Spread the Word

For weeks, the Peer Helpers from Walter C. Polson Middle School have been gluing and affixing safety pins to hundreds of orange ribbons; their message: "Spread the Word to End the Word."

These ribbons were offered on April 29 to the 605 7th- and 8th-grade students of Polson Middle School who signed the school-wide pledge to end the use of the "R word."

The Spread the Word campaign was started by Special Olympics to eliminate the use of the word retarded. Two students at Polson, who are members of Peer Helpers, decided to take this national campaign to their hometown.

One of the students, Georgia Jensen, has a younger sister with Down syndrome and explains, "We were really sick of hearing the word retarded."

Laura Cole, the other student leading the Spread the Word effort, added, "Because we know how much it offends people."

About 20 Peer Helpers, all clad in their signature orange T-shirts, worked through the morning to hang brown paper on the walls of Polson's cafeteria for the whole student body to sign during their lunches.

The pledge to end the use of the R word was handwritten on posters placed throughout the dining room.

Madison Youth & Family Services Youth Development Coordinator Peg Butler, who leads the Peer Helpers, explained that she asked her students to write out the pledge as opposed to printing it because it reminds them exactly what people are pledging for.

This year is the second time Peer Helpers have gotten together to end the use of the R word, but this year, Butler says, it's grow a bit with the creation of a video public service announcement (PSA) made by the Peer Helpers (you can see this video by visiting www.zip06.com; select Madison on the map, and click on this story).

Throughout the week, leading up to the signing of the pledge, the PSA was played in classrooms throughout Polson with various students explaining to their peers why using the R word can be devastating.

One student says, "People with intellectual disabilities can accomplish great things." Another one adds, "But the word retarded shows a lack of respect, understanding, sensitivity, and compassion."

Summing up the anticipation of so many students signing the pledge, and with her fellow Peer Helpers standing beside her, Jensen reflected, "It feels good that some people have the same feelings as I do for my sister and they want to stop it, too."

To join the nearly 133,000 people who have signed the digital pledge to the end the R word as part of the Special Olympics effort, visit www.r-word.org.