In March 2009, the Special Olympics began their valiant effort to eliminate the word retard from everyday speech. Advocates for individuals with intellectual disabilities want everyone to know that the word hurts and causes people to feel “less than human.”
The Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign gives people the opportunity to pledge to eliminate the word retard from your vocabulary and encourage others to do the same. Replace it with respect. R-Word.org writes, “when retard and retarded are used as synonyms for dumb or stupid by people without disabilities, it reinforces painful stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities being less valued members of humanity.”
Today is the campaign’s annual day of awareness. Help create a more accepting world for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Join us and Click Here to take the pledge.
Have you taken the pledge?