On Wednesday, March 6th, Mayo High School hosted a Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign.  So what are these "R" words?

"The 'R' word hurts."  If you watch the video below you will hear that and so many other messages from teens that are letting the world know that "they are just like you".

Mayo High School Senior, Mary L., led this campaign on Wednesday at her school and encouraged students to sign the pledge to use the word "Respect" instead of the words "retard" and "retarded".  She told Fox 47 in an interview,  “The R word is retard or retarded and originally mental retardation and mentally retarded were used in medical journals to describe people with intellectual disabilities.”

Students at Mayo High School were encouraged to stop by a table that was set up to sign a pledge and sign the banner.  You can check out the story that Fox 47 and KTTC shared here and see a photo of the banner and the signatures by students that show support for this campaign.

This campaign means a lot to this Senior.  Her brother has an intellectual disability and she also coaches Special Olympics.  In her interview, she stated that "pledging not to use the ‘R word’ is more than not just saying it, it’s understanding that people with intellectual disabilities are more alike than different.”

You can learn more about this pledge and even be part of it yourself!  Just check out this link:  Spread the Word to End the Word

 

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