Okla. Stat. tit. 25, § 25-40
This is the official text of Okla. Stat. tit. 25, § 25-40, part of Oklahoma’s Stat. tit. 25, — part of the compiled statutory law of Oklahoma, published by the state as "Stat. tit. 25,." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
References to persons with disabilities
Official statutory text
A. All new and revised statutes, administrative rules, local
laws, ordinances, charters, or regulations promulgated or any
publication published by the state or any political subdivision that
refers to persons with disabilities shall:
1. Avoid language that:
a. implies that a person as a whole is disabled, such as
the "mentally ill" or the "learning disabled", or
b. equates persons with their condition, such as
"epileptics", "autistics", or "quadriplegics"; and
2. Replace nonrespectful language by:
a. referring to persons with disabilities as persons
first; for example, persons with disabilities, persons
with developmental disabilities, persons with mental
illness, persons with autism, or persons with
intellectual disabilities, and
b. referring to terms such as "mental retardation" or
"mentally retarded" with terms such as "intellectual
disabilities" or "intellectually disabled".
B. Violation of this section shall not be grounds to invalidate
any new or revised statutes, administrative rules, local laws,
ordinances, charters, or regulations promulgated or any publication
published by the state or any political subdivision; provided,
however, such documents shall be changed to reflect the provisions
of this section in subsequent revisions.
C. Nothing in this section shall constitute a requirement to
change the name of any agency or program. Existing printed material
may be utilized until such time as supplies are required to be
replenished.
laws, ordinances, charters, or regulations promulgated or any
publication published by the state or any political subdivision that
refers to persons with disabilities shall:
1. Avoid language that:
a. implies that a person as a whole is disabled, such as
the "mentally ill" or the "learning disabled", or
b. equates persons with their condition, such as
"epileptics", "autistics", or "quadriplegics"; and
2. Replace nonrespectful language by:
a. referring to persons with disabilities as persons
first; for example, persons with disabilities, persons
with developmental disabilities, persons with mental
illness, persons with autism, or persons with
intellectual disabilities, and
b. referring to terms such as "mental retardation" or
"mentally retarded" with terms such as "intellectual
disabilities" or "intellectually disabled".
B. Violation of this section shall not be grounds to invalidate
any new or revised statutes, administrative rules, local laws,
ordinances, charters, or regulations promulgated or any publication
published by the state or any political subdivision; provided,
however, such documents shall be changed to reflect the provisions
of this section in subsequent revisions.
C. Nothing in this section shall constitute a requirement to
change the name of any agency or program. Existing printed material
may be utilized until such time as supplies are required to be
replenished.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Oklahoma?
Find a Oklahoma lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.