People with intellectual and developmental disabilities still
face exclusion, social isolation, and social abuse in schools,
workplaces, and communities. This prevents us from building truly
inclusive societal structures, where we can learn and grow together. To
drive change and help create a more inclusive society, Spread the Word
to End the Word was founded in 2009 by college students Soeren Palumbo
(Notre Dame 2011) and Tim Shriver (Yale 2011).
Spread the Word
Inclusion is led and continuously re-imagined by our youth activists.
Their efforts are designed to rally schools, organizations, and
communities to commit to the inclusion and acceptance of people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities.
As we head into 2023, our continuing mission with Spread
the Word is blessed with an opportunity we have not had in three years:
We can stop and take a breath. We can assess where we’ve been and be
deliberate about where we go next. The thematic for 2023 is Going All In(clusive):
This thematic is action-oriented—a motivational rallying cry that
doubles down on the belief that everyone is the goal of our efforts.
We
are calling on our youth, our Special Olympics athletes and ambassadors
to share their stories of courage, dedication, and engagement for
inclusion. They are encouraged to share when the last time was that
they went all in(clusive)—totally committed to something, bet everything
on a hand, stood up for something they believed in. In a call to
action, each individual message is encouraged to end with a personal
commitment on how they plan to “go all in” to take their own action for
inclusion.
Going all in(clusive) also means speaking
up against the wrong and demeaning use of the R-word in conversations.
It is part of an education effort that showcases that language informs
attitudes and attitudes impact actions.
Although our awareness day is on March 1, 2023, "Spread the Word" is an every day campaign to promote respect, acceptance, and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. Please get involved, take the pledge, plan an event, share your stories year round.
