People with disabilities would like to say thank you for writing and producing Tropic Thunder—you and your movie have created a much needed national dialogue for millions of people who have or love people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Much of the press has been about using the word “Retard” and how hurtful “hate words” can be to millions of people. What has been most hurtful is the fact that “Slow Jack” portrays people with disabilities in a negative light—by emphasizing the fact that we are slow, un-coordinated, un-attractive and unwanted.  I wanted to educate you and others about these attributes. Some people with Intellectual Disabilities may process information more slowly—we have learned that with accommodations like “giving us information ahead of time, good supervision, developing regular routines and even repeating things on occasion” we can be leaders in the work place, school settings, churches—the community. Some people with Intellectual Disabilities are uncoordinated—but many of us are talented athletes and even refer to ping pong as “our game”!  Some people with Intellectual Disabilities may appear as “unattractive” to others because of bad haircuts or big teeth. Here is some information that might explain why some of us look the way we do… Did you know that many people with disabilities live off of Social Security Income which is about $653 a month? We are expected to pay for our rent and food with this income. We can work—but often we are trained to work at minimum wage jobs without benefits—so we rely on Medicaid for our health insurance. It is important to understand these issues because it means that we can not afford to get the best haircuts and clothes. And in terms of health care –Medicaid does not pay for dental services and if we do have insurance we have found some dentists won’t work on people with Intellectual Disabilities—“It’s not their area of expertise!” Are our teeth really any different? Lastly, and probably one of the most hurtful parts of the movie is when the actors talk about adopting a baby and make reference to the fact “you get to choose your child” rather than “getting stuck” with a child that appears to have a disability…To be honest it is not easy to grow up as a person with a disability or as a sibling of a person of a disability or as a parent of a person with a disability. But once we are here—we are anything but “Unwanted”.  Mr. Stiller—Here is one last fact. Having a disability in a country where beauty and riches are valued—leaves millions of people living very lonely and isolated lives. As a result we are some the most avid movie watchers in America.  We look up to you and see  you as “Stars” because through your movies we experience a life that we don’t often have access too…Why does this hurt so much? Because you have made us feel “Unwanted!” Can we talk Ben Stiller? Jill Egle’Co-Executive Director and a Young Woman with an Intellectual Disability   You Tube the letter: “Can We Talk, Ben Stiller?”