Civil rights groups – including the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California – filed a class action lawsuit Monday against federal officials, demanding they create a system for determining the mental competency of those in immigration detention who represent themselves.

When I was in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania more than 20 years ago, our class volunteered to work at the Special Olympics Games in Philadelphia.

New York will finally update the name of the state office charged with ensuring fair treatment and quality-of-life to people with various developmental disabilities, not just by taking the “r” word out of the title, but by adding “people” to it.

The state Senate Health and Senior Services Committee has approved legislation that would remove demeaning and disrespectful terms for individuals with developmental disabilities from state law.

For the second time in a year, New York legislators are considering changing the name of one of the only state agencies in the country with “retardation” still in its title.

For more than 35 years, Clare Woods Academy has been providing education to children with disabilities with a customized curriculum.

If yelling and banging inside Cherri Cary’s house were to prompt a 911 call, officers most likely would prepare to encounter a violent person.

State officials expressed confidence Thursday they will be able to address “extremely serious staffing concerns” and a 60 percent turnover rate among workers who provide direct care to Texans with mental disabilities in the Lubbock State Supported Living Center.

The rumblings started in March. Parents of adults with disabilities heard that state budget cuts could affect the staff in a program they love.

Senators are preparing to eliminate all references in federal law to the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded individual.”