Below is an excerpt from a Mashable article, “Why People Are Using the R-Word Again,” which details the ways in which social media has increased the use of the R-word.
Over the years, there have been movements to eradicate this word — which Ness says has “long been used as a weapon to demean and marginalize people with disabilities” — from our vocabulary. For example, in 2009, Special Olympics launched a campaign called “Spread the Word to End the Word,” aimed at raising awareness about the harmful effects of the R-word and encouraging people to pledge to stop using it. Over time, the campaign made a significant impact in schools.
“‘Spread the word’ is a very popular activity for our students to participate in because it is very concrete and very specific, and the kids have a lot of experience dealing with that word and with bullying, teasing, and inappropriate language in general,” said Andrea Kahn, senior vice president of Special Olympics Unified Champions Schools. Who works with Mashable’s Spread the Word campaign. “So it’s something they can take real action on and see change.”
Eventually, students began providing feedback that the campaign needed to evolve, Kahn said. They reported that the R-word was rarely used anymore and wanted to shift the focus toward other ways to promote inclusion while maintaining the original mission.
