The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) hosted a panel discussion on October 5, 2011 focusing on the power of everyday language to create opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The event highlighted one Maryland family’s battle for respect and acceptance for their daughter and sister, Rosa, which became a significant milestone in the ongoing quest for dignity, inclusion and respect for all people with intellectual disabilities.

The event commemorated the one-year anniversary of the signing of bill S.2781 by President Barack Obama. Known as “Rosa’s Law,” the bill removes the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from federal health, education and labor policy and replaces them with people first language such as “individual with an intellectual disability” and “intellectual disability.”

Pictured: Rosa Marcellino, who inspired “Rosa’s Law,” attended the event with her parents, Paul and Nina Marcellino. Her mother, Nina Marcellino (pictured above), also took part in the panel discussion.