BILL ANALYSIS Ó
ACR 60
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Date of Hearing: May 13, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Patrick O'Donnell, Chair
ACR 60
(Santiago) - As Introduced April 28, 2015
SUBJECT: Education: students with disabilities.
SUMMARY: Resolves that the Legislature affirms that state
policies and procedures should utilize People First Language to
the greatest extent possible when referring to students with
disabilities. Specifically, this resolution:
1)Makes findings and declarations relative to the importance of
using "People First Language," which places the person ahead
of his or her disability
2)Makes findings and declarations regarding the impact that
language has on beliefs and attitudes about students with
disabilities
3)Resolves that the Legislature affirms that state policies and
procedures should utilize People First Language to the
greatest extent possible, especially those utilized by state
and local educational agencies
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EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes, through federal and state law, a system of
special education, implemented through the California Master
Plan for Special Education.
2)Requires, through federal and state law, that all students who
are eligible for special education must be provided with a
free appropriate public education in the least restrictive
environment.
FISCAL EFFECT: This bill has been keyed non-fiscal by the
Office of Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS:
Need for the resolution. The author's office states, "The
language used to refer to students with disabilities has a
profound impact in shaping beliefs and attitudes about these
students, driving policies and laws, influencing our feelings
and decisions, and affecting students' daily lives. Old,
inaccurate, and inappropriate descriptors about students with
disabilities perpetuate negative stereotypes and attitudinal
barriers. When we identify or describe students with
disabilities primarily in terms of their disability or medical
diagnosis, we devalue and stigmatize them. Using thoughtful
terminology can foster positive attitudes about students with
disabilities.
One of the major improvements in communicating verbally or in
writing with or about students with disabilities is People First
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Language, which places the person ahead of his or her
disability. People First Language is an objective form of
communication that eliminates generalizations and stereotypes by
focusing on the person rather than the disability."
People First Language. People First Language refers to a means
of identifying people first as a person and then by their
condition. An example: "a person with disability" vs. "a
disabled person." According to the author, this language reduces
generalizations and stereotypes by focusing on the person rather
than the disability.
A number of public agencies use and promote People First
Language. The California Mental Health Services Authority's
Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Initiative endorses People
First language as a means of reducing institutional stigma for
people with mental health challenges. The federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) promotes the use of People
First Language, and it is endorsed in various ways by California
school districts and other states. In the 1980's a similar
movement occurred related to HIV and AIDS, in which advocates
worked to change terms such as "AIDS victims" and "AIDS
patients" to "people with AIDS."
Prior legislation. Several bills in recent years have updated
language used in the areas of mental health and developmental
disabilities. These bills have used People First constructions
to describe people in the revised statutes. For example, AB
1847 (Chesbro, Chapter 144, Statutes of 2014) replaced
references to "mentally disordered persons" and other such
terms throughout 14 California codes with references to "persons
with a mental health disorder." Similarly, AB 2370 (Mansoor,
Chapter 448, Statutes of 2012) and SB 1381 (Pavley, Chapter 457,
Statutes of 2012) removed references to "mentally retarded
persons" and replaced them with "persons with an intellectual
disability."
ACR 60
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Technical amendments. Staff recommends the following
amendments, consistent with the author's intent:
Page 1, line 3, delete "About 686,000" and insert "More
than 700,000"
Page 1, lines 4: delete "about" and insert "more than"
Page 16, after "Whereas" insert "For example,"
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
SELPA Administrators of California (sponsor)
Association of Regional Center Agencies
UDW/AFSCME Local 3930
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Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087