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I Saturday. Aug. 31. 2013, 6 DIM-(10!. Mnxrnm. AM) Man "MIDPlfl-Tn (.‘mrl Paolua'l Mummmumbr mmmmm mmadm tehphuwmnlba. [maid-drum the fim'hibtmcm lhfrfifllnptflnhm mnpmbflundumdt hum-um . nu Wm mam: My Name. and 5M1; £3 a divwn a m Mam-ma Meow wow ltd a M mac woman 0' W Dam Williams (In Jhum Hwy: m“ u 0m YntL quon Hand hump uuumumfl [ETTERS POLICY Imuflmfl‘wmg . um Dim rml. Duns-mum hm m Purim-n Uuphnr I (In: muamm mum-am r00me Dnmnuu. P-oomn'um Im kw .‘vmm hm Mason SATURN" FORUM We should all take Stand against the ’R-word’ The objective was to motivate others to respect those with spe- cial needs and. most importantly. eliminate the R-word. This makes it harder on those who can, including Vanessa 72k Brandon's younger sister. Inspin-d hy her relationship with her brother. Vanessa wrote a speech in Grade 8 about reduc- ing the use of the R-word and presented 1: to her schOol. Vanessa took a step further and contacted (Iitytv, which cre- ated a video to tell the story. The video shows the loving afiection Vancafia Shams for her older bmthcr and "11'" (‘luw bond. At times. their roles of the older and younger sibling arc rwemi. Brandon Yak dewloped what is referred to as lQplusg. It is a wry rare genetic disorder with which very few teenagers are hum. It postpones the develop- ment uf a person's mental umdi- lion. 'lhis disability enabIt-s people such as. Brandon to become vic- tims of the word “retarded”. lite problem is autistic people are unable to understand they an- being targeted. "I saw a rise in the use of the word and I wanted to make a dif- ference for my bmther and oth- ers." Vanessa said. Marduk .1 word known in exprvss the (May in the mcngal dm'ckrpmcm of a person. Nowadays, Ihis word is mm- mnnly Used by teenagers as an insult. Many people do not undvr- stand the éigniflcaxm- of £th single word. Not so for the Zak familv uf Swuflvilk’. Her motives are to raise awareness about the R-word and persuade poopk' to stop using it. [he word has been used on her brother but he wasn't amm' of it and the pain it caused his sister. Vanessa's campaign has “Spread the word. to end the pun-en to be successful. People WM" have apologized and altemd their vocabulary and she has been . invited m whnnk m pmmme hot ,fimwnms” want] ‘35 ‘ m m Everyone can make a differ- ence in the world. You just need to summon the (mirage to mice the desim to do so. Make a diflerentr and stand up for what is important. This is ultimately the nwssage that Van- vssa 'lak's eflofls and lave for her brother express. To learn mom about Vanessa Iak's m'u‘xsinn. visit http://www. Ltitymmxwmomflll I l0/lhe- Inside-story«eon-un-a-misskm- m-cndâ€"thc-r-wnrd/ ’ “A lot of people amn'l aware ul' whm they'll: may-lug." slu: mid “They should he educath so they’ll know and they'll step." Vanessa has pmven that dedi- cation. passion and hard work canrmakc a difference in the worid. Bu! sho‘ has also shown that spreading love around can impact the lives of so many people for the better. Tu \'i(‘\N similar campaigns. n'sit http;! lwqu-wordorgl or httpszl I Mittenmm/ lind1he- A single “year-old has vm‘numgai a wnion of ()nlarin In respect autistic children. M ‘ However. Vanessa has done more than persuade others In respect disabled (iii/I'm. She has taught everyone she knows to be a good citizen and stand up for what they believe in. Help malw a (Iifivmnce fur those with special needs by join- ing the Râ€"Word campaign and supporting the people promo!» mg n. Subhanghi Anandarajah “Spread the word. to end the Re; these family tips In lmmrh school war: [Jamming mlumn by Sam I Hnwrman. Aug. 15. Given that a child may only havé a 15-minute win. dow In hgvc an l-Zpi-Pen administered before a possi- bty fatal mamkm. it is vital to sham this mfunnamm With 3 In the (use of allergies for example. the teacher would appreciate information about how to spot reactions to a particular food or seen! effectn'ely and will be able to forward this information In rotary teachers and admin- istrators. Speak up early about special needs in addition to Ms Dim- cnnaén’s timely tips. for pm- paring kids for school. in the casv oi special needs. 1 would suggest it would also be prudent to mquest a meeting with the teacher to go over important manage- ment and care of the child. since school administration may change. school reman may ndt contain up-to-datc information and changes may have occurred over the summer. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GENERAL umumn Iohn Wilh'ms PUBLISHER Ian Pmudfoot o 0 SCHOOL BUS o o Regarding academics. the best way :0 mmivate our children in school is by ixnpmving their attitude to gestures. which go 3 mm; way to reducing the effects of insensitivity and exclusion in our schools and The violence of sharp words. the pain of being brushed off. am at the bean of the bullying problems we 4 I have witnessed this kind of behaviour many times in gmry stores. parking lots and more in our relativeiy affluent Thomhill am. By being generous and muneous. we give the gifi of compassionate behavior to our children. As an administrator whh one of our school boards. I appmciatc the need for up- tu-dale medical information and actively encourage par- ents to meet with tealde as ready as possible to avoid iny misunderstandings. H lwnuld alwufge caregiv- ers to continuousiy model the use of kind words and Wis can easily do this by speaking well ohhe admint the people who see the child mm! (men. SHW'Ii'ibune 6290 Main 5!. Sam. on L0 167 www.com ! wish to thank Maureen O'Hafloran 0f the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville for taking such good can: of Stoufiville’s beautiful flow- As a result of her hard work and dedication“ get to enjoy a wonderful anay of coburs (hwmmn flowers appreciated Of course. disagreements ran happen. but they shmdd not detract from the overall If we follow these steps. our Children will be more disposed to behaving well. focus more on ingruc- lions and 'complele work more fully so as to he rec- ognized both at home and at schoot ‘Istrators and teachers and by demonstrating respect "ward weathers and the rur- riculum. Children pick up even/- thing, even when they're not in proximity. respea we hold for educa- Iional institutions. WENDY STINSON 31m 'HVILLL PETER DEBORAN I m 1mm! 1