Your Such A Retard.................xoxo Shimmerkiss

Say that around me and you'll receive a swift kick in the butt. This was a word commonly used in my vocabulary until about a year ago. I thought nothing of calling someone retarded or mental. It just showed how stupid they were. Then I started working at ARP ( Adapted Rec Program) and was informed that the word 'retarded' should be banned from my vocabulary or I would have hell to face with the boss. Now I see why. I work with disabled people...young, old, men, women, children... who all have different forms of disabilities. Take *Chuck* ( name changed for personal purposes) This child has ADHD in the extream. I have not once seen him sit down in one spot for more than ten minutes. At the age of about 8 or 9, children are usually high strung. But thats an understatement for him. He whizzes back and forth, clapping his hands and laughing. And I love him for it, even if I have to chase him down the hallway every time I let go of his hand. Next, we'll talk about *Julie* ( again, name changed) She lives in a reality vs. fantasy world. She confuses cartoons with real life, insisting that she's ' on top of Celia's head' We always told her to look around and tell us where she was. That usually got her focused. Funny though, one day she brought in "Celia" turns out, she is real. She's a doll...but this whole time she just might have been sitting on her head.:0) Last but not least, *Greg* I love Greg, he's an awesome kid. Im not too sure what he has, but he has a tendency to run...out a door, down the street type of run. And then we chase him. He'll willingly lock arms with me though and walk with me. He's his own beat box...constantly humming and jamming to his own rythem. *Greg* is motivated by food...he's always hungry and eats anything you give him. Yet, from his constant moving he's as skinny as a pole and quite strong. So you see, all these people and the many more I work with are just like us. Sweet, fun, and unique. Dont ever call someone a retard in defense of yourself or as a joke, its really not funny.

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