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From: Regina Dubina, Graduate Student in NYU
Date: 05 Oct 2006
Time: 16:38:19 -0500
Remote Name: 146.245.161.9
Ms Blom, My name is Regina Dubina, I am a Graduate student taking Fluency in New York University. I read your article and was able to aknowledge how stuttering can be viewed as a disability in various situations. However, my concern with terming stuttering as a "disibility" stems from the fact that PWS consider themselves different from others because they are dysfluent and cannot express themselves with ease and feel uncomfortable speaking in general as well as other feelings and emotions that arise from that discomfort. I am afraid that associating stuttering with a "disability" would cause a negative reaction to PWS who are in therapy using techniques to help them become more fluent and deal with their stuttering (phyisically and emotionally), and now they will be coined under a term such as "disability" which may impact their motivation in therapy and their opinion about stuttering altogether. Do you believe that PWS consider themselves "disabled" and would that term be offensive to some people who do not find stuttering to be a "disability" for them? -Regina Dubina