By Kylie Graves
I vividly remember the first time I realized that my brother was different. I was six years old, and I was experiencing the magic of Disney World for the first time. My siblings and I were opening the park up every morning, collecting autographs from all our favorite characters, and giggling over the silly photos that were captured on the rides that felt way too scary at the time. My sister and I were tall enough to ride some of the “big kid rides,” and took advantage of the opportunity to ride rides like the Rock n Roll Rollercoaster and the Tower of Terror with my dad. My brother, who was not tall enough at the time, opted to spend his time riding the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride with my mother and my grandparents. After long days in the park, my family would hop back onto the Monorail and head back to our hotel.
As we were riding the Monorail one evening, I remember my brother was sitting in a stroller, and my sister and I were standing with the rest of our family. As we approached a nearby stop, a loud voice rang out through the entire car, shouting, “YOUR SON IS RETARDED!” At six years old, I had never heard that word. I remember being startled by the loud noise, the tone of the man’s voice, and the look of pure anger that crossed my father’s face. I remember my grandmother shuffling me and my sister off the car while my mother pushed my brother’s stroller urgently. And, I remember my grandfather having to grab hold of my dad and pull him off the monorail to prevent him from getting any closer to the man. At six years old, I was utterly confused. I had never seen my dad so enraged and certainly had never seen anyone need to restrain my dad to prevent him from acting on his anger. Despite not knowing that word or its meaning, I could tell by my dad’s reaction that the word was meant to be hurtful.
Each year, when March rolls around on the calendar, I find myself having flashbacks to that day as I celebrate Spread the Word Day. In 2010, Rosa’s Law was signed by Barack Obama and, “Removed the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” from federal health, education and labor policy and replaces them with people first language,” (Special Olympics, 2010). I have shared this specific story far and wide to highlight the harms of the R-word and the psychological and emotional impact that this word can have on an individual and those around them. While this word has largely been removed from day-to-day language as a result of Rosa’s Law and advocacy, ableism is still rampant, and advocacy for inclusion is an ongoing effort. Below, you can find a link to the Special Olympics Spread the Word Campaign, which can target the R-word, bullying, or inclusive action, offering a start point for addressing ableism and continuing advocacy efforts alongside individuals with disabilities. While that story sticks with me for many reasons, I credit that day for sparking my passion for advocacy and ultimately influencing my career path, further highlighting the impact of words and how formative they can be in someone’s development.
Spread the Word: https://www.specialolympics.org/spread-the-word
References:
“Rosa’s Law Signed Into Law by President Obama.” Special Olympics, 5 Oct. 2010, https://www.specialolympics.org/stories/news/rosas-law-signed-into-law-by-president-obama
