Cheering for My Colleague

My colleague came into work today and told us a story about a neighbor who came up on her porch to trick-or-treat. She said he had just graduated from high school. He told her he was dressed up as “a retarded person” and was immitating his perception of people with mental retardation.
“Your parents must be so proud of you,” she told him. “Now get off my porch.”
I’m happy to work in an organization and particularly in a department that has such high awareness of these things. If she had been in my harassment training group, maybe it would have been easier. But more importantly, we need citizens like her everywhere to stand up for those who don’t wear disability as a costume.