The "R" Word

In the midst of political correctness, the spotlight has been focused on the N word and its denigration of African-Americans. For people with disabilities, the R word is just as denigrating. The R word, “retard”, is used to express utter contempt. What began as a benign medical diagnosis has come to be a disparaging and offensive word used to describe someone who is “stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way” (according to www.dictionary.com).

Soeren Palumbo, a Palatine high school student, made local news with his speech about the R word. His speech has gained accolades among disability advocates and has been widespread on the Internet. There’s not enough room to reprint his speech here so I urge you to find it online and read it. It’s powerful stuff. Google “Soeren Palumbo” or try this link: http://www.ncpad.org/yourwrites/fact_sheet.php?sheet=514

Soeren eloquently speaks for his younger sister – one of the many people with disabilities hurt by the R word. These are people who often literally cannot speak for themselves, who have been discriminated against, uneducated, isolated, ignored, devalued and dismissed. Historically, people with disabilities have been deemed less than human. They have been kept hidden in their family homes or sent off to an institution where they could be warehoused away from the rest of society. In some cultures, they have been taken to the hills and left to die. Today, people with disabilities still struggle to find their place in their communities.

The irony is that every person knows someone with a disability. Disability is a natural part of life affecting approximately 5% of Americans. Statistically, we all know and love someone with a disability. Disability crosses all boundaries: ethnicity, economics, race, gender, and age. Yet we do not protect our loved ones from hatred and victimization. Because we don’t even think about it, we may inadvertently add to the problem.

Each time you use the R word, you dig deeper the chasm of segregation, dehumanization, and discrimination of people with disabilities. Having a cognitive disability is not a bad thing. And it’s not at all the same as being ignorant. Ignorance leads to discrimination and hatred. Ignorance is when people make assumptions about others based on their looks, their ethnicity, their gender, or their labels. Ignorance is devaluing a whole group of people by using an offensive word without thought to the consequences. Using the R word is ignorant.