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From: Alan Badmington
Date: 10/21/03
Time: 4:10:38 PM
Remote Name: 195.92.67.209
Hi Howard,
Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to you but I have been away from home, without Internet access. When I returned, I was inundated with comments/questions about my paper(but I'm not complaining).
It is evident that we have both expanded our comfort zones extensively, realising that fear needs to be confronted head-on. If fear is avoided, it will grow and grow.
The Edinburgh Masker (a portable electronic device) was developed at Edinburgh University (Scotland) in the mid/late 1970's. It worked on the principle that if we cannot hear our voices, then there is a lesser likelihood of us stuttering.
It comprised a throat microphone, which I affixed below my Adam's Apple with the aid of an adhesive disc. Each time I spoke, a buzzing (masking) sound was emitted (via a control box) and transmitted to my ears. This necessitated the wearing of ear moulds connected to the control box by lengths of tubing and wires. The latter were concealed beneath my hair, which I was permitted to wear slightly longer than regulation length.
I was never fluent but the device enabled me to enter into situations that I might otherwise have avoided. It became my mechanical crutch for 20 years and I wore it for 10-14 hours every day. I have since discarded it but I regularly shed a tear when I recount the discomfort (including headaches and ear infections) that I had to endure.
If you wish to read more about my experiences with this device, please read my paper entitled, 'Stuttering is not just a speech problem', which can be found at:
http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/Infostuttering/badmington.pdf (Stuttering Homepage)
http://www.stammer.demon.co.uk/conf2001_alanbadmington/ (British Stammering Association website)
Thank you, so much, for your generous comments about my paper. Many pertsons who do NOT stutter have expressed the view that they can also benefit from its content.
Kindest regards
Alan
PS Please let me know when you are visiting the UK.