Would you call Ella RETARDED?

About Me

Hi, I’m Krista.

Strategic communicator and storyteller.

I am the wife of a very talented musician who takes me around the world in pursuit of excellence. Mama to Jakob, Audrey and Ella, who just happens to have Down Syndrome.
And an aspiring disciple of Jesus, defender of the oppressed, writer, graphic designer and photographer.

I write and speak on navigating through the fog of life…you know, when things don’t go exactly as planned and am fuelled by a passion to amplify the voices of those on the margins…
oh, and coffee…lots of coffee.

Today is the day.

The day to spread the word to end the word.

To be honest, I think about Ella’s future a lot. I think about how, before long, my little girl will be a big girl – starting school, experiencing life and embracing all the world has to offer. I think about how she will, not long after that, grow to be beautiful woman, going to university, moving out on her own for the first time and falling in love.

And yet…

Through all my dreaming and scheming, I always seem to omit the part where she will be ridiculed, teased, bullied and called

RETARDED.

But in reality, it has already happened, maybe not to Ella but to girls just like Ella.

It is hurtful.

It is mean.

It is disrespectful.

And…

It is unacceptable.

Will you join us in making the pledge?

I pledge and support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.

Please, spread the word to end the word.

Post it on facebook, post it on twitter, post it on your blog.

And by the way, thank you for your support.