Reply to ? for the mom w/ a toddler with down's. why are you using a handicapped tag?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In reference to the word 'retarded': I'm of two minds on this one.  My younger sister, 35, has a cognitive disability and when I try to explain it to others, I frequently find myself saying, "What we used to refer to as 'mentally retarded".  People then get it right away and there's no more confusion.  But: this word has so much historically loaded significance.  And unfortunately, the people most likely in this day and age to use the word 'retarded' also always seem to be the folks (I'm speaking only from my own experience here) who use it in a pejorative sense.  We can't win for losing.

With quick reference to the ARC (Associated of Retarded Citizens): this has been a hot-button issue for YEARS with the group.  On the one hand, obviously, the longer we kep this name, the more out of touch we seem.  On the other hand, as a purely practical matter, it's no small thing for a non-profit organization to give up the name recognition and support that comes with a familiar 'brand name' like ARC.  I still would'nt be surprised to see it changed eventually, though, just as the National Polio Organization (I think) eventually became the March of Dimes.[/quote]

Could you say she has "cognitive delays"? Seems to describe the issue without added negative connotations.[/quote]

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