Stop the Spread of the "R" Word

For a mother of a nine year old boy who has cerebral palsy worries every time she hears the word retarded. She worries about others treating him with respect. People don’t seem to be able to break away from their stigmatic ways and therefore treat the mentally impaired with predigest. The word retarded is often used to categorize those with mental disabilities. "I'm not saying that anyone who uses the word flippantly has something against people with special needs," said Ellen Seidman, the mother of the nine year old boy. "But it is a demeaning word even if it's meant as a joke, because it spreads the idea that people who are cognitively impaired are either stupid or losers." Seidman and many others are trying to stop the use of the “R” word as degrading, more than that 25,000 have pledged to take part in the Special Olympics campaign to stop the spread of the “R” word.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/07/living/end-r-word/index.html