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From: Lou Heite
Date: 13 Oct 2006
Time: 22:55:43 -0500
Remote Name: 24.237.249.158
Hello, Ross, How to steer people... ISAD is a place to start. The thing to remember is that there is no quick fix. Platitudes such as "Each one teach one" are a little irritating because they seem overly optimistic, but the truth is, the methods they encapsulate do work. Beyond that, though, you can become involved in outreach, write letters to the media that seem impervious, go on talk shows as an expert and explain what we know about stuttering -- the list is limited only by your imagination. Does your community have a health fair? Can you interest a reporter in covering a person who stutters, who is successful in his or her work or personal life? Sadly, the impulse to include people in and exclude others from groups is probably inborn, so it's a never-ending battle. As soon as one group becomes accepted, another is going to be picked on. I'm old enough to remember when most "blonde" jokes were ethnic group jokes, and you could tell what part of the US you were in by what ethnic group was being picked on. Whether the target is stutterers, blondes, or whoever, the jokes are still rather mean. The real challenge is to keep the pressure on without descending into whining and expecting apologies or retribution. Lou Heite