By Bob Katzen
The House and Senate, on a voice vote without a roll call in June, approved legislation that would remove the term “hearing impaired” from the Massachusetts General Laws and replace it with “deaf or hard of hearing.” Additional approval is needed in each branch prior to the bill being sent to Gov. Healey.
“Language matters, especially in our laws,” said sponsor Sen. Cindy Creem (D-Newton) when the measure was approved by the Senate in June. “This bill takes a simple but important step toward ensuring that the words we use reflect respect, accuracy and the preferences of the communities they describe. I was proud to sponsor this legislation to help modernize our statutes and affirm the dignity of deaf and hard of hearing individuals across Massachusetts.”
Supporters said that by removing the outdated term “hearing impaired” and replacing it with more accurate, respectful language that reflects how the deaf and hard of hearing community identifies today, the bill ensures that state statutes align with modern standards of inclusion and dignity.