| Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Origins | Special Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit |
| Mission | Eliminate the use of the word "retard" from everyday speech. |
| Website | www.r-word.org |
Spread the Word to End the Word is a United States national campaign to encourage people to pledge to stop using the word retard.
End the "R" word advocates believe the use of the word “retard(ed)” in colloquial and everyday speech is hurtful and dehumanizing to individuals with mental retardation. They advocate for the use of language that respects the dignity of people with mental retardation. Advocates believe individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities are capable of enjoying life’s experiences and that causal references to the words retard or retarded makes a person with mental retardation feel less than human.
By calling it the r-word, they draw an analogy to socially unacceptable racial terms, especially nigger.
The Spread the Word to End the Word movement was established in 2009 during the Special Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The Spread the Word to End the Word movement was created by youth with and without intellectual disabilities. According to the Special Olympics:
“The motivation for the campaign was driven by a united passion to promote the positive contributions people with intellectual disabilities make to communities around the world combined with a simple call to action that also symbolizes positive attitude change and a commitment to make the world a more accepting place for all people.”[1]
On March 31, 2009 the campaign celebrated the 1st Annual Spread the Word to End the Word National Awareness Day. Across the country, students of all ages made a pledge to eliminate "retard" from their vocabulary and encourage others to do the same. In 2010, the 2nd Annual Spread the Word to End the Word National Day of Awareness took place on March 3, 2010.