Spread the Word

Spread the Word: Inclusion is a global campaign working towards inclusion for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It started as Spread the Word to End the Word, a US campaign to encourage people to pledge to stop using the word "retard", but broadened both its goals and its scope in 2019.

Spread the Word: Inclusion
FoundedFebruary 2009 (2009-02)
PurposeInclusion for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
OriginsSpecial Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit
Websitewww.spreadtheword.global

History

The Spread the Word to End the Word movement was established in 2009 during the Special Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The Spread the Word to End the Word movement was created by youth with and without intellectual disabilities. According to the Special Olympics:

“The motivation for the campaign was driven by a united passion to promote the positive contributions people with intellectual disabilities make to communities around the world combined with a simple call to action that also symbolizes positive attitude change and a commitment to make the world a more accepting place for all people.”[1]

On March 31, 2009 the campaign celebrated the 1st Annual Spread the Word to End the Word National Awareness Day. Across the country, students of all ages made a pledge to eliminate "retard" from their vocabulary and encourage others to do the same. In 2010, the 2nd Annual Spread the Word to End the Word National Day of Awareness took place on March 3, 2010.

In January 2010, the news of the past summer use of "retards" by White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to describe liberal groups planning attack ads on Democrats was reported in the Wall Street Journal.[2] This led to Emanuel's apologizing to Tim Shriver, chief executive of the Special Olympics. A meeting was held with Emanuel, who was asked to visit www.r-word.org, and he promised to take the R-word pledge.[3][4]

In 2019, Spread the Word to End the Word renamed themselves into Spread the Word, and extended its focus to inclusion for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.[5]

gollark: They became sentient in late 2019. Most people haven't noticed.
gollark: Crimes are widely considered bad because they have bad effects on people/cause suffering. I don't agree with causing *more* of that.
gollark: That depends on how much people are committing crimes due to impulse things, and how salient that sort of thing actually is in decision-making wrt. criming crimes.
gollark: I mean that the "maximal punishment" thing is probably emotionally driven.
gollark: If you think it would reduce crime because something something deterrent then... maybe... but just punishing people for the sake of punishing them is not something I can agree with.

References
  1. "Spread the Word to End the Word". Special Olympics.
  2. PETER WALLSTEN (2010-01-26). "Chief of Staff Draws Fire From Left as Obama Falters". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  3. |Jeff Zeleny and Sheryl Stolberg (2010-02-02). "Emanuel Apologizes, in Wake of Palin Slam". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  4. Christopher M. Fairman (2010-02-14). "Saying it is hurtful. Banning it is worse". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  5. https://www.spreadtheword.global/about
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