As recently reported by CNN, the r-word slur is becoming commonplace again. To better understand the history and implications of derogatory language used to describe people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, watch WMM release THE R-WORD (dir. Amanda Lukoff).
As the r-word resurfaces in pop culture and online spaces, amplified by high-profile figures like Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, THE R-WORD stands as both a call to empathy and a tool for education to choose what we allow to be normalized, and who gets hurt in the process. This powerful documentary offers a personal lens on a word that has long caused harm. Lukoff, who grew up advocating for her sister Gabrielle, uses storytelling, animation, and interviews with self-advocates and experts to examine how a term once used clinically evolved into a weapon of exclusion and mockery.
THE R-WORD gives voice to people with intellectual disabilities and their families and invites us to consider how words shape beliefs, and how those beliefs influence everything from schoolyard bullying to public policy.
Watch THE R-WORD. Host a screening. Start the conversation.
Because language matters and respect is not optional.
