Mead High School’s Special Education Teacher Amber Vanzant is advocating for inclusion by participating in the worldwide “Spread the Word” t-shirt movement.
Ten years ago, the Special Olympics launched the Spread the Word campaign to stop the use of the “R” word and spread awareness about the need for inclusion for all. The campaign represents a commitment to ending derogatory language, discrimination, and stigma of the past, while building up and fostering inclusivity.
Vanzant started the campaign at her school in order to increase involvement and fundraise for her Unified teams. Over the years, the campaign has evolved throughout the district and all staff are invited to participate in the campaign. Vanzant organizes the t-shirt sales for the district and the movement has helped to expand inclusive opportunities in the district. “I think it has helped other schools get involved with Special Olympics and Unified, and at the very least helped promote the message of inclusion,” Vanzant said.
This year’s t-shirt design features the Special Olympics Colorado license plate design on the front and includes a quote from Special Olympics Founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver on the back.
On March 6, all campaign participants will wear their red “Spread The Word” shirts to help convey the message of inclusion. Vanzant hopes the t-shirts will open up conversations about inclusion. She said, “I think it gives people a starting point for a conversation about inclusion. When I wear my inclusion shirts, people ask me about them and I am able to spread the word. We also do activities throughout the week at my building to help educate our students on inclusion and to get more students involved in the movement.”