Best Buddies strives to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) form relationships with other WJ students, and create a more welcoming and inclusive environment. Best Buddies is set on making a change in the WJ community for the better by campaigning for the ceasement of the usage of the R-word.
March was National Disabilities Awareness Month. The club found March to be the perfect opportunity to spread awareness about the harm of the usage of the R-word. Best Buddies members decided to create the campaign “Spread the Word to End the Word” because they noticed how normalized it has become, in and out of the school setting.
“We noticed that the R-word usage at WJ was very common and we knew we had to do something about it,” junior Best Buddies member Carter Wood said.
Through videos, posters, social media and selling t-shirts, Best Buddies has been putting in effort to bring attention to this overlooked issue. Students may not realize the weight of their words and what the word means to the IDD community. Through the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign, the Best Buddies club is advocating for those who are targeted and harmed by the use of the slur.
”The R-word can be so dehumanizing and people don’t even realize it, or don’t know the history and origin of the word itself, so we’re just trying to get people educated,” junior Best Buddies secretary Macie Redmond said.
In the video, students within and outside of the IDD community as well as teachers hold up whiteboards with phrases that describe them. Phrases such as, “I’m an artist,” “I am a gymnast” or “I am a bocce player,” show how their disabilities are only a small part of their identities.
Deriving from the Latin word “retardare”, meaning “to make slow” or “delay”, the word was originally coined to describe individuals with disabilities. However, it has evolved into a derogatory term. Today, it is often used to replace other insulting expressions.
The issue, and what Best Buddies strives to help students understand, is that by misusing the word they are indirectly hurting the feelings of those within the IDD community and their families.
“It’s very offensive, and it shouldn’t be used at all,” senior Best Buddies treasurer Brady Chan said. “The word is very prevalent today, you still hear it a lot. We need more people to be aware about it so we can end it.”
The ultimate goal behind this campaign, beyond ending the usage of the R-word, is for students to realize that individuals with disabilities are not that much different from them. One of Best Buddies’ objectives is to create a more welcoming environment for the IDD community beyond the walls of WJ.
”People with disabilities are no different than anybody else,” senior Best Buddies president Sadie Morgenstern said. “I think it’s awful that they’re ever excluded or teased. People need to know that everybody’s beautiful in their own way.”
Best Buddies members encourage other WJ students to join the club, as it can bring them a deeper understanding of the IDD community and why this is an important issue to address.
“More people should join the club because it’s a great experience for everyone,” Chan said. “It helps everyone feel better about themselves, and it’s good to get outside of your shell more and care for other people.”
