Retard. The word stings of ignorance and disgust. But if the Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign succeeds, you'll never have to hear it (and hopefully never say it) again.
It's a derisive term used interchangeably with "idiot" and is especially hurtful when referencing someone who is actually intellectually disabled. It's also short for "retarded" or "mentally retarded," terms often used to describe developmentally disabled people. But it's been misappropriated into a word that hurts them and their loved ones.
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In a Huffington Post piece, Special Olympics Global Messenger John Franklin Stephens, who is intellectually disabled, wrote:
"Let's face it, nobody uses the word as a term of praise. At best, it is used as another way of saying "stupid" or "loser." At worst, it is aimed directly at me as a way to label me as an outcast — a thing, not a person. I am not stupid. I am not a loser. I am not a thing. I am a person."
In 2008 college students Soeren Palumbo and Timbo Shriver had had enough. Shriver's family has long advocated for disabled rights. His mother, Eunice Kennedy (yes, those Kennedys) Shriver, founded the Special Olympics. His father, Tim, is chairman.
The initial goal was simply to convince people to stop using the "R-word." Soon, they launched a website calling for pledges to "Spread the Word to End the Word." They partnered with the Special Olympics and an organization called Best Buddies International, which focuses on creating opportunities for the intellectually disabled. Eventually they launched a program, funded by the U.S. Deptartment of Education, called Project Unify. It spread quickly, from just 30 schools in the first year to 2,100 in 42 states today.

Now the organization is leveraging the Internet. According to Special Olympics Director of Global Media and Public Relations Christy White, last year the campaign generated 52 million impressions on Twitter and another 23 million on Facebook. At the time of writing, the campaign had more than 10.5 million Twitter impressions directly linked to the group's Twitter handles and 55 million tweets mentioning the hashtag #Rword.
I pledge #Respect thru my words & actions. Will you? Pledge now to create communities of inclusion for people with ID http://t.co/1Vmv0gCOuy
— R-word Campaign (@EndTheWord) March 5, 2014
The initial tweet has garnered far fewer direct retweets than, say, Ellen DeGeneres' now legendary celeb selfie. But White takes that in stride: "We know we live in a celebrity-driven culture, so we don't expect millions and millions of retweets. It would, of course, be nice! I think anyone who works in a job they are passionate about that makes a real difference in people's lives would get frustrated at not getting as much recognition as they'd like, but we can't spend too much time worrying about it."
Before today, though, Palumbo and Shriver's efforts have resulted in real change. Networks like MTV and FX are now bleeping out the "R-word," and a new law mandates that federal agencies drop the term "mentally retarded" in favor of "intellectual disability."
The pledge campaign to stop the "R-word" wraps up Wednesday, March 5, but the hope is that the movement never ends, at least until the "R-word" is gone forever.
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