Use Respectful Language: Eliminate the "R-word"
by State Senator Judith Zaffirini, PhD
Wednesday (March 3) is National “Spread the Word to End the Word” Awareness Day, offering us a rich opportunity to focus on using respectful language for persons with intellectual disabilities by eliminating the “R-word.”
Our efforts were bolstered recently when an American Psychiatric Association review panel unveiled proposed revisions to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, an influential guidebook in the mental health field. One recommended change favored by the panel is particularly overdue: eliminating all variations of the word "retarded" and replacing them with respectful language referencing persons with intellectual disabilities.
The "R-word" is extremely hurtful and demeaning to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and its use presents significant barriers to community inclusion. State governments are recognizing this belatedly and are progressing toward the universal use of respectful language: Several states voted recently to remove the R-word from statute. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is considering Rosa's Law, a bill to eliminate the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from federal health, education and labor laws.
7 comments:
___okay, let's just all PRETEND they don't EXIST . . .
Poof!
They are stricken from the record.
Here's another R-word: ridiculous!
Here's another one: retirement.
That's Latin for term limits.
Idiots
Instead of trying to eliminate use of a word, they should target the use of the word in an abusive manner.
Here's a "P-word" for Judi.....pendeja!
Don't give her too much credit. It wasn't her idea.
http://www.r-word.org/
The slogan will be used during the Special Olympics, and there is one huge billboard off 183, "Get rid of the R word," in Austin with a website noted.
Is it as bad as the "N" word?
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