Take Action
You've Pledged and Now What?
Congratulations on taking the R-word pledge! Now it's time to turn your commitment into action. There are many ways for you to get involved and help Spread the Word to End the Word in your school, community, workplace or online social network. Below is a list of suggestions to help you get started.
How do I approach a friend, stranger, family member, or teacher about using the R-word?
Having a conversation about the R-word can be difficult and often uncomfortable. Use the dialogue scenarios and tips below to help you successfully articulate why the R-word is hurtful in everyday speech.
R-word Campaign & Language
What is Spread the Word to End the Word?
A:Spread the Word to End the Word is an on-going effort to raise the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word "retard(ed)" and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word. The campaign is intended to get schools, communities and organizations to rally and pledge their support.
View all Questions & Answers ›What can I do when I hear the R-word
Making your own pledge to stop using the R-word and promote the inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities is a terrific first step. At some point however, we all hear someone else use the R-word and think to ourselves – What do I do now?
See what to do
How to walk away and still do good
There are times, situations and personalities sometimes involved that may not be best suited for an immediate intervention when you hear someone use the R-word. It simply may be best at times to walk away from a situation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still do good after walking away.
Learn more and get ideas
Be a leader and share your success
Spread the Word to End the Word is a youth driven campaign and every day there are young people, as well as family members and advocates, who are creating change in schools and communities. We need to hear those stories. For every one young person finding success in bringing about change, there are another 100 people trying to figure out how to do it themselves. Help us provide these resources for the community at-large by sharing your success stories so we can highlight them on our website and help everyone learn how they can be agents of change and create communities of inclusion and respect for all people.
See how to share your story