Stop the R-word

I truly feel strongly about this. There was a time I used to use this word myself. I will say that I was not ever one to use it to make fun of a mentally disabled person. I just used the word the word carelessly and mindlessly, usually to try to be funny. How ridiculous and immature of me.

Several years ago, a dear friend actually brought it to my attention. You see, she has a daughter with disabilities. We love this family and their beautiful daughter, especially. She was trying to teach her son, I believe, or maybe some nephews why this was not a good word to use. I remember realizing my own insensitivity in using that word and decided then to stop.

Now we have a child with Down syndrome who has disabilities. The stakes are even higher, because now it has hit home. When I hear the word, I cringe on the inside. It hurts. I know that many use the word and truly think nothing of those with disabilities when they use it. Maybe to some I am overreacting, but too many people have gone on before to try to fight for those who are disabled. Too many disabled self-advocates have fought for themselves. What right do we have to brush aside their dignity with callous attitudes and words?

We were so proud of our oldest son recently. He went on an overnight Boy Scout trip. When we picked him up, he was telling us all about it. He had a great time but said that one thing had really bothered him; someone had used a bad word. I asked him what he meant and he said that one of his friends had said the "R-word." He told us that he asked his friend to please not use that word, and his friend immediately apologized. I was proud that he stood up and said something. I am thankful that he chooses not to use that word himself.

One particular issue stands out in my mind today that George W. Bush accomplished while he was in office. When he was in the White House, on July 25, 2003, he signed Executive Order 13309 that renamed the President's Committee on Mental R*tardation to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Since then I have read several viewpoints discussing this, some agreeing, some disagreeing. When I first read about it, it made me proud and thankful that someone in a high position would take the time to be sensitive to this issue.

Naturally, I am saddened by what the current President recently said on "The Tonight Show." He basically made a snide remark about the Special Olympics. Oddly enough, my husband was actually watching it the night he said it. He came upstairs and said, "You are not going to believe what the President just said. I replayed it again because I thought surely he did not just say that." Immediately following the taping of the show, it was reported that he contacted Tim Shriver, the head of the Special Olympics, to apologize. That was nice of him, I suppose, but as I recently read on a Ds blog, did he offend Tim? Really, he was offending all of those who have participated in Special Olympics who have disabilities themselves. In that one small under-his-breath statement, he may very well have done more damage than he could imagine. Proverbs 12:18 states that "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."


Okay, so it may seem that I have totally left the topic of this post. I have not! I am definitely not writing to discuss politics, please forgive me if I have offended. I just want to make the point that what may seem like a small word or gesture can have a huge impact, either positive or negative. Our words are a gift. We should use them wisely. I realize that I could create and climb on "soap boxes" for so many areas in my life. However, this to me is more than that. I see my son's face and the faces of so many other precious individuals that God created so beautifully. Why demean them with slang verbiage? It is both unnecessary and hurtful.


So, please pass this message along if you feel so led to stop the r-word. Let's do it for Jonathan and all the others who need our support.

Psalm 37:30 "The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just."