The first time that I recall hearing the R-word was when I was in fourth grade. A girl who I was friends with was being bullied on the bus ride home, and, when I stood up to the bully telling her to stop, she said, "Hannah, don't be such a retard."

I didn't know what the word meant at the time, but there was indication enough in the way she said it that this was an offensive word . I came home in tears and asked my mom what the word meant. I had no idea just how vulgar the word was, and that it was often used to not only indicate that someone was stupid, slow and so on; this was also a derogatory term used to negatively refer to and deliberately insult individuals with disabilities.

As an older sister to a wonderful younger brother with down syndrome, who is the person I love most in the world, I was disheartened by how unapologetically cruel people could be.

From that day on, every single time I heard someone utter the R-word, it felt like someone had stabbed me in the chest. This felt like a direct attack on my brother and anyone else with a disability.

I have never stopped being bewildered by why anyone would use such a vile word to describe individuals with disabilities. As renowned actor Morgan Freeman said, "Attacking people with disabilities is the lowest display of power I can think of."

While this is even more hurtful as an older sibling to a brother with special needs, I have no doubt in my mind that this would baffle me even if I didn't have a younger brother with down syndrome. I feel the same disgust whenever I hear the N-word (which is, thankfully, a lot less often nowadays) and other slurs.

Granted, some people that use the R-word might not be aware of the harsh implications it has. This word had formerly been used strictly in a clinical setting to describe someone with a disorder that impaired their behaviors and cognition. However, this term has since been replaced by other terms such as intellectual disability (ID), general learning disorder, or developmental disability, which are much more considerate and not offensive.

With that being said, I expect that by the time people are young adults, they are at least somewhat aware of how offensive the term is. Rather than continuing to use this word, they should use their influence on the younger generation to explain why the R-word is offensive and teach them not to say it.

One of my biggest fears, as not only an innately protective sibling, but also as an older sister to a brother with down syndrome, is that he won't be treated the same way as his peers are. That he will be looked down upon as someone unworthy of equal treatment, as someone less capable than others and, thus, less deserving of respect, and more deserving of being treated cruelly.

I am so grateful to the people who are becoming more cognizant of slurs like this one and are making a concerted effort to educate others to stop using these hurtful words.

Organizations such as Best Buddies, Special Olympics, NADS and the Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign, give me hope for a brighter future when the R-word won't be used as prominently and, even more importantly, when people will acknowledge individuals like my brother by their abilities, rather than their disabilities.

My brother's strongest asset is his heart: his friendliness, generosity, kindness, and his capacity to love unconditionally. His acceptance of others is remarkable, and, as his sister, all I ask is the same in return. Don't reduce my brother — an intelligent, funny and abundantly talented human being who loves unconditionally and is a friend to all — to be the butt of a joke or an insult.

"There is no greater disability in society, than the inability to see a person as more." — Robert M. Hensel

Take the pledge today to spread the word to end the word here.