Family Member is a very special organization. Along with their mission to end hate speech, they also provide a network to families facing similar challenges. Family Member is a family I'm very thankful and proud to be a part of!
Will never support Family Member organization due to the organization's usage of the offensive phrase "Special Needs". Wrote to the founder and explained why some people with Disabilities (myself included) consider "Special Needs" to be offensive. The founder never did write me back and the organization still uses the offensive phrase "Special Needs".
You do not know the PWD Community as well as you think you do. Please read the answers in the Persons With Disabilities yahoo answers board. All of the answers are from PWDs including myself. You will discover that almost all of the answers express dislike/hatred of the term "special needs".
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110518090941AAqWvpA
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvArbLpv60TfuihJvQ6bLZ_B_Nw4?qid=20100519170715AAJrvoh
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuWIbY5Wo0dZ8Pdx.OzJeObB_Nw4?qid=20080624171337AAFDpJQ
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuWIbY5Wo0dZ8Pdx.OzJeObB_Nw4?qid=20080701075446AAkMgAf
The Case Against Special Needs
By Kathie Snow
http://disabilityisnatural.com/images/PDF/specneed.pdf
Family Member is an organization that cares about those who are less fortunate, the disabled. It doesn't matter what the disability, they speak for all of us. Step by step, one by one, sites are being removed from Facebook, some are responding in favor of our request, others are not. I recently saw Ginger Zee from Good Morning America admit her mistake, she heard and 'got it'! Kudos to Hannah for all or her hard work in taking on this challenge, we stand and applaud her diligence.
There are a few non profits who actually do what they say they do, this is Family Member! Other huge groups who say they advocate against hate speech and media discrimination against people with disabilities talk the talk, but Family Member walks the walk!!!
I am the mother of a son with Down syndrome. Family Member is an advocate organization that is making real change in eliminating hate speech and bullying by addressing it through participant advocacy. On a weekly and sometimes a daily basis we as parents are allowed to help in making change through the direction and stewardship of Family Member.
Family Member has done so much to make the pubic aware of hate speech and discrimination of special needs individuals and families. There is no other organization that reviews so much on social media to find and try to eradicate hate speech. The approach is professional and proactive. Many companies and people who are approached by Family Member actually understand after their words or opinions are questioned, and change their perspective or attitude. This is a long battle and one Family Member won't give up trying to change. Bravo!
Family Member is a media advocate which confronts the difficult issues of hate speech, disrespect, and bullying of people who live with disability. Family Member confronts these issues on the internet, in the media, and locally on the streets of all of our towns and cities. Family Member wants to stop hurtful language, but it also wants to encourage and support respectful portrayals of people with disability by helping to educate citizens of power and influence and ordinary citizens about the beauty and contributions of all people in our communities.
Family Member has created tangible change for the disability community by confronting anti-disability hate speech on the internet. As much as I wish there was no need, I'm grateful for its work.
Family Member provides a voice for all of us that have loved ones with a disability. They are the only organization who has the sole purpose of eradicating hate speech and the mocking of all people living with disabilities.
Family Member is one of the few special needs organizations that is willing to confront the issues regardless of the fallout or consequences - we must advocate for all people with special needs and disabilities, educating the public about the value of each one us, and the need to treat each person with dignity and respect.
Family Member IS an exclusive club that requires only one thing for membership – that you know and love someone with a disability. It gives you rights to approach any other person with a disability to give a smile and a few kind words. It also gives you responsibility to defend others with disabilities in wrongful situations (seeing someone bullied, denied access to an event, struggling with their walker trying to get through a door, etc.). Family Member organization is dedicated to bringing this enormous group together as a singular unit - to not only promote the strength bring a singular, large unit can bring but also to remind members of the responsibilities we all have for anyone we come across who has a disability.
Family Member works to ensure that all people living with special needs and disabilities are represented fairly and accurately in news, entertainment and social media.
Our mission is to erase the negative stereotypes about disability that exist today, starting with language. We work to educate people that it is not acceptable to use slurs like the r-word that marginalize and make a mockery of the disability community.
hannah28 11/25/2014
The person who wrote this review is probably the only person around who is offended by the term special needs. I'm guessing there is no disability organization that she likes because they all use the term special needs. It's sad that she doesn't know about any of the good work we do fighting hate that targets special needs and disabilities. Instead of doing good, she trolls.