By Daniel Smrokowski
Columnist | Column: Special Voices
I was beaming with excitement one afternoon in spring 2010, during one of my journalism classes at Roosevelt University. We were studying how to use new media and technology within our field, when a nearby classmate, who was not diagnosed with a disability, made a comment that hit me like a brick.
“Why is this technology so retarded,” the classmate said, without knowing who might be affected by this word.
The classmate had no idea that the use of the “r-word,” even as it was not directed towards me, still hurt.
“Using the r-word against us athletes hurts us because most people don’t think before they actually say the words,” said Georgia Hunter, my friend and fellow athlete and Global Messenger in Special Olympics Illinois. Georgia has been diagnosed with Down syndrome.
Today, March 2, thousands of people across the country are spreading awareness in the eighth annual Spread the Word to End the Word campaign.
For those of us with special needs, as well as for our family and friends, the word “retard(ed),” or the “r-word” as it is referred to in the campaign, is extremely offensive – even when the word is not directed toward us. If someone, like my former classmate, uses the “r-word” about an inanimate object to mean that the object is slow, this connotes a similar meaning that those of us with special needs might learn or act a little slower than others. Thus, there is a negative tone to the use of the “r-word.”
“The cool thing about Spread the Word to End the Word is that there are thousands of events across the country, and everyone kind of goes about it a bit differently,” said Tim Shriver Jr., co-founder of the campaign. “Every event has a pledge banner where people sign their name and take the pledge to not only stop using the ‘r-word’ [themselves] but to speak up when others use it.”
People can join more than 585,197 other online pledges by signing the pledge electronically and learning more about Spread the Word to End the Word at www.r-word.org.
When I was delivered three-and-a-third months premature 27 years ago, people commonly used the “r-word” as an acceptable term to describe people with visible and invisible intellectual disabilities. Fast forward to present day, medical professionals are becoming more understanding and respectful with their word choice.
Take my sister, Stefanie Smrokowski, 25, for example. She is a doctor of physical therapy and has grown up with an older brother who has special needs. She feels encouraged about the declining use of the “r-word” among medical professionals.
“It’s becoming very common knowledge that you should not use that word,” Stefanie said, adding that she rarely hears the word, especially among younger physical therapists. “There are still some people that maybe aren’t as aware of that, but I think in general we’re all going towards that being common sense to not use that word.”
My friend Tim Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics Inc., said that trend is encouraging.
“Your sister’s quotes give us all confidence that we can win the battle against humiliation and play unified to teach respect the world over,” he wrote in an email regarding a previous Special Voices column.
Despite the cognitive struggles that myself and others with intellectual disabilities face on a daily basis, we overcome our challenges by celebrating the abilities that we do have.
Last summer, I was a leading journalist producing the No. 1 update podcast at the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015.
Earlier last year, I was among 10 other advocates named a national finalist for the American Association of People with Disabilities 2015 Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award. In 2012, I received the Les Brownlee Scholarship from the Chicago Headline Club, as well as the Matthew Freeman Award for Social Justice from Roosevelt University, and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism.
Join me and let’s change the game with our words. Let’s build a world of respect and take a stand to celebrate our abilities.
Daniel Smrokowski was born three-and-a-third months premature and was diagnosed with learning disabilities and a severe language disorder. He is an Athlete and Global Messenger with Special Olympics Illinois on the Southeast Association for Special Parks and Recreation team. Daniel is the founder of Special Chronicles nonprofit new media company, a pioneering network that gives respect and voice to people with special needs. Come join us at www.stg-specialchronicles-staging.kinsta.cloud.
Editor’s Note: This Special Voices column originally appeared in the March 2, 2016 issue of The Bugle newspapers and is Reprinted with permission of the author. All rights reserved. Print/E-Edition (PDF).
