As the campaign of this year’s ISAD in Japan, we plan to distribute pocket tissues for stuttering awareness on October 21st and 22nd, during the 11th Meeting of Japan Society of Stuttering and Other Fluency Disorders (JSSFD) held in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. We intend to conduct tissue distribution activities around the conference venue, including Tsukuba Station. The pocket tissue leaflet design will feature a QR code linking to the JSSFD website of fundamental knowledge of stuttering webpage created by stuttering researchers and clinicians. This campaign will enable easy access to accurate stuttering information from the pocket tissue leaflet. By distributing these materials to the general public, we also aim to raise awareness about stuttering and contribute to creating a stuttering-friendly society.

The campaign of distribution of pocket tissues for stuttering awareness for ISAD began in 2017 as an effort by the Japan Stuttering Genyukai Association (JSGA), a self-help group in Japan comprising roughly 40 local organizations (Genyukai). Through the activities of these organizations, JSGA has distributed around 20,000 to 30,000 pocket tissues annually across Japan.

This year’s campaign in Japan represents a collaborative project between the self-help group, JSGA, and the academic organization, JSSFD. It marks the first joint campaign involving stuttering individuals, clinicians, researchers, and parents of children who stutter. In October, both JSGA and JSSFD plan to promote ISAD through their websites and social media platforms. They will feature the ISAD logo and provide ISAD links.

JSSFD, founded in 2013, is an academic society in Japan with members including clinicians, researchers, and stuttering individuals. Its annual meeting, held once a year, attracts hundreds of participants and hosts vibrant discussions. At this year’s 11th Meeting of JSSFD, we are honored to have Dr. Kenneth O. St. Louis, Honorary Professor Emeritus of West Virginia University, deliver a keynote speech on “Worldwide Perspectives on Public & Professional Attitudes Toward Fluency Disorders.” Additionally, we have organized a symposium on stuttering awareness titled “Aiming for a World with Stuttering Understanding: What We Can Do” and provided a platform called “My Message” for stuttering and fluency disorder individuals and their supporters to share their experiences freely. We hope all people involved with stuttering will join together to make ISAD a success!

Daichi Iimura, Ph. D., speech-language-hearing therapist, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Tsukuba. He received his Ph.D. in Disability Science from the University of Tsukuba in 2020. He has been a member of the publicity committee of the Japan Society of Stuttering and Other Fluency Disorders (JSSFD) since 2013 and the Chair of the publicity committee of JSSFD since 2019. He is a person who stutters himself. His work involves educating students in speech-language disorders and conducting research and clinical activities related to stuttering.