Spread the Word to End the Word is a national campaign that works to bring awareness to the harmful effects of using the word “retarded” to describe a person with cognitive disabilities.
“Retarded” is one of the most common derogatory terms used in describing people with mental disabilities. The Spread the Word to End the Word campaign hopes to remove this word from the vocabulary of everyday discussion.
The campaign, in its fight against the discrimination of people with mental disabilities, heavily focuses upon the word. Julie Smith, NT speech pathologist and co-sponsor of New Trier’s Enriching Lives through Service Club (ELS), explained why: “It was a word that was used to label a student for special education services. Originally, it was used in a professional manner: it was more appropriate as it was a label. But of course, you don’t want to overuse labels. It grew into this word that holds a negative connotation.”
The usage of the word has changed over time. “It got adopted by the general public more and more, and as it evolved it took on that negative feel that we would prefer not to have used,” commented Smith. “Educationally, we tend to use other words to categorize the needs of students. With these negative connotations the word has taken on, it’s just fallen out of use.”
Smith first became involved with ELS Club because she felt strongly about the mission of the club to integrate students with disabilities into the New Trier community. “I work with a lot of the students that are in our educational life-skills program. I am a speech pathologist here, so I love seeing those kids as part of my job at New Trier. But I also love seeing them carry over skills in social settings, and enjoy helping peers work with them to integrate our students with disabilities into the school. And so, when a sponsor position opened up, I applied.” This will be Smith’s 8th year at New Trier, she has been working with ELS club for four years now.
Sean Clemenz, also a sponsor of ELS Club, started out being involved only as a teacher in the program, but quickly saw how valuable the club was for his students. “It was such a huge, really valuable thing to bring these students together and to see how the friendships were created; outside of school, they’d be hanging out on the weekends, and as soon as there was an opening, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. Easy call, really.”
Not everyone is as respectful towards people with mental disabilities as the members of ELS Club. Prejudice against people with mental disabilities is not uncommon. Smith mentioned, “I feel that often discrimination or prejudice occurs out of fear or just a lack of knowledge, out of ignorance, and I think that if the students in ELS Club could tell you that once they develop relationships with students with disabilities that are in our program, they realize that our students bring a lot to the table in terms of friendship and in terms of their strengths. They themselves learn just as much from the students as they teach the students. I think that it is that unknown that causes people to place a negative connotation with mental disabilities.”
ELS Club serves an important purpose in the community. “The main thing, as I see it, is that it serves to bring together students with significant disabilities and their peers,” said Clemenz. “General Education students, work in the classroom with our students so that’s another purpose it serves; it brings the general education environment to the special education classroom in a way.”
“It’s being with them, not to be a teacher. It is to be a peer, to develop relationships, to be a model,” reminded Ms. Smith.
New Trier faculty and students have been especially welcoming of the program. Clemenz said, “Our kids really are well included in all classes at New Trier, which is great, but for those classes where inclusion isn’t the appropriate option, we sometimes do what we like to call reverse inclusion, where we’re able to bring general education students to us so it gives us that exposure. The most important thing ELS does, I think, as I said earlier, is the friendships that it creates. Friends are made through ELS Club, friendships that will last for years and well into adulthood. It’s really great.”
Clemenz and Smith are excited for this year’s annual event. “They’ve responded very well in the past. In fact, I was telling this year’s group that we order t-shirts that we wear that day, the day of the campaign, and that’s when I placed the order last year. The company that is sponsoring this was so surprised by the size of our order because they’re not used to getting such a large order. So the response has been great, and I predict it to be just as good, if not better, this year,” said Clemenz.
“Retarded” is a word that is thrown around, often with not much though or care. Smith commented, “There are students and families that feel that it can be really hurtful towards. It is a term that people throw around in a variety of different contexts, without thought. It is both common and hurtful. I think it is one place to start in terms of a spring-board to increase awareness about people with disabilities and using person-first language. If I am ever speaking, unless I slip, it’s always a ‘student with a disability’ or a ‘person with autism,’ it’s not ‘an autistic person,’ it’s not a ‘mentally-disabled person,’ it’s a ‘person with a mental disability’ or a ‘person with autism.’ These are members of our community; they are members of our school. First and foremost, they are people. They’re our peers, they’re my students, they are part of this community.”
It’s important to remember that when the word is used in a negative way, it is “used to insult people and it’s insulting to a whole other population including certain groups and families. It’s just a way to educate people and get them to see the good in not using the word in the way that it often is used,” said Clemenz
Students can show their support for ELS Club and the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign by signing a pledge stating that they understand the campaign and will make an effort to support it by refraining from using the word retarded.
Student-staffed tables will be outside of the cafeteria on March 4th and 5th prompting people to sign the pledge, informing their peers about ELS Club, and answering questions. The official Spread the Word to End the Word campaign day takes place on March 5th.