The "R-Word"

We first started our search by googling the term “r-word statistic”. The search yielded results mainly about the recession. However, one result related to our topic came up. The R-Word Counter (http://www.rwordcounter.org/) counted the number of times the word was used online total. While this is not exactly the nature of our study, it still has the same topic and is attempting to measure the use of the r-word, albeit through a different medium. Because our search found only minimal results relating to our topic and mostly showed results relating to other r-words, we decided to make our search more specific. We then used google to search “use of the word retard”. This yielded more relevant websites and articles. Many of the results were about celebrities and politicians using the word or editorials about whether it is okay to use the word as slang. The top result was Spread the Word to End the Word, a program run by the Special Olympics committed to stop the usage of the r-word. We looked through the website to find information and statistics on the use of the word. We clicked on the link to resources and then once on that page went to reference materials and links. There, we found many links to research related to the r-word and people with disabilities, which provided us with background information for our study.

The first link was a study on how the media portrayed people with intellectual disabilities. The study found that 80% of US adults felt that the media portrayal of people with disabilities was an obstacle to their acceptance in society. Although this does not focus on the same audience nor issue as our study, it has the same topic once again. (Media’s Portrayal of People with Intellectual Disabilities).

The next link was to a Multinational Study of Attitudes toward Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. This study surveyed people from various countries’ perception of people with intellectual disabilities capabilities such as the ability to sustain friendships and relationships, the ability to handle emergencies, and the ability to play sports, among many others. The study also briefly addressed the topic of people with intellectual disabilities in schools, the focus of our study. They found that 79% of the respondents believe that children with intellectual disabilities should be segregated in schools. (Multinational Study of Attitudes toward Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities).

The last study proved to be the most relevant to our study. It discussed youth experiences with the r-word. It found that 92% of youth surveyed have heard someone else use the r-word - 86% hearing it from their friends or peers at school and 24% hearing it from others such as people in the media or family members. Of the youth surveyed, only 20% reported that they had used the word themselves. In addition to reporting on the usage and hearing the word, the study also investigated the attitudes of youth upon hearing a person with a disability being called the word. They were given choices of felt sorry for the person, did nothing, told the person it was wrong to say, didn’t care, laughed, and joined in. They were allowed to pick multiple answers. Although 63% of youth surveyed said they felt sorry for the person being called the word, 24% did nothing upon hearing the word.  The students the same question, but this time for both friends and non-friends. When heard by friends, students were more likely to laugh, do nothing, don’t care, and join in. They were also less likely to feel sorry for the person or tell their friend it was wrong to say that. (Youth Experiences with the R-Word).