Words Do Matter
Having worked in the system for a number of years I have seen ebbs and flows in our language and the way in which we approach things. There is one word that stops me in my tracks no matter where I am. It is a word of segregation. A word of pain. The “R” word is a word that is used to taunt, hurt, and minimize a person.
People throw it around flippantly as if it were nothing. But for people with an intellectual disability the word has been used not just as a label of a disorder but as a way to make a person feel less than whole. Self advocates have told us over the years that this word hurts.
So medically the term was changed to intellectual disability. But how often are you in a public place and you hear someone toss this word out as a casual piece of conversation? Do you say anything? Or do you turn away? We need to have language of inclusion. We are all people. We all have dreams, wants, and needs. We need to recognize people as people first, not as labels. March 6th marks National End the R-word Day. How will you choose to make this year different?
For more information and resources, visit Spread the Word: Inclusion at https://www.spreadtheword.global/resources
