Disability Rights Washington (DRW) and The Office of Developmental Disabilities Ombuds (DDO) condemn Senator Christian’s recent use of the R word during the floor debate on HB 1390, a bill to eliminate the Community Protection Program (CPP). We are outraged that instead of learning about the importance of eliminating this program, Senator Christian demonstrated a gross misunderstanding of the bill while using a harmful slur to diminish people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
We support self-advocates in their efforts to raise attention to the impact of the word spoken on the Senate floor and have signed on to this letter to Leadership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
If you would like to learn more about respectful language, please check out these Rooted in Rights blogs:
My Journey to Rejecting Ableism and Embracing Disability Identity by Susan Reynolds.
If You’re Writing About Disability, You Need to Read These Guidelines by Alaina Leary.
Here’s Some Free Advice for Presidential Candidates on How to Talk About Disability by Andrew Pulrang.