When a bunch of 14-year-old hockey players were heard casually tossing around the "R" word earlier this year, Jordan Buckellew was just the one to address the situation.
"I am the person who will call out a stranger who uses the word, for better or worse," she said about being asked to talk to the boys. "Having worked in the disability community, I greatly understood the impact of how the 'R' word is received."
But there was no shaming involved in explaining to them why using "retarded" as an insult would be deeply hurtful to others. "These kids don't really think outside their own experience," Buckellew said. "I try to come from a positive place. I am very careful not to be rude, saying, 'There are so many other words you can use.' This had a huge impact on how they received the message."
The 27-year-old, who owns her own photography business, has made it her business to champion people with disabilities and those who have been bullied — which has sometimes been personal.
"I was told to lay off the doughnuts," Buckellew said of a comment on one of her Instagram posts. "So I bought six dozen doughnuts and did a photo shoot. I could have let it have power over me, but I decided to meet this with positivity.
"I like doughnuts! I'm not giving them up."
An accidental advocate
Buckellew, an Iowa native, says she "stumbled into advocacy." After graduating from the University of Minnesota, she worked in employment services and job coaching for people with disabilities, including for Make-A-Wish and ACR Homes, which provides accessible housing and services.
"I saw the best and worst of that system, and the advocate in me started to rear her head," she said. "I was very disheartened about the lack of options and pay, and the inability of corporate America to help with job skills.