Disability advocate Dave Hingsburger uses Jennifer Aniston’s recent gaffe (calling herself a “retard” during a televised interview)  as an opportunity to examine the word’s implications in modern society. His conclusion: The word is an unacceptable attack on a group of people who have historically been marginalized, stigmatized and oppressed. An excerpt:

The people who ‘ARE’ what the ‘R’ word refers to have a long history.

They have been torn from families and cast into institutions.

They have been beaten, hosed down, over medicated, under nourished, sterilized, brutalized, victimized.

They have been held captive, have been enslaved, have had their being given over to the state.

They are the group in society most likely to be physically, sexually and financially abused.

They are the group least likely to see justice, experience fair play, receive accommodation or support within the justice system.

… The ‘R’ word is an attack on a people who know discrimination. Tremble when you say it. Because those who should know better will be held accountable to those who know best.

From the Los Angeles Times ‘Ministry of Gossip’ blog, US Magazine, press release from the National Down Syndrome Society:

Actress Jennifer Aniston used the word “retard” during a television interview Thursday, drawing criticism from disability advocacy groups.

Appearing on Live with Regis and Kelly (video here), Aniston was discussing a recent Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot in which she wore costumes in the style of Barbra Streisand.

“You’re playing dress-up!” Regis told her. She replied, “Yes, I play dress-up! I do it for a living, like a retard!” The remark drew laughter from the studio audience and guest cohost Kristin Cruz.

“Frankly, someone in her position ought to know better,” Peter Berns, chief exec of The Arc (a nonprofit advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities), told Us Weekly. “She is using language that is offensive to a large segment of the population in this country … …Every time folks hear that word, it kind of reminds them of all the discrimination and oppression they’ve experienced in their lives. Even if it wasn’t intended to insult them, that is the effect of it.”

… “Sadly, people use the word pervasively even if they don’t realize it,” said Kirsten Seckler, spokeswoman for the Special Olympics. “People with intellectual disabilities have fought their whole lives for understanding and recognition. When people continue to use the R word, it’s hurtful.”

Sarah Schleider, communications VP of the National Down Syndrome Society, released a letter inviting Aniston to work on behalf of people with intellectual disabilities. An excerpt:

This statement is indicative of the inaccurate and ignorant stereotypes that are all too common in our culture. People with Down syndrome are capable of intelligent thought, understanding and behavior and should not be referenced as a way of commenting on one’s own intellect or life choices, in either a humorous or serious manner.

At the National Down Syndrome Society, we understand that this type of comment is often the result of a lack of information and/or a lack of exposure to people with cognitive disabilities. We hope that you take this opportunity to educate yourself about cognitive disabilities and gain a better understanding.

Editorial writers at the [Bergen County, NJ] Record offer praise for a new state law that removes outdated terminology like “mentally retarded,” “feeble-minded” and “physically or mentally defective” from New Jersey law and rulebooks. An excerpt:

Talk about a revolution. Within little more than a generation, we’ve advanced from assuming lesser futures for citizens with disabilities to requiring their full participation in public schools and workplaces. We are learning more about how to maximize the health and talents of every one of us, all the time. Though there is much more to be done — housing for adults with disabilities is a shameful example — the results already are stunning. Consider the life expectancy of an adult with Down syndrome, which has doubled to more than 50 since the mid-1980s.

These victories arrived after years of lobbying by families who refused to hide. They came after our nation changed its ideas about the rights and the potential of citizens with disabilities. They came after the cruel jokes stopped and serious conversation began.

“Words matter — it’s that simple,” said Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, whose daughter has an intellectual disability.

Indeed. And if today’s accepted terms become outdated, if families affected by disability demand new words, we will rewrite the laws and rulebooks. Again.

See also: Opponents of R-word win key legislative victory in New Jersey — Fox News

Earlier post here.

Related posts here.

From Thegovmonitor.com:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie this week signed legislation that removes outdated and demeaning descriptions of people with disabilities from state law and regulation.

The bill eliminates such terms as “mentally retarded” and “feeble-minded,” which are considered offensive by many. Replacing them are terms like “intellectual disability” and “developmental disability.” The new law also promotes what is called “person-first” language, as in “a person with a disability,” rather than “a disabled person.”

“We live in the 21st Century and our laws must reflect that distinction,” said Governor Christie. “Those with intellectual disabilities are an important part of the fabric of New Jersey.  Using antiquated, degrading terms to describe individuals with disabilities is an affront to the integrity of the person and their family, and below our common decency as a people.  I am proud to move the language of New Jersey’s laws and regulations beyond such terminology.”

See also:

Gov. Chris Christie approves NJ law removing offensive references to people with disabilities — NJ.com

NJ bans the word ‘retarded’ — Newser.com

Christie signs law updating how NJ refers to ‘disabled’ — NorthJersey.com

New law removes disrespectful language from statutes — NewJerseyNewsroom.com

From the Brockton, Mass., Enterprise News:

The parents of a seventh grade student with Down syndrome are trying to get their Massachusetts school district to stop using a science textbook with language they consider offensive.

The book, a standard seventh-grade science text in Bridgewater Middle School,  uses the term “mental retardation” and characterizes Down syndrome as a genetic “error.” Parents Tom and Pauline Lewis said they fear the book’s language could encourage bullying of their son and other children with Down syndrome. Tom Lewis is a special education teacher in Boston.

A district committee declined the Lewis’ request that the text be removed from the classroom, and suggested instead that teachers “create lessons for ‘teachable moments’ when the term ‘mental retardation’ arises.” The family has appealed.

Related stories:

• RI lawmakers remove ‘retardation’ from agency name — ABC6, Providence
• New Jersey looks to remove words such as ‘retarded’ and ‘idiot’ from state law — newjerseynewsroom.com
• Name change at NY agency to remove ‘retardation’ — New York Times

Bipartisan measure would take ‘retarded’ out of federal lexicon

The Hill reports as non-controversial a bill that would eliminate all references to the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded individual” in federal law.

Known as Rosa’s Law, the bipartisan measure will be marked up in the Senate Health, Education and Pensions Committee this week. It is patterned after a Maryland statute that was passed unanimously last year.

Attention to the word “retard’s” hurtful consequences has taken off in recent years, thanks in part to the outspoken former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose son Trig has Down syndrome. Palin called for White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to be fired earlier this year after he called liberal healthcare activists “f—–g retarded,” but she has been less forceful when conservatives such as talk radio show Rush Limbaugh have used the term.

The measure has 42 bipartisan co-sponsors in the Senate and 30 in the House. Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who introduced the bill, has said it “will not expand nor diminish services, rights or educational opportunities.”

On a segment of ABC’s “What Would You Do?” that aired Wednesday, customers in a Brooklyn grocery store found themselves trapped in a checkout line behind rude shoppers who berated a bagger with Down syndrome. The customers didn’t know that the clerk and the rude shoppers were all actors. Hidden cameras recorded everyone’s reactions to abusive language that the show described as happening “all too often” in real life.

“You’re absolutely retarded, dude! You have to go faster,” an actress shouted.

While some customers ignored the abuse, others spoke up in defense of the clerk, played by actor Josh Eber. “He’s a person, the same as you and I, with feelings,” said a woman identified as “Karen”, a teacher who has taught children with disabilities. “Everybody deserves an education. Everybody deserves a job, and everybody deserves a chance in this life. And you should be ashamed of yourself.”

Madeleine Will of the National Down Syndrome Society underscored the hurtfulness of insults like the word “retard.” She called on the public to speak up against verbal abuse.

“When we’re silent, our silence condones the language,” she said. “It’s important to say, again and again, this is wrong, this is not fair, this is not how we treat other people.”