The Power of Language
In 7th grade, I met Ibsen when I joined a local Special Olympics soccer team as a Unified Partner. We bonded over rice cakes at half-time and his signature “Teach Me How to Dougie” goal celebration. In 8th grade, Ibsen climbed Mount Everest in my Hero’s Journey story for English class and scored the game winning goal in my college application essay this past year. Looking back on the past six years of my friendship with Ibsen, I have never seen him in any other light than just a friend of mine who has the most infectious smile and dance moves that rival those of MC Hammer.
Until this past year, I never realized the true impact that certain language has on this community. This summer, I found myself having a conversation with Mackenzie, another Special Olympics athlete who I have known for many years. She told me how offended she was by the use of the R-Word by her brother’s girlfriend. She would try to get her to stop and have her brother stand up for her but was unsuccessful time and time again. While Special Olympics can be so empowering and can help athletes gain confidence in themselves, the R-Word still can bring these same individuals down.
After I spoke with Mackenzie, I vowed to better advocate for these individuals in the community by encouraging others to end the use of the R-Word and teaching them the power of using “person-first” language. When we place someone’s name before their disability, we bring dignity to who they truly are as an individual.
Experiencing the power of Special Olympics Unified Sports first hand helps in reducing the usage this outdated language. When I found an opportunity to interact with individuals like Mackenzie and Ibsen, I learned that no one-way street exists in Special Olympics. As a Unified Partner, I have given hours of my time to volunteer but have received so much more than I would have ever expected in return from the athletes and everyone else dedicated to making the world a more inclusive place. I believe that living Unified means making conscious decisions when it comes to word choice and speaking about my interactions with Special Olympics athletes.
The R-Word campaign focuses on uniting our voices against derogatory language that hurts athletes like Mackenzie and Ibsen. On March 7th, the official Spread the Word to End the Word Day, we agree to become the best version of ourselves in advocating for athletes in the Special Olympics community by replacing the R-Word with RESPECT. I hope you join me in this movement that will continue to change thousands of lives.
If you have a story, video, photo, poem, essay, guide, dance, (or anything else) to share with the world, follow the three easy steps in this link or publish your story on Medium and email it to spalumbo@specialolympics.org. If you prefer, you could also put your story into a word document, let us know whether you would like it published under your name or anonymously, and email it to spalumbo@specialolympics.org.
Pledge your support to end the R-Word here.
