Retire the R-Word: Why Removing It From Our Vocabulary Matters
Words matter. People matter more.
Most people today understand that the R-word should never be used to describe or insult a person with an intellectual disability.
But what about using it to describe a bad decision? A frustrating situation? Something we think is stupid or ridiculous?
At CLA, we believe it’s time to take the next step: retire the R-word altogether.
Not just when we’re around people with disabilities. Not just when we’re trying to be polite. Remove it from our vocabulary.
Because every time the word is casually used as a joke or insult, we help normalize it. And every time we choose a different word, we help create a culture where dignity and respect become the norm.
That’s why we’re launching Retire the R-Word, a conversation about language, respect, and the power each of us has to make a different choice.
Sometimes the response is, “I would never call someone with a disability that.”
But consider what gives the word its meaning as an insult in the first place.
When a word associated with intellectual disability is used as another way of saying stupid, incompetent, ridiculous, or bad, intellectual disability becomes the comparison that makes the insult work.
The person with a disability doesn’t have to be in the conversation for that message to be reinforced.
But good intentions don’t mean we can’t reconsider our language when we learn that it affects others differently than we intended.
Changing a word we use isn’t about shaming people for what they said in the past. It’s about deciding what we want our words to communicate going forward.
Every time the R-word is casually used as a joke or insult, it keeps the word familiar and socially acceptable. When we hear a word repeatedly—especially from people around us—it can begin to feel normal.
And normalization matters.
Children and young people learn language by listening to the people around them. When adults casually use the R-word, even without intending harm, they model that it is an acceptable way to insult someone or describe something negatively.
We have an opportunity to interrupt that cycle simply by choosing another word.
Language alone doesn’t create inclusion. But language can help shape the culture in which inclusion either grows or struggles.
The words we use communicate what—and whom—we value.
That’s why this isn’t simply about removing one word. It’s about recognizing the dignity of people who have too often been defined by labels, stereotypes, and assumptions.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll invite members of our CLASS community who would like to participate to share their own thoughts about respect, language, inclusion, and how they want others to see them.
Their answers may be serious. They may be funny. They may have nothing to do with disability at all.
And that’s part of the point.
A person is never a diagnosis or a label. They’re an artist. A sports fan. A musician. A friend. A gardener. A daughter. A son. A coworker. Someone who loves to dance, cook, laugh, learn, travel, help others—or simply relax.
Each person has a story that is uniquely their own.
We can do the same with the R-word.
Not because someone is forcing us to change our vocabulary, but because we understand what the word has come to represent and recognize that we have countless better choices.
Don’t normalize it. Retire it.
Then let’s keep working toward something even bigger: a community where people of all abilities are known, valued, included, and respected.
#RetireTheRWord
Most people today understand that the R-word should never be used to describe or insult a person with an intellectual disability.
But what about using it to describe a bad decision? A frustrating situation? Something we think is stupid or ridiculous?
At CLA, we believe it’s time to take the next step: retire the R-word altogether.
Not just when we’re around people with disabilities. Not just when we’re trying to be polite. Remove it from our vocabulary.
Because every time the word is casually used as a joke or insult, we help normalize it. And every time we choose a different word, we help create a culture where dignity and respect become the norm.
That’s why we’re launching Retire the R-Word, a conversation about language, respect, and the power each of us has to make a different choice.
“But I Wasn’t Talking About Someone With a Disability”
The R-word is still sometimes used to describe a bad decision, a frustrating situation, something considered ridiculous, or even a friend who did something foolish.Sometimes the response is, “I would never call someone with a disability that.”
But consider what gives the word its meaning as an insult in the first place.
When a word associated with intellectual disability is used as another way of saying stupid, incompetent, ridiculous, or bad, intellectual disability becomes the comparison that makes the insult work.
The person with a disability doesn’t have to be in the conversation for that message to be reinforced.
Intent and Impact Aren’t Always the Same
Most people who casually use the R-word aren’t deliberately trying to hurt someone with an intellectual disability. Some grew up hearing it regularly. Others may have used it for years without thinking about where the word came from or what it communicates.But good intentions don’t mean we can’t reconsider our language when we learn that it affects others differently than we intended.
Changing a word we use isn’t about shaming people for what they said in the past. It’s about deciding what we want our words to communicate going forward.
Why Remove It From Our Vocabulary Completely?
There are plenty of other words we can use when something is frustrating, ridiculous, foolish, confusing, or just plain bad.Every time the R-word is casually used as a joke or insult, it keeps the word familiar and socially acceptable. When we hear a word repeatedly—especially from people around us—it can begin to feel normal.
And normalization matters.
Children and young people learn language by listening to the people around them. When adults casually use the R-word, even without intending harm, they model that it is an acceptable way to insult someone or describe something negatively.
We have an opportunity to interrupt that cycle simply by choosing another word.
Language Is Part of Inclusion
At CLA, we believe people with intellectual and developmental disabilities should have the same opportunities as anyone else to belong, make choices, build relationships, pursue goals, contribute to their communities, and be recognized for who they are.Language alone doesn’t create inclusion. But language can help shape the culture in which inclusion either grows or struggles.
The words we use communicate what—and whom—we value.
That’s why this isn’t simply about removing one word. It’s about recognizing the dignity of people who have too often been defined by labels, stereotypes, and assumptions.
The Voices That Matter Most
Rather than only talking about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, we also want to listen to them.Over the coming weeks, we’ll invite members of our CLASS community who would like to participate to share their own thoughts about respect, language, inclusion, and how they want others to see them.
Their answers may be serious. They may be funny. They may have nothing to do with disability at all.
And that’s part of the point.
A person is never a diagnosis or a label. They’re an artist. A sports fan. A musician. A friend. A gardener. A daughter. A son. A coworker. Someone who loves to dance, cook, laugh, learn, travel, help others—or simply relax.
Each person has a story that is uniquely their own.
Words Matter. People Matter More.
Many of us have words or expressions we once used without thinking and later chose to leave behind.We can do the same with the R-word.
Not because someone is forcing us to change our vocabulary, but because we understand what the word has come to represent and recognize that we have countless better choices.
Don’t normalize it. Retire it.
Then let’s keep working toward something even bigger: a community where people of all abilities are known, valued, included, and respected.
#RetireTheRWord