Semester 1—Spread the Word to End the Word

I pledged to end the use of the r-word (“retarded”) as part of the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign. The Special Olympics helps with the ongoing intent to promote the inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities. By refusing to use the r-word we are advocating for individuals who have intellectual disabilities by helping ensure they are being treated appropriately.

Using the r-word excludes people from social groups and does not emphasize their strengths. It alienates certain people and I am helping to put a stop to this. This is important to me because I think individuals who have disabilities need to be encouraged through positive reinforcement, rather than torn down through the use of the r-word. It is important to me to not reinforce stereotypes of people who have intellectual disabilities. It is not acceptable to degrade or insult those who have intellectual disabilities, and it shouldn’t be tolerated.

References

(EndtheRword, 2011)