Sir, - I was surprised to see a paragraph in your World News section (September 30th) headed: "31 killed in home for retarded". Although I realise the term "retarded" is still used in parts of the United States, I had thought that it was very outdated here in Ireland. In some literature, "retarded" is one of a list of terms regarded as abusive and offensive when applied to people with disabilities.
Politically correct language can be cumbersome and in some cases can go to extremes. However, the language we use to describe people is very important and the words we choose give an idea of our attitude to disability and people with disabilities. - Yours, etc.,
St. John's Road, Dublin 4.