Panel, students discuss impact of ‘R-word’

Words can be powerful, especially when negative, which is why UNC's Disabilities Support Services and the University's President's Committee for Equity and Diversity hosted the "Power of Words: The R Word."

The forum focused on bringing awareness to how people with disabilities are mistreated — through language and actions — and how they would rather be treated. The panel featured a variety of University of Northern Colorado professors and students, most whom had disabilities themselves.

In addition to this interaction, students and faculty members discussed in smaller groups what some of this language meant and how it may hurt people with disabilities.

"People get defensive when you challenge the language that they're using," said Melissa Welch, a sociology graduate student. "They don't want to admit that they're wrong, or they don't want to admit or feel stupid for being wrong, but it shouldn't prevent people from spreading the message that there are better words. Using the R-word is just as bad as any other slur."

Though the use of words was the main topic, it was not the only thing focused on. Other topics included how to talk to a person who is deaf without an interpreter, how to ask a person who is blind whether they need help, how to interact with a service dog and other topics students were curious about.

Jeffery Houser, a professor of sociology, helped set up and host the event.

Houser is deaf and specializes in sociology pertaining to individuals with disabilities. He said having an open dialogue with students is a good way to start changing individual and group views.

"We have this series about the power of words because it is important to discuss the way we use language to make ‘diversity' a bad word as opposed to a good word," Houser said. "If we can get this campus to see diversity as a plus, then maybe it will encourage people from different backgrounds to come to UNC and improve the quality of education in all of our classes, and have that increase the level of diversity."

Attending students said they thought the use of language that may be perceived as offensive in some instances was an important subject for students to start discussing.

Alex Sager, a sophomore sociology major, said he felt it is a topic often dismissed by his peers.

"I have an internal illness," Sager said. "You can't see it, or anything like that, but when I tell someone about it, lots of ideas run through their head. When people say stuff like the R-word, I feel like they might as well call me that, even though I don't show any qualities. It still hurts."

Houser said he was pleased with the overall turnout of the event.

"I thought we were going to run out of chairs," Houser said. "I think we probably had well over 100 students here. This is an intimate setting, and the students reacted well to that. I was very excited to see this many students and the interest level they expressed."