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From: Steven Kaufman
Date: 04 Oct 2009
Time: 19:38:32 -0500
Remote Name: 65.199.51.50
Hi Sarah, and good evening, Thank you so much for your kind words and compliments! The one thing that remains constant, and what I have learned with the help of teammates is that each of us who stutters is at a different stage in our lives with regard to self-acceptance when it comes to our speech. Even the slightest of tasks such as ordering out at a diner, or my personal challenge, ordering movie tickets at the box office, can become daunting-in fact, I let the "automated box office" become my handler in essence-instead of me speaking, I could just buy my tickets online and not have to worry about speaking. But what does that do for you? Nothing at all. I stopped running from my stuttering, and want others teammates to feel the same way. For those who stutter and dread speaking, I think it's important to place yourself in a positive environment where you can feel free to express yourself. I never had a positive environment growing up, in fact, my stuttering was looked at with shame and embarrassment by my family. I learned to find people who would let me be myself and speak the way I want to: who cares if I block? Positive environments allow us to feel good. If you or someone else stutters, and they begin to act as your handler (i.e. finising sentences) I say politely, "If you don't mind, I'd like to say my thoughts. Please respect my wishes." Be direct, but diplomatic. If you give respect, you will get it back many times over!