Comments on the National Survey
You can use the comment box at the end to tell us what you think about any of these issues.
Questions 1-5 – gender, age, ethnicity, education and location.
These questions allow us to determine if there are difference based on these five things. For instance, when we look at all people in the 12th grade that take survey, do we find that they have different attitudes and views about people with developmental disabilities than all students in the 9th grade. We can find this out for different age groups and the other factors as well.
Question #6 – Which of the following words below do you believe is the most offensive to people with developmental disabilities?
All of the words listed are negative ones used to describe people with developmental disabilities. “Imbecile,” “moron” and “idiot” were used early in the last century (before 1950). In comments about this question, we are finding that most students are not aware that these words are (or were in the past) even associated with people with developmental disabilities.
Students are saying also that ‘retard” is so commonly used that they never think of people with developmental disabilities when it is used. It is a throw away slang word that is used mainly to joke around.
This may be good news if they use their awakening and sudden awareness about the group that is hurt by it, to eliminate it from their vocabulary. Many are saying this is what they are doing.
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Why do you think these words are seen as negative now when they weren’t seen that way when they were first used to describe people with developmental disabilities?
Could it be that when people are not valued in our schools and communities, that any word that is used to describe them eventually becomes disrespectful?
Question #7 – When you think of a person with a disability, what do you think of first?
We ask this question because we believe that people with developmental disabilities aren’t seem in the same category as people with physical disabilities. The disabilities that people can see, such as people in wheelchairs, deaf and blind, are what we view as having disabilities. People with developmental disabilities are more often seen as “the retarded” if their disability is seen at all. We see some evidence that there is a hierarchy of disability groups and people with developmental disabilities are on the bottom rung of a disability ladder.
Our survey results to date may support this as more people respond that other disabilities are ones they think of first.
It is also important to understand that someone who has a mental health issue (mental illness) is not the same as someone with a developmental disability.
Questions #8 and #9 – Do you have a disability? Do you have a family member with one?
It is likely that someone who deals with a disability all time in their life will respond differently to this survey. We want to see if this is true.
Questions #10, 11 and 12 – Do you have any friends… How often do you socialize… Do you think that you will have friends with developmental disabilities?
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: If you don’t have any friends that have a developmental disability in high school, and you don’t socialize at all with people with a developmental disability, do you think you will be friends with someone with this disability after you are out of high school?
Questions #13, 14 and 15 -- How often did you hear the words “retarded” or “retard” in the last week? How often have you said this word, and do you find this word offensive?
Most people are reporting that they use this word much less than they hear it said, and that they do find it offensive.
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: In what ways can you still be negative and disrespectful to people with developmental disabilities even though you never say the R word?
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Do you think you can still respect people with developmental disabilities even though you use the word “retard” or “retarded.”
Questions #16 – Why do you think a person calls someone else a “retard” or “retarded?”
Here is a link to an article about a government worker who used the word “retarded” and got in trouble for it.
http://www.aolnews.com/politics/article/rahm-emanuels-fiasco-continues-despite-multiple-apologies/19344132
Most are saying that the word is used to joke around, and to also put someone down. As mentioned earlier many do not even associate it with a person with a developmental disability.
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Do you think that if he said the idea was “moronic” or “idiotic,” that advocates would have said anything to him about his use of language?
Do you think that the usage of this word is so commonplace that most people don’t think of its implications when they use it?
Question #17 – Do you think that a new word that replaces “retard” would be used in the same way?
Based on what we know from past experiences and human behavior, one would have to believe that there will always be a slang word to put people down for acting “dumb.”
Could it also be true that any new word to describe people with developmental disabilities has the potential to be that descriptor?
Questions #18, 19 and 20 – Disrespect shown by, comedians, radio personalities, actors, celebrities, adults in general, and in movies
To what degree do the media and the pop culture influence our language, attitudes and behavior toward people with developmental disabilities? We think this influence is considerable and we would like to hear what you think.
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: If we grow up in a popular culture that commonly uses words like “retard” and “retarded,” how can we overcome that culture and peer pressure and change our own attitudes and language, and also begin to change the attitudes and language of others?
Questions #21, 22, 23, and 24 – These are questions that help us get some idea of the present opinions of students about this group.
#21 – Boycotting is a strategy that essentially says “I will not buy something from or give money to an enterprise that chooses to portray people in negative ways.” We want to know if you feel so strongly about this issue you would consider something drastic like this.
#22 – Many family members and friends believe that the more people with developmental disabilities are included in everyday life, the more likely an employer will see their potential and/or find a way to employ these individuals. What do you think?
#23 -- While we are asking your opinion on this, it is worth noting that there is no law prohibiting two people of the opposite gender with developmental disabilities from marrying.
#24 – The same is true in the case of living independently. With some support, many people with this disability can live on their own.
Question #25 – Do you think that people with developmental disabilities are abused and neglected more often than people without disabilities?
Yes. People with developmental disabilities are abused and have crimes committed against them at a rate that is four to 10 times greater than those without disabilities at every age. Over ninety (90) percent of the abusers are people that know the person with the developmental disability.
Question #26 – How are people with developmental disabilities treated when they encounter the criminal justice system?
Through the entire criminal justice system, people with developmental disabilities are less likely to be treated fairly because of their disability whether they are victims, suspects, defendants, convicted of a crime or prisoners.
Comments:
A campaign on dignity and respect
for people with developmental disabilities.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN THE PETITION VIDEO DONATE CONTACT US | ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
| ||||
A project of The Arc of Riverside County | 8138 Mar Vista Court | Riverside, CA 92504 | P: 888.818.6298 | F: 951.688.7207
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2009 The Arc of Riverside County. All rights reserved.
