A variety of terms in our English language have become slang, commonly used to degrade someone or something in society, and while words may not break bones like sticks and stones, they can certainly still hurt.

One word is used in an inappropriate fashion so frequently it has become hurtful to the people it once defined. We’ll call it the r-word.

The term “mental retardation” was introduced for medical use, clinically defining those persons with a lower intellectual capacity than average.

Today, “retard” or “retarded” are both words used in a derogatory sense, and whether it’s known or not, they are awfully insulting.

When used as a synonym for “stupid” or “dumb,” the r-word cuts deeper than any stick or stone could, reinforcing a stereotype of people who – besides their intellectual capacity – are no different than you and I.

Approximately 3 percent of our nation’s population has an intellectual dysfunction, and nearly 600,000 people ages 3-21 have a disability requiring special education.

These human beings can’t help what they go through every day. They can’t help that they learn at a slower rate than average, but what they can do is adapt to a range of experiences and emotions including joy, anger, pride and hurt.

Even when it’s not directed toward those with an intellectual disability, the term taken from doctors, psychologists, and other professionals is still hurtful to them.

The alteration of the r-word isn’t the first issue of its kind. In fact, “mentally retarded” actually took the place of a different term, “feeble-minded,” which was also becoming derogatory.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy recognized the issue and addressed it at the President’s Panel on Mental Retardation where he said:

“I sent to Congress today a series of proposals to help fight mental illness and mental retardation. These two afflictions have been long neglected. They occur more frequently, affect more people, require more prolonged treatment, cause more individual and family suffering than any other condition in American life. It has been tolerated too long. It has troubled our national conscience, but only as a problem unpleasant to mention, easy to postpone and despairing of solution. The time has come for a great national effort.”

JFK made his stance clear that the use of the word “feeble-minded” was misleading and negative, and so he went forth replacing it.

Just as it did 40 years ago, our federal government has acknowledged a need for change and has begun taking steps toward achieving it.

On Oct. 5, 2010, President Barack Obama signed bill S. 2781 into law, nicknamed Rosa’s Law.

Inspired by 9-year-old Rosa Marcellino, who has been diagnosed with an intellectual disability called Down Syndrome, Rosa’s Law initiated the removal of the terms “mentally retarded” and “mental retardation” from federal education, health and labor laws.

The correct term is now “intellectual disability,” and the signing of Rosa’s Law has initiated a change that offers dignity and respect for those who are affected by the r-word.

We, too, need to journey toward change.

I want you to put yourself in the shoes of the 3 percent of our nation targeted with this term. See yourself hurting from the use of one word.

See yourself being abused for the life you live, when it’s not something you can control.

See yourself feeling like less of a human because of one term that defines who you are.

See yourself with an intellectual disability.

It’s not something easily imagined. We need to realize who we are hurting when we use the derogatory term that was once used to define their being. We need to realize that we are hurting a group of people no different than you and I, and then stop. Stop using the r-word.

Recently, I had the chance to chat with a bus driver who had taken a trip in which he was able to drive a team of intellectually disabled kids to Special Olympics.

I tell you this story in conclusion because of one point this bus driver made that I agree with and will always hold with me.

When referring to the kids he was driving, he told me, “I often wonder if they aren’t the normal ones and everybody else should be seen as having a ‘problem.'”

The derogatory use of the r-word has been a problem for far too long.

It will remain a problem until it is fixed, and to fix it, we need to remove the r-word from our vocabulary, because “r” is only for respect.