The Assembly Health Committee will hold a hearing on the People First Bill (AB 471) at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, in room 417N of the Capitol.

The People First Bill will remove the words “mental retardation” – also known as the “R-word” – from Wisconsin law. The hearing provides a great opportunity for disability advocates to tell legislators why People First language is important to them!

If you support this bill and you would like Wisconsin legislation to use People First language, there are three actions you can take.

Attend the Hearing

First, attend the hearing in Madison on Wednesday. This is your chance to tell members of the Assembly Health Committee why you think People First language is important and why the R-word is hurtful. Feel free to use examples from your own experiences. If you can’t attend the hearing, you can submit your testimony to members of the committee by phone or email. For committee member contact information, go here.

Contact Your Legislators

Second, contact your legislators and ask them to support AB 471. Tell your legislators why People First language is important to you and why the R-word is hurtful. To find out who your legislators are, go here.

Complete a Survey

Finally, complete this survey to tell your story about why this bill is important to you. The results of the survey will be shared with legislators so they know that People First language matters to you. The survey also asks questions about the importance of Wisconsin’s long-term care programs.

DAWN will continue to provide updates as this situation develops. Thank you for being a disability advocate!