(BOSTON 6/9/2026) — The Massachusetts Legislature last week passed a bill that removes outdated and offensive language in the General Laws to describe persons with disabilities.

The bill, S.2563, removes all variations of outdated terms such as “handicapped,” “disabled,” and the “r-word.”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.”

“Outdated and offensive language describing people with disabilities is found throughout Massachusetts General Law. This simple bill takes concrete steps to modernize our lawbooks to better reflect our commitment to everyone in the Commonwealth,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “I’m proud of the Legislature’s efforts to pass this bill because to live up to the Commonwealth’s promise of equal rights and equal justice under law, we must strip our legal code of language that does not reflect that pledge.”

The bill comes after the Massachusetts Legislature renamed the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) as MassAbility last year, 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 The name change reflects the intention to empower individuals living with disabilities and move away from outdated terminology as the office undergoes broad changes towards a more expansive model for disability employment services and independent living.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 today and sent to the Governor for her signature.

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