The R-Word

As music therapy students and professionals, we have the obligation to set the standard for what is acceptable in regard to the vocabulary that we use on a daily basis. Words can be extremely powerful tools, which can be used to uplift or destroy a person's sense of self. When words are commonly used, they become habitual to speak and we cease to think about the negative connotations that they sometimes carry with them. One word in particular that we as music therapists should seek to eliminate from our vocabularies is the word retard or retarded. This is a word that I personally have heard used casually   throughout my life. Often times, when people use this word in colloquial speech, they do not mean it to imply that the individual has a developmental disability, but to someone who does have or is close to someone who has an intellectual difference, this word can be very offensive. Other words commonly used in conversational speech that may unintentionally describe people with disabilities include: spazz, schizo, handicapped, and lame.

If you are passionate about refraining from using offensive terminology in your every day life, please make the pledge to support "the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities" at http://r-word.org