Maybe you've heard it before, but I'm going to say it again because it's important: don't use the R-word.

For those of you who may not know what this stands for, I'll spell it out for you. The initialism stands for retard. By definition, retard means to "delay or hold back in terms of progress, development, or accomplishment." The word no doubt carries a negative connotation, which is why it is frequently used as an offensive slang term. For someone to use retard shows an overall lack of empathy for people with disabilities, and it shows a limited repertoire of the English language.

I'm well aware people slip up in their speech, and each and every one of us is guilty. I'll admit, in middle school the word escaped my lips more than once. But, I was only 12 and I didn't quite understand nor was I fully educated on the ramifications of using words such as the R-word. People with disabilities were not visible in my middle school. Now, there's no excuse. Saying you don't mean to offend those with disabilities doesn't count. We get so offended by those who use gay and racial jokes. This is no different.

I have been a coach/volunteer/friend/fan of Special Olympics Montana and its athletes for my entire life. My love and passion for this organization began at a very young age, from watching my second cousin Ray compete in a wide array of events and sports. Ray has Down syndrome. In no way does he embody the R-word, he has never been held back in anyway or delayed in accomplishing anything. Ray could make a list about a mile long of all his accomplishments. Ray is 63 years old. When he was born, his diagnosis was retardation, and his life sentence was to live in an institution. From Ray's first breath, the assumption for his entire life was that he wouldn't amount to much.

Instead, Ray has inadvertently spent his whole life proving to everyone who crosses his path that the definition of his life doesn't match the definition of retard. Ray's definition would be determined, (maybe a little stubborn) great at math, funny and the absolute biggest sports fan you'd ever meet. He has a huge collection of medals and ribbons he has been awarded at Special Olympics over the years, and he can tell you the score of any Spurs game ever.

Ray was my first inspiration, but he will not be my last. It is people like Ray who show me and the world why we must continue to be better, in the language we use to describe things, how we speak to each other, how we treat each other. The R-word, frankly, is archaic. We can use words of a higher quality, and in doing so, it will be advantageous to ourselves and our communities to remove one small piece of hate in an already hate-filled world.

Teachers, parents, friends, colleagues... we can all be a part of changing our diction. My favorite expression that was drilled into me in high school was the new R-word is Respect. That's really all this is, taking a moment to think how we can engage in respectful conversation, no matter what were talking about.