Spread The Word to End the Word

Spread The Word to End the Word Spread the Word to End the Word is a United States national campaign to encourage people to pledge to stop using the word retard. End the "R" word advocates believe the use of the word “retard(ed)” in colloquial and everyday speech is hurtful and dehumanizing to individuals with intellectual disabilities. They advocate for the use of language that respects the dignity of people with mental disabilities. Advocates believe individuals with cognitive disabilities and other developmental disabilities are capable of enjoying life’s experiences and that causal references to the words retard or retarded makes a person with intellectual disabilities feel "less than human." By calling it the r-word, they draw an analogy to socially unacceptable racial terms, especially nigger.