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From: Daniela Veronica Zackiewicz
Date: 30 Oct 2008
Time: 06:04:04 -0600
Remote Name: 76.17.183.48
ABRA GAGUEIRA and UVA held the first Brazilian meeting of People Who Stutter The Brazilian Stuttering Association (Abra Gagueira) and Veiga de Almeida University (UVA), in Rio de Janeiro, held on October 18th 2008 the First Brazilian Meeting of People Who Sutter (PWS). The event gathered more than 200 people from all over Brazil and was one of the events planned for the International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD). Besides the People Who Stutter, family members, professionals and students of the field attended the meeting as well. The main goal was to celebrate the International Stuttering Awareness Day through the integration and discussion of topics which are most relevant for People Who Stutter. The schedule was very complete and many themes were addressed throughout the day. In the morning, the topics discussed were "Updates on stuttering assessment" by Speech-Language Pathologist Mônica Britto Pereira, and "Updates on stuttering therapy" by speech-language pathologists Silvia Friedman and Fabíola Juste. The afternoon was reserved for activities involving the People Who Stutter, beginning with the writing of a manifesto. After that those who were present participated in a round table discussion about the importance and evolution of support groups for People Who Stutter in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Natal and São Paulo. Currently many cities of Brazil already have stuttering support groups, which hold meetings at least once a month and are led by Speech-Language Pathologists, psychologists or People Who Stutter. The goal is to offer help and support through the sharing of experiences. "The support group is an important space for experience sharing between people who stutter and has brought excellent benefits to all participants" - commented Speech-Language Pathologist Eliane Regina Carrasco, vice-president of Abra Gagueira and coordinator of the support group in São Paulo. Other topics discussed in the event were "What the people who stutter are doing to change the society", "Prejudice faced by people who stutter", "Legal counseling" and "Different treatment philosophies". The documentary "Stuttering IS NOT funny, it IS treatable", produced by journalists Leonardo Lisboa, Maurício Júnior and Patrícia Barros, from the Catholic University of Pernambuco, debuted at the meeting. On the occasion Maurício Junior, who is one of the authors of the documentary and a Person Who Stutters, told a little about himself and about the challenges of producing a video about stuttering. "We hope that this is just the beginning of a great movement of integration, discussion and awareness of the rights of people who stutter", ended the President of Abra Gagueira, Daniela Verônica Zackiewicz.