The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently ruled that the state had failed to justify its policy of using an IQ score of 70 as a cutoff for eligibility for service to persons with intellectual disability. The court ordered the state to re-evaluate its denial of services to 45-year-old Paula Tartarini, who had IQ scores of 71 at age 18, 49 at age 40, and 71 at age 42. The state’s Department of Developmental Services (“DDS,” formerly known as the Department of Mental Retardation), had found Ms. Tartarini to be a person with “borderline intelligence” rather than “intellectual disability” and had therefore denied her application for DDS services.
Click here to read more on Rebecca J. Benson‘s article.
