There is still so much work to do to change people's attitudes about cognitive disabilities. A recent email from a special- needs support site brought this to my attention in a jaw-dropping way.
It seems that a certain online greeting card site, one that prides itself in outrageous and offensive messages, offered a "greeting" that said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "Congratulations, you're kid is a retard", along with an unflattering photo of a person with Down syndrome.
Would this site ever offer a card that said "Congratulations, your child is deaf? Or Blind? Needs a feeding tube or oxygen tank for the rest of their life? Has organ damage or cancer?"
Probably not.
But it's ok to make fun of an intellectual disability. Like our loved one wants it or asked for it. Like it doesn't profoundly impact their lives, and everyone else's lives around them. Forever.
That email card has since been taken down. But I still question why some people think it is ok to insult those with intellectual disabilities.
We are here to remind them: It's not ok, ever.
Sharon Marie
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