National Association for the Deaf (NAD) Pushes New York State to Change Language
In late August, New York became the third American state to eliminate the term "hearing impaired" from state law when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that was advanced by the National Association for the Deaf (NAD).
The bill
, signed on August 24th, changes all references in state law from "hearing impaired" to "Deaf or Hard of Hearing."
Howard Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association for the Deaf, said the legislation is important because the Deaf or Hard of Hearing community, which "has never felt 'impaired' has always sought to ensure that society understands our identity."
New York follows Utah and New Hampshire, which have previously passed similar laws striking the term from their books.
The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Terrence Murphy, R-Yorktown, Westchester County, and Assemblyman Steve Englebright, D-Suffolk County. The Assembly passed the bill in March, with the Senate following the next month.
“Advocates and members of our community who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing find the labeling of 'hearing impaired' to be offensive," Senator Murphy said in a statement. "Our neighbors who suffer from Deafness or hearing issues are not broken or impaired but just the opposite.
"By using the correct terminology New York State will now acknowledge and remove any stigma associated with the Deaf,” Murphy added.
Some information taken from the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
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