Kid1 and her BFF, Taylor at the Iowa Special Olympics Bowling Tournament
As many of you already know (and I’ve written about before ) that I have a special needs daughter. She has a Brain Injury with some mild developmental delay . I guess some people would be inclined to call her retarded (actually a member of our family did ONCE) but she is most certainly not!
Kid1 is a wildly creative teenager with wishes, hopes and dreams like any other teenager. She has a different way of looking at the world, observing the things around her and how she processes information. Will she always need our help in some way ? Maybe , only time will tell for that. She has feelings and emotions just like the rest of us. Words hurt her just like they do you and I.
Because of Kid1 , I’ve had the pleasure honor to meet other kids just like her , some with more mild disabilities and some worse. They are amazing children and their outlook on life is just inspring.
I know that people don’t intend to hurt others when they use the “R” word but it hurts nonetheless. For too long, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities like my daughter have had to overcome the challenges society has put forth through stereotypes. It is time for a change and you can help !
So how can you help ?
Help me Spread the Word to End the Word™. I invite you to be a fan of respect and join me in an on-going campaign to stop the use of the word ‘retard(ed)’ or , the “R-word.” Over 225,000 people have pledged their support since the campaign launched in 2009, and I hope you can join us by making your pledge to end the use of the R-word.
Visit www.r-word.org and take the pledge and pass this email along to all your friends so together we can create communities of acceptance and inclusion for people with intellectual/ developmental disabilities.
My daughter and I thank you!
This campaign is a great idea. My sister-in-law, Bethany, has Downs Syndrome and since I met Bethany and my husband, I have become even more sensitive to the “r” word. I heard someone one time saying, oh, that’s so “DS.” I asked someone later what that meant and apparently it means Downs Syndrome, as in something that is dumb is DS. Why does this still go on? It is so disgusting and disrespectful. Glad you posted on this!