Bad alternative
"Retard" is a pretty repulsive word, with enough nasty connotations that I'd be happy to see it go the way of "mongol" or "nigger". That said, "intellectual disability" isn't a great improvement. There surely has to be a better replacement for "retard".

I'm with you on "deaf".
(ubergeekian, Wed 7 Mar 2012, 17:54, 1 reply)

Calling someone a retard is not acceptable.
However, saying that someone is retarded doesn't strike me as being offensive- it's a technical term, like being a dwarf. (And I'm told that most of those dislike the term "little people" and prefer dwarf.) Banning any uses of the word is an overreaction, in my view.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Wed 7 Mar 2012, 19:10, closed)

The term of art ...
... currently is "developmentally disabled." Way back when it was "feeble minded."
(uncle_bud is not the jelly roll king., Wed 7 Mar 2012, 20:41, closed)

Cross over
Unfortunately I think there is too much crosstalk: you can't describe someone as retarded (which I agree is a potentially useful term) without someone hearing only the first two syllables. Solution? Dunno.
(ubergeekian, Wed 7 Mar 2012, 22:26, closed)