Spread the Word to End the Word: Help stop the use of the ?R-word?

To promote acceptance of people of all intellectual abilities, the CWU Students Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC) has joined the national ?Spread the Word to End the Word? campaign, which works to stop the use of the ?R-word? to describe individuals with intellectual disabilities. On Wednesday, Nov. 12 and Thursday, Nov. 13, SCEC will host a ?Spread the Word to End the Word? event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the CWU Student Union and Recreation Center (SURC) West Patio. Attendance is free, and the community is invited. 88.1 The ?Burg will be playing music during the event, and attendees will have the opportunity to learn why the ?R-word? is socially unacceptable, as well as sign the pledge to stop using it at the ?Spread the Word to End the Word? website. The Special Olympics launched the ?Spread the Word to End the Word? campaign in 2008, and since then, the campaign has successfully raised awareness of the negative connotations of the ?R-word,? and why its use is hurtful to those with intellectual disabilities. SCEC serves as advocates for ?person first language,? which aims to describe people accurately, not negatively. This event is an opportunity to join in acceptance, and abolish use of the ?R-word? once and for all. For more information, contact Ben Prink, SCEC member, at 360-441-2355 or prinkb@cwu.edu.