Massachusetts who signed the bill into law.
Patricia Jehlen
Patricia Jehlen is the state senator who filed the initial legislation to remove offensive language 22 years ago.
The details
The bill replaces antiquated language with person-first terminology and inserts inclusive phrases such as deaf or hard of hearing into state code. This legislative cleanup follows the prior renaming of several state offices, including the Department of Disability Services and MassAbility.
Timeline
Senator Jehlen filed the initial bill to remove offensive words 22 years ago.
The Massachusetts legislature passed the bill earlier this year.
Governor Healey signed the bill into law on September 25, 2026.
Culture Shift
This legislation aligns Massachusetts statutes with the modern shift toward person-first language, mirroring the standards established by the Americans with Disabilities Act. By purging outdated descriptors from legal code, the state is actively rejecting long-standing stigmas associated with legacy terminology.
For residents, this update standardizes the language used in official state forms and public documents to be more respectful. The move simplifies interactions with state agencies by ensuring that terminology reflects modern, inclusive standards.
The takeaway
The use of person-first language in legal documents helps normalize respectful communication when referring to individuals with disabilities. Citizens should expect to see these updated terms reflected in future state communications and administrative forms.
Further reading
For more context on how state policies are evolving to support diverse communities, read the Special Needs section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Somerville Times.
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