Mistake made by "The View" television show

While watching "The View" this morning, I couldn't believe what I heard come out of Joy Behar's mouth. I actually love their comic relief most of the time and think each cohost can hold her own, but Joy took huge steps back in my opinion when it comes to people with disabilities. You can watch the segment by clicking here. It begins at 18 minutes, 20 seconds. I contacted the show immediately. Read the letter I sent in below, and I encourage you to contact the show as well.


Dear Producers of The View,

My name is Alyson Roth, and I represent the state of California as Ms. Wheelchair California and 2nd Runner Up to Ms. Wheelchair America 2010. I was involved in a near-fatal car accident at the age of 21 years old that left me a paraplegic and dependant on a wheelchair.

I love watching The View and love the insight that each of your cohosts bring to the table. However, this morning, Joy Behar crossed the line when referring to children with disabilities as "retarded." This word is demoralizing and archaic, and in the disability community, it is similar to calling someone who is African American a "nigger." I would never use that word to characterize anyone, and certainly the word "retarded" should not be used either.

My intent in writing this email is to simply educate not only your cohosts, but the entire community that words like "retarded" are not encouraging or uplifting and do not bring us together as a nation united. People with disabilities are educated, smart, funny, loyal, and accomplished individuals just like everyone else and deserve equal respect. Please pass on this information, and I sincerely hope an apology is made on air tomorrow. As said, I love watching The View and it usually is so comical, however my mouth literally dropped when I heard Ms. Behar use that word.

Thank you for your time, and if you'd like further information, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Alyson Roth
Ms. Wheelchair California
Ms. Wheelchair America 2010, 2nd Runner Up
www.mswheelchairca.org

Click here to voice your own opinion to the producers of the show regarding the use of this word. The more people that are educated, the better this world will be! Thank you!