Spread the Word to End the Word

As I was walking through the halls today, I heard the word. The one word that makes every bone in my body shake with anger. The r-word. I have never and will never understand why people use the word retard in a derogatory way. That word is never, EVER okay. Yes, people are entitled to their own opinions, but the use of the r-word is discrimination, and discrimination is never justifiable.

Here is something to put it in perspective:

There is a young girl who has cancer in a classroom. Two kids a couple desks over from her are talking about something that they don't particularly like - something that they think is stupid. One kid says to the other, "That is SO cancerous." Another person in the class says to another kid "You are cancerous." Instead of using the word stupid, they choose to use the word cancerous as a synonym for stupid - right in front of a person who has cancer. If this situation were to ever happen in real life, those kids would get in HUGE trouble - as they should. It is never okay to use a medical term to describe a person or an activity that you don't particularly enjoy.

What's the difference?

Using the word retarded is exactly like using the word cancerous. It is using a medical term (that is barely ever used anymore) to describe something that you don't like. It is saying that people with disabilities are stupid. That statement could not be FARTHER from the truth. In fact, people with disabilities are some of the most intelligent people I know. They are the most loving, open-minded, nonjudgmental and inspiring people in this world. They know things about life that I can only hope to understand one day. All they want is to be treated just like everyone else is treated. They want to have friends and talk about their day and hang out with people on the weekends, just like everyone else. Unfortunately, when the r-word is used, they start to feel like they are outsiders - like they are stupid. According to Fiona Rillotta and Ted Nettelebeck of Adelaide University, when people with disabilities are aware of negative attitudes held by other people, their self-confidence starts to decrease. In other words, when people use the r-word in front of someone who has a disability, that person starts to feel like they are less. Again, that statement could not be farther from the truth. People with disabilities are more. So much more than someone who chooses to use a malicious word to describe how they are feeling.

With that being said, some people may try to argue that it is okay to use the r-word when they aren't in front of a person with a disability. That statement is completely false. The r-word does not just hurt people with disabilities. It hurts people everywhere. It hurts everyone who has family member with a disability. It hurts everyone who has a friend with a disability. It hurts people who devote their lives to being advocates for people with special needs. It hurts teachers who spend months and months trying to get people to understand that people with disabilities are more alike than different. It hurts countless numbers of people who understand that people with disabilities are the opposite of stupid.

It definitely hurts me. And after reading this, I hope that it hurts you, too.

All I ask is this: the next time you hear the word retard used in a discriminatory way, stop them. Explain to them why the r-word is never okay to use. Tell them that they should get to know someone who has a disability, so they can understand why that word should never be used. Tell them how hurtful it is, and why it is so hurtful. And if they continue to use that word? Buy them a dictionary.

My dream is that my future children will grow up in a world where the r-word does not exist. You can be a part of that movement. Spread the word to end the word.