LANSING, Ind. -- Julia Cox fears a speeding motorist one day will hit her 21-year-old son on her street.
"My son has autism," she said. "You picture a 21-year-old taking off like he's 3 years old, and I can't do anything about it. I don't want him to run out in the street, but sometimes he just does."
For more than a year, Cox, 46, begged the village to put up a sign to warn motorists to drive with extra care in the area. In January, a sign reading "Caution: Handicapped Person" was erected near the end of her driveway, in the 18400 block of Ridgewood Avenue.
On July 22, the sign was vandalized.
"Retard F U" was written across the bottom of it in thick black ink. Cox was hurt and angry.
Showing posts with label 'R' word. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 'R' word. Show all posts
Monday, August 1, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Missouri Strikes the 'R Word' From Statutes
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With the stroke of a pen, the term "mental retardation" has been struck from all Missouri state statutes and replaced with language deemhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifed less offensive by disability rights advocates.
Tuesday, Gov. Jay Nixon sign House Bills 555 and 648 which, among other things, replace the pejorative term "retardation" with the "intellectual disability." The new laws also promote awareness and increase public accessibility standards for people with disabilities.
Tuesday, Gov. Jay Nixon sign House Bills 555 and 648 which, among other things, replace the pejorative term "retardation" with the "intellectual disability." The new laws also promote awareness and increase public accessibility standards for people with disabilities.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The 'R' Word Gets the Cut in Hawaii
HONOLULU -- Michelle Muralt wept as Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a bill into law Monday that requires officials to replace the term "mental retardation" with "intellectual disabilities" in state programs.
"We just want people to know that the MR-word is not a correct word for calling other people names. We just want people to know so others will not be hurt by being called the MR-word," said Muralt, an instructor at Lanakila Pacific, a nonprofit organization in Liliha that helps people with disabilities live more independent lives.
Abercrombie said before signing House Bill 761, "Words are very, very important. We've all heard that ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.' And that's not true. Names can hurt. Words are attached to feeling. Words are a reflection of culture."
"We just want people to know that the MR-word is not a correct word for calling other people names. We just want people to know so others will not be hurt by being called the MR-word," said Muralt, an instructor at Lanakila Pacific, a nonprofit organization in Liliha that helps people with disabilities live more independent lives.
Abercrombie said before signing House Bill 761, "Words are very, very important. We've all heard that ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.' And that's not true. Names can hurt. Words are attached to feeling. Words are a reflection of culture."
Friday, July 8, 2011
Arizona Removing 'R' Word from Statutes
Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and his family were among the roughly two dozen individuals who attended a ceremonial bill signing in Gov. Jan Brewer's office Thursday, celebrating passage of legislation that removes the words "mental retardation" and "crippled" from state statutes.
Special Olympics Arizona brought the issue to the attention of lawmakers. It is part of a larger nationwide effort called "Spread the Word to End the Word." According to the Special Olympics website, the campaign aims to eliminate the use of the word "retarded" from the everyday vernacular, calling it both demeaning and offensive.
Special Olympics Arizona brought the issue to the attention of lawmakers. It is part of a larger nationwide effort called "Spread the Word to End the Word." According to the Special Olympics website, the campaign aims to eliminate the use of the word "retarded" from the everyday vernacular, calling it both demeaning and offensive.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Lady Gaga Drops the 'R' Word
Lady Gaga has long been heralded for her civil rights work, but she has outraged a whole new group of fans by using the word "retarded."
During a recent interview, a journalist asked the singer whether she thought her last single Born This Way was a knock-off of Madonna's hit Express Yourself.
Outraged, Lady Gaga replied: "I'm a songwriter. I've written loads of music. Why would I try to put out a song and think I'm getting one over on everybody? That's retarded."
During a recent interview, a journalist asked the singer whether she thought her last single Born This Way was a knock-off of Madonna's hit Express Yourself.
Outraged, Lady Gaga replied: "I'm a songwriter. I've written loads of music. Why would I try to put out a song and think I'm getting one over on everybody? That's retarded."
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Effort to Remove 'R' Word Rejected
Unfortunately, you can't make this type of story up. Just pathetic that in this day and age people with intellectual disabilities are still being referred to by a phrase that is so stigmatizing that most states have removed it from offices and state legislation. What's it going to take to wake folks up in Virginia?
The Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday rejected an attempt to remove the words "mental retardation" from a bill that seeks to appropriate $30 million to a special fund to move residents of the state's training centers into community-based housing.
Del. Robin Abbott, D-Newport News, asked legislators to change the phrase "mental retardation" to read "intellectual and developmental disabilities."
"These words are very damaging and hurtful and there is no excuse for them to be in our code today," Abbott said.
House members rejected Abbott's request, not because members liked the term "mental retardation," but because those words already appear in many places in the state code.
The Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday rejected an attempt to remove the words "mental retardation" from a bill that seeks to appropriate $30 million to a special fund to move residents of the state's training centers into community-based housing.
Del. Robin Abbott, D-Newport News, asked legislators to change the phrase "mental retardation" to read "intellectual and developmental disabilities."
"These words are very damaging and hurtful and there is no excuse for them to be in our code today," Abbott said.
House members rejected Abbott's request, not because members liked the term "mental retardation," but because those words already appear in many places in the state code.
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