Canadians spread the word to end the word

by Hailey Trealout

The love between a brother and sister has started an international campaign for equally.

In 2009, Notre Dame College student Soeren Palumbo stood in front of his peers to encourage people to stop using the R-word. Palumbo and Tim Shriver founded the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign for Palumbo’s sister Olivia, who has a developmental disorder.

Since the beginning of the campaign the Special Olympics, Best Buddies International, and celebrity activist John C. McGinley have helped spread awareness for the cause and started an annual national awareness day March 6.

Danielle Nikoletopoulos is the communication and event coordinator for the Special Olympics Ontario Chapter. She said the idea of the campaign is to spread awareness to other communities so they will promote the campaign.

“It started in the United States, so it has taken a while to filter to Canada,” said Nikoletopoulos. “There isn’t a lot of participation but there is a lot more awareness and a lot more people speaking about it and spreading the word.”

Palumbo met with several government officials to get the R-word banned from being used in government settings. The word is also going to be changed in Webster’s Dictionary to an official definition of an intellectual disability instead of the R-word.

St. Clair College student and two year Respite Care worker Kelsey Liles is studying in the educational assistant program. She said the program covers child development and how it differs for the care of children with exceptionalities.

“The biggest and most important thing we have learned is to remember that the person always comes first. For example, the child who has Cerebral Palsy. Instead of letting the disability own the person,” said Liles. “The R-word is so offensive now because there is more awareness towards the capabilities that these individuals have. There is such a lack of respect in this world simply because there is lack of knowledge around the subject of disability.”

For more information on Spread the Word to End the Word, visit www.r-word.org or check out their Facebook page to see how you can contribute to the cause.

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