Just one word can make a world of difference
High Schools and UD take part in national
campaign
Students at Newark High School show off their
signed banner pledging to stop using the R-word
in a demeaning way.
If one person can make a
difference, imagine what a thousand can do. Or
even hundreds of thousands.
On Wednesday at Newark High
School, students and faculty members took part
in a national campaign, “Spread the Word to End
the Word,” sponsored by Special Olympics and
Best Buddies. The school was one of 34 high
schools statewide, along with nearby University
of Delaware, to participate in the second annual
event to encourage people to stop using the
word “retard,” and all forms of it, in demeaning
ways.
“This project was a perfect
conduit to the message we have been working on
all year,” said Valerie Morano, special programs
coordinator at Newark. “I have heard the use of
this word by students and staff alike. I believe
there is a lack of awareness regarding the power
of the R-word, much like many other derogatory
terms in our culture.”
And while for some, the focus on
not using the R-word might seem trivial, to
others, especially a parent who has a child with
an intellectual disability, the word leaves
deeper and more hurtful emotional scars every
time it’s heard.
"As the parent of a child with
Down syndrome, today gives me such hope that the
R-word will soon be removed from everyday
language," said Amy Kosmalski, who attended the
Newark activities with her 3-year-old daughter,
Kayla.
The March 3 campaign isn’t going
to make the word disappear completely. But by
organizing events around the state and country,
high school students are sending a clear message
not only to their peers, but to the generation
before and after them, that the R-word is simply
unacceptable in today’s society when used
incorrectly.
At Newark, as well as the other
five local high schools, that message was sent
through morning announcements, several
interactive activities and discussions, and by
having students sign a banner in the cafeteria
pledging to stop using the R-word. It’s a
message that, based on the number of students
participating in the activities, was heard loud
and clear.
“It really gave the students an
understanding of what it’s like to have a
disability,” Newark junior Amy Micklos,
who coordinated the day’s events along with
Rebecca Potochney, said in between
activities. “They realized that saying the
R-word impacts people and their feelings.”
In addition to the powerful and
effective activities conducted throughout the
school day at Newark, it was perhaps part of a
three-minute speech given by Caitlin Coughlan,
who has Williams syndrome, that reiterated the
point best.
“Sometimes I hate having a
disability,” she said to the packed audience.
“But please remember, every person is unique in
their own special way. We all have something
special about us. If you ever see someone with
a disability, try not to look the other way. We
want you to see us and say, ‘Hi.’ We want you to
understand that we are a lot alike. We are
people just like you.
“I am lucky that no one has ever
called me the R-word. You shouldn’t say that
word to anybody.”
It might just be one word, but
in one day, hundreds of thousands of people,
made a world of difference.
