R Word

It is person first. --- person with a disability. Jon, who has down syndrome. A young woman with a mental disability. Joe, who is disabled. I saw this person with a developmental disability today working at the store.

That would depend on who you ask. Person first implies a stigma. If you believe your disability is an important aspect with how the world reacts to you and how you navigate the world, then person first isn't appropriate. We don't say person with white skin or person with Judaism. Only with the disabled do we separate the person, thus implying that the disability is secondary to the person. One can still be disabled and a person. I am an autistic person, not a person with autism.

Retard means slowed. calling somebody mentally retarded would be saying that they are mentally slowed. Most people with mental disabilities do in fact have brains that work slower than most people's. So, in essence you'd be saying something about them that is true. If someone gets offended when somebody calls them something that they actually ARE. Its just shows that the person in question isn't comfortable with themselves. I don't call disabled people retards but its all about self-esteem.

It's all in the tone. I've always been uncomfortable with this video but unable to describe why. To me this video perpetuates the attitude given in the tone when using the word retard. In reality that tone can be used for any word and it frequently is for example "the beautiful people" or "the rich people".

I like this video and i really appreciate that you have the "sense" of realizing that how people could be felt disrespected or in some cases hurt , just by the selection of words we make.

One should think being in their shoes. If we were in the shoes of those "Special" people and were being called R , how would have we felt...

I think.....They should be called "Mentally Disordered / Disabled People" or simply "Disabled"

I don't even like the "Disordered / Disabled"..... they are more abled in so many other ways than any of us are... A lot of times, people don't think before they speak... some, however, DO think before they speak... but they think the word RETARD is funny.... disabled, retarded, socially challenged.... I don't really like any of them.....

Special Needs... that's how we describe our daughter.

Along with freedom comes responsibility. A responsibility to yourself, your family, your community and your country. Freedom also comes with the responsibility to treat all people with respect, to be merciful and kind and to treat others as you would like to be treated. You certainly have the freedom to use disrespectful words against the powerless, but others have the same freedom to say "shame on you".

I do indeed realize this, and I do believe the word retard is crude and offensive, and insulting to the people that are and are parents of the "special needs" child. But I do not believe that it should be so far exaggerated to make it sound as if is swearing to say retard, or retarded, like it would to say the F or S-word. Or GD on that note.

When referring to people with developmental disabilities with words such as retard, it says more about the person using the word than it does the person the word is directed at. If your truly only 13 as your profile suggests, then I think you all already are ahead of your peers in discussing this topic. I'm sure as you get older you'll be a good role model.

I have a question...what do I use in place of the R word....it seems all terms are...offensive........ Even saying they are just challenge will offend people, 9 times out of 10 even more than the R word.