Disability Deserves Respect

In case it’s not obvious to everyone, we don’t use the R-word.

In case it’s not obvious to everyone, especially certain people in positions of power — we don’t use the R-word. It’s not “just a word.” It’s a slur. It’s hate speech. And it has a long, painful history of being used to demean, exclude, and harm people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

People with disabilities matter. The words we choose matter. We all have a responsibility to do better — to unlearn harmful language, to hold each other accountable, and to build a more inclusive world.

I’m raising a little boy with disabilities, and I’m terrified for the world he’ll grow up in when people in power casually use — and normalize — language that dehumanizes people like him. Because when harmful words are spoken publicly, loudly, and without consequence, they don’t just offend — they set the tone for how others are treated.

No matter what people in power say or normalize, let’s choose to be better than that. And put in the work to create a world where people with disabilities are treated with the respect, love, and humanity they deserve.

Our kids are watching — and they deserve a kinder world than the one they’re inheriting.