The International Stuttering Awareness Day, ISAD, (October 22) began in 1998, spear-headed by Michael Sugarman, Oakland, California. ISAD recognizes the growing alliance between SLPs and consumers, who are learning from each other and working together to share, give support, and educate one another and the general public on the impact that stuttering has on individuals’ lives. Online Conferences, organized by Judy Kuster, have been an integral part of International Stuttering Awareness Day since its inception.

Judy Kuster, currently emeritus professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, put together the ISAD Online Conference every year since its inception in 1998 up to and including 2012, when Judy retired from chairing these wonderful conferences.  Judy continues her work managing the Stuttering Home Page. A global team has formed to produce, run and moderate the ISAD Online Conference. We hope we can live up to the high expectations of previous conference attendees.

Our vision: As a worldwide conference, we celebrate a wealth of perspectives and stories as we unite to raise awareness and work towards ‘creating a world that understands, accepts, and supports people who stutter’. 

Our mission: The mission of the ISAD Online Conference is to carry on a tradition of education by offering a conference-type experience in the form of personal stories, videos, creative expression, therapy ideas, and research, along with ongoing discussions about stuttering.  This conference connects people who stutter and their allies, encouraging meaningful dialogue around stuttering and allowing us to learn from a diversity of voices.

For participants who need some basic information about stuttering, please read about Stuttering from the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association. Additional information is available on the Stuttering Home Page.