Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is sorry for using an outdated term when referring to children with developmental disabilities.
Appearing on the One NYCHA podcast, Schumer used the word “retarded” when discussing the challenge of public pushback to housing initiatives meant to serve vulnerable populations.
“When I first was an assemblyman, they wanted to build a congregate living place for retarded children — the whole neighborhood was against it,” Schumer said, referring to the time he represented parts of Brooklyn in the New York legislature from 1975 – 1980.
“These are harmless kids. They just needed some help,” he said, adding that the initiative was ultimately successful. “We got it done. Took a while.”
The term is considered outdated and offensive and advocates for people with developmental disabilities strongly discourage using it.
A spokesperson for Schumer said the majority leader was wrong for using such an “inappropriate and outdated word.”
“For decades, Senator Schumer has been an ardent champion for enlightened policy and full funding of services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “He is sincerely sorry for his use of the outdated and hurtful language.”
The project Schumer referred to was associated to an organization known as the Association for the Help of Retarded Children (AHRC). This organization has since dropped that name and now simply goes by the initials.
In 2010, President Barack Obama signed a law that forbade the term “mentally retarded” from the majority of federal statutes and replaced it with other words. New York enacted a similar law in 2011.
