Mom Leads Campaign 'Spread the Word to End the Word,' But Not All Agree
Ellen Seidman never expected to become a passionate activist, but that is exactly what she is now. Seidman is working tirelessly with the Special Olympics on their campaign "Spread the Word to End the Word," to encourage people to stop using the word "retard."
Seidman's 10-year-old son Max was born with cerebral palsy and has suffered from seizures and learning disabilities ever since. In order to help others and cope with her own experience, Seidman decided to blog about her life. "I launched Love That Max (the blog) in October 2008 as an inspirational, informational, occasionally irreverent blog."
Seidman has partnered with the Special Olympics as part of their campaign: "Spread the Word to End the Word," which focuses on eradicating use of the word "retard." In an article for parents.com, Seidman wrote: "A couple of years ago, I found out that the Special Olympics had started a campaign to get people to think twice about using the words 'retard' and 'retarded.'"
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"Suddenly, I became very aware of how demeaning and hurtful the word is to kids and adults with disabilities," she wrote. Now she is touring the nation to spread the word and put a face with the campaign. It has even reached a Congressional level; Congress recently passed a law banning use of the word "retard" and "retardation" in federal health and education laws.
The campaign has actually received very mixed reaction from the public. Some strongly support eradicating the words, while others point out that there is logical sense in using "retard" or "retardation" to describe someone who may have developmental delays.
For example, user x1134x writes on MSN, "If you do any research on this topic, you'll find the word 'retarded' was actually ushered in by people like this mother. Back then they hated the usage of the term 'idiot' to describe someone with mental disabilities. Back then the meaning of the word 'retarded' to everyone meant 'slowed down.'"
It's true that there has been a historical problem finding an acceptable term to define those who have such health issues. Many find the term "disabled" to be slanderous because they are able to do things, just not in the traditional way. It is hard to define what should and should not be said.
ChelseaRed writes on CNN's blog, "She [Siedman] just seeks greater kindness and understanding for her son and others like him. It has to do with respecting people."
"I have worked in the special needs community for many years," notes user dawn524. "The label is not the problem, it is the way the individual sees him or herself."
To date, more than 250,000 people have signed the Special Olympics pledge not to use the word "retard." Seidman is careful to point out that she is not accusing people of using the word "flippantly" or having "something against people with special needs."
In an interview with CNN, she noted, "It is a demeaning word even if it's meant as a joke because it spreads the idea that people who are cognitively impaired are either stupid or losers."
At the same time, though, she knows it will be an up-hill battle.
"You can't ban terminology any more than you can ban thought," Dr. Stephen B. Corbin tells CNN. "But we know that using bad language contributes to the dehumanization and stigmatization of others, which incites treating them differently."
"It's hard to explain until you experience yourself," Seidman has said. "Until you experience it yourself, and I think a lot of people out there just don't understand why. There's already a lot of prejudice and misunderstanding about people with cognitive impairments, and this is one small thing I can do to help."
