Over the past few years we have seen a rise in people demanding that slurs like "f*ggot," "sl*t" and "that's gay" along numerous other offensive terms be abolished from day to day conversation for the fact that it may hurt someone listening. But what about the people that don't necessarily have the voice to speak out for themselves? What happens when a word is so offensive to someone but many times they can't say that you're hurting their feelings? When you say "that's retarded" or "don't be a retard," do you realize what you're really saying?

Five years ago I was blessed of having a little 7-year-old sister come into my life. She's funny, she's beautiful and loves to go on little adventures. The only difference between my sister and other children is that she has Down Syndrome. And no, don't say she has Downs, don't say she is a "Down Syndrome Child." She is a child that has a hiccup/obstacle like any of us do; she just needs a little extra help. Before Ashley came into my life I didn't think of the R-word as anything. I was at fault for saying it a few times myself, but after having such an amazing person become such an important part of my life, I realize how hurtful that word can really be.

When you say "that's retarded" what you're really saying is that something is stupid or inferior. The two words go hand in hand because for as far back as I can remember, those that have a mental disability or what my family calls a "hiccup" have been considered dumb or stupid. Now let me tell you that this is far from the truth. Because of the obstacles that special needs citizens face, they typically find new ways to do the day to day tasks that we do. They just do it a little bit differently.

Over the summer I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Los Angeles and witness the Special Olympics, where the world's best special needs athletes come and compete in the same types of competitions seen in other "normal" athletic events. At the Special Olympics they spoke about the R-word and how it is really hurtful to their athletes. As they continued to speak about it, you could see the athletes' shoulders slump a little bit and the smiles disappeared from their faces, because they know what that word means.

Everyone remembers when a gay/bisexual/lesbian/transgender person is abused or when words are being used to hurt that subgroup of people. Why is it that a person that truly needs all the help they can get and can't even speak for themselves (depending on the disability and how severe it is) is allowed to have the R-word thrown around like it's nothing? Special needs people are looked at as taboo and have been bullied to the point that they come home in tears because they aren't accepted by students at their school. I think of the movie "Radio," where the main character was bullied by the football team and had paint thinner put on his skin, burning him in the process. I wish I could say that only happens in movies and that we as a society have progressed to where we accept all walks of life, but the truth is that we don't and those with special needs are still treated as inferior.

To end this article I want to say that those with special needs are the nicest people I have ever known. They still see the good in every person they meet regardless of what has been said in the past. They move on and live a happy life. They don't let a single moment ruin the day or their week like many of us do. I think that's admirable; I think we have a lot to learn from those with "hiccups." I think we need to start by respecting them and that starts with terminating the R-word.