Hello, my name is Abigail, and I have a question. Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond.
How do you think societal perceptions of stuttering have changed over the years? What more do you think can be done to change the narrative around stuttering?
Hi Abigail and thank you for your question.
Perceptions have changed, but way to slowly, and not in all parts of the world. In some countries stuttering is still something “wrong”, something that must be treated or hidden. Some CWS still get hit, even in class, simply because they stutter, are being bullied, people can’t get a job or a partner. It’s not always socially accepted, there are still way to many myths, there are still too many “treatments” from the past (drinking snail water??), there are still too many why claim to have a quick-fix, and some that only work with fluency goals. But there is a shift. For some people to much to the other side.
Acceptance is more and more included in therapy, which is fantastic! But should be adjusted to the client’s wants, needs and possibilities, just like speech training. One size is not for all. There are great therapists who really listen before doing anything, to get to know the client and all that’s being braought to the table. More and more stutter camps appear. The need of a stuttering organisation is changing, now that we can connect and get information online.
But we need more. Faster. Even in countries where stuttering is in the open en officially accepted, we still meet bullying, discrimination, shame and wrong advice and treatment. And to only change to acceptance is not for everyone. We need to find that smörgåsbord, where clients are listened to and different options are given, even those out of the book/box.
And we who stutter, and our allies, need to talk about stuttering. Get the elephant out of the room. Join TV shows. Speak up at work. Tell the teacher your (child’s) needs and rights. Don’t accept discrimination nor bullying. Say the word, loud and clear: stuttering. We stutter. We are people who stutter. Not with any value, simply as a statement. Only when stuttering becomes normal, we can feel ourselves normal. And we can go from there, whether that’s treatment or simply keep calm and stutter on.
Keep them talking.
Anita
Hi, Abigail, and thank you for this important question!
Yes, it is very clear that societal attitudes have changed a great deal in the last few decades, and particularly in recent years.
There is much more acceptance now of differences among people, differences which include disabilities/disorders in general, and people who are differently-abled or ability-challenged in various ways.
Partly this is due to the introduction of modern disabilities laws, which mostly weren’t around during many of my years of education (I had about 12 years of graduate education in various fields). Partly this is also due to general changes in society perspectives, the growing acceptance and inclusion of diversity of people, to enhance the concept that people are equal, with full equality of rights.
Equality of rights includes full acceptance and non-discrimination for reasons such as race, color, ethnicity, sex and gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and disability/disorder. Stuttering increasingly is being considered as a disorder and difference for which people should not be discriminated against.
Now, in many countries, there are disability discrimination laws, and government agencies and legal mechanisms to enforce them. And as new generations grow up and are educated in this era of increased disability acceptance, and come into positions of power and influence in society, this trend of acceptance will continue to grow and expand.
Acceptance and inclusion were always around, but in the past these were largely a matter of choice, with people who had a strong sense of fairness.
As I mentioned above, I had many years of graduate studies before most modern disability laws – with severe stuttering. Teachers and professors often made accommodations for me, even though they weren’t legally required to. I was given options for written reports instead of oral ones, and written exams instead of oral ones. In one graduate seminar in which students orally presented advanced research, I was allowed to write out my presentation, ahd have it read to the class by another grad student. The difference now is that such accommodations are now expected, and are a matter of law when needed.
You ask also how we can help the process of increasing acceptance/inclusion to continue. We can continue to get the word out through social media (which weren’t around 30 years ago), continued enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, and in encouraging diversity in all areas of life – in social situations, in the employment world, and in the educational world. And if people who stutter ourselves take the lead and put ourselves out there openly and prominently in all areas of society, this will go a long way to making the world a better place.