Spread the Word

I know I have said it more times than I can count. I have even written it in several of my blog articles.

Travis has special needs.

I have also said that Travis has an intellectual/developmental disability.

I have been using the terms interchangeably.

I read an article yesterday from ‘The Mighty’. Per www.themighty.com, “The Mighty is a digital health community created to empower and connect people facing health challenges and disabilities.” It was founded in 2014 by Mike Porath. Related articles can be submitted to their site. The articles that are chosen for publication are available at their site.

I have read several of the articles posted there. The topics that most interest me are autism, intellectual disabilities and mental health. The articles have a way of showing up on my social media. I’m sure you know what I am talking about!

The article was written by Dr. Liz Matheis, and is titled, “Should You Say ‘Special Needs’ or ‘Disability’? After reading the article I got to thinking about the controversy regarding using the word ‘retard’ or ‘retarded’.

I know we have all heard about the campaign about no longer using the ‘R’ word. Spread the word to end-the-word. I went back to an older article located at www.specialolympics.org, titled, “Why the R-Word is the R-Slur. Practice Inclusion: End the Use of the R-Word”.

Per the article, “The R-word, also known as the R-slur, is a hurtful term that remains prevalent throughout social media, according to a Kantar Social Listening study. The research shows that when social media users are posting about people with intellectual disabilities, 7 in every 10 of those posts are negative, and 6 in 10 contain a slur.

The R-word is a form of hate speech that stands for “retard,” “retarded,” or other offensive words ending in “-tard.” While “mental retardation” was originally introduced as a medical term in 1961 for people with intellectual disabilities, in the decades since, the R-word has become an insult used all too commonly in everyday language. Those who use the R-word often do so with little regard for the pain it causes people with intellectual disabilities—and the exclusion it perpetuates in our society.

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed “Rosa’s Law,” which changed “mental retardation” to “intellectual disability” in U.S. federal law. Inspired by 9-year-old Rosa Marcellino, the law was a key milestone to promoting inclusive, people-first language.”

I am very aware that using the R-word is a form of bullying. Travis deals with this regularly while playing X-Box online. He, of course, is very hurt by it.

I thought that the world was making some headway in no longer using this language. Not so much, according to the R-Word article. “Kantar reviewed nearly 50 million social posts in the U.S. over 2 years. Over two-thirds of posts about people with intellectual disabilities were negative and nearly 29 million contained slurs (i.e., using the word “retard(ed)” or other words combined with “-tard”).

Spreading the R-word continues to hurt people with intellectual disabilities—and whether intended or not, is a form of bullying. Using the R-word is the same as using any slur against a minority group. Eliminating this word is a step toward respect for all.”

Even though the world is not as far as I had hoped on using the R-word, the people in my circle are very aware that the term is now considered derogatory.

But did you hear about the discussion going on more recently? About not using the term “special needs”? In all honesty, I didn’t hear about it. Until yesterday. Which is hard to fathom because when I googled it I found several blog articles about it.

I have witnessed the term “special needs” being used by a few people in a derogatory way. By the tone of their voice when they say it. I have heard kids tell Travis that he is “special” in a mean way as well. If I had any idea that individuals with disabilities thought of the term “special needs” in a negative way, I would not have used it time and time again when talking and writing about Travis.

Is it the way the term is used? I would have to go back and reread my articles to be certain, but I think I say, “Travis has special needs” as opposed to “Travis is special needs”.

In her article, Dr. Matheis says, “As a school psychologist, it sounds like the term “special needs” came from a place of wanting to acknowledge that a child has an area of struggle and is in need of support services in school (academic, behavioral, social, or emotional) but is still a student and child because the term “disability” had taken on a negative stigma in which a person is perceived as “unable” rather than able with some accommodations.”

This is the way that I interpreted what I mean when I say “special needs”. That Travis needs additional supports. He did in school and he does now in his adult life.

Dr. Matheis quoted another article in her writing a couple of times, so I looked it up. It was written by David Oliver and published in “USA Today, Health and Wellness” section in June, 2021. The article is titled, “I am not ashamed: Disability advocates, experts implore you to stop saying ‘special needs’.”

Per Oliver, “In our daily lives, we may encounter phrases like "I am disabled" or "My child has special needs." And to someone who is not part of the community, this wording may seem synonymous. But it's not. 

Most experts and advocates vehemently oppose the term "special needs," and believe we need to eliminate it from our vernacular. Furthermore, they say avoiding the term "disabled" only leads to stigmatization. 

For some, the term "special needs" feels offensive. 

It can also be counterproductive. 

Researchers from a 2016 study found people who are referred to as having "special needs" are seen more negatively than those referred to as having a disability.”

The Mighty added the following note at the beginning of the article written by Dr. Matheis.

Editor's Note

“As part of our editorial guidelines, The Mighty does not use “special needs” to refer to children or adults with disabilities. While the term may appear in stories published before 2018, all articles submitted to our site today are edited prior to publication to ensure the use of respectful language. “Disabled” is not a bad word and the disability community has expressed that euphemisms are unnecessary and harmful. We’ve updated our vocabulary, and after reading this article, we hope you will, too.”

So they started editing articles to change the wording in 2018.

Now that I know better, I will do better. Language is constantly changing. I will follow the lead of the advocates of disabled people that are disabled themselves. I am evolving and constantly growing as a person. Even though Travis doesn’t care what terminology I use, others might. My circle and my readers all know that my heart is in the right place. Now I just need to make sure that my words are too.

If you’re like me and didn’t know before, you do now. Spread the word.

“I’m stronger because I had to be, I’m smarter because of my mistakes. happier because of the sadness I’ve known, and now wiser because I learned.” - Momminwithcoffee.com