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From: Scott
Date: 12 Oct 2012
Time: 23:50:36 -0500
Remote Name: 208.54.15.146
Hi Elizabeth - thanks for a nice question.. In fact, I think there are several things about stuttering that can make listeners uncomfortable. Some of it has to do with the surface disruption in speech, of course, but I think that more of it has to do with the fact that the speaker him/herself is often visibly uncomfortable. This is an important point - listeners tend to pick up on the "vibe" they get from the speaker, so if the speaker seems upset, then the listener is likely to think, "Oh, this is something about which one should be upset..." As people who stutter learn to present their stuttering more openly, in a simple, matter-of-fact way, without the overt signs of shame and fear, then the listeners also can become more comfortable. The burden is not all on the person who stutters, however...listeners need to be more understanding, more patient, more accepting, less bigoted, and less judgmental. We could all learn from that ;-). Like many things that seem mysterious, at first, stuttering can seem scary... as people learn that the facial contortions and repetitions are "just" stuttering, then they can become more understanding. Education and awareness is key! Organizations such as the Stuttering Foundation, National Stuttering Association, and Friends have done a lot to improve people's understanding of stuttering here in the USA, but we have a long, long way to go... That's one of the reasons it's great to have activities such as this ISAD conference, so we can reach more people with a message of acceptance. Thanks again for your question! Good luck in your work. S