Stammering is a powerful challenge to society and I want to push it
I was born with my stammer and have experienced many of the same things others with stammers have: shame, teasing, professional barriers, anxiety, frustration, social isolation, self limiting beliefs and actions. But that’s not how I choose to define myself. It’s taken me a a long time to understand what the boy I fancied in my junior school meant when he told me my stammer was cool because it made me different.
In no way do I want to minimise the difficulties of living with a stammer. But I’ve made a personal decision to see my stammer as a secret power to tap into the experiences of others who felt they didn’t fit in or that social expectations meant they limited themselves.
Stammering makes visible and audible internal struggles and comes with a heavy dose of discrimination. By being open about my stammer on my terms and taking slow steps to push against the expectations of my own relationships, work life and daily interactions, I can and do challenge that prejudice.
Stammering is a powerful challenge to how society views the fundamentals of membership. The way people speak has forever been used as a shortcut to determine intelligence, status and whether or not you can trust them. Throw a stammer into the mix and all bets are off. You can’t rely on the shortcuts. You actually have to listen with your whole being, not just look out for the cues you were expecting. People who stammer come from all backgrounds, races and religions. For me, our stammers have the power to force society to consider each and everyone on their own terms, in accordance to their own contribution.
My ambitions for the future of stammering include:
- Moving the conversation about stammering beyond one centred on pity to one centred on contribution
- Making stammering audible and visible in public life — media, politics, entertainment
- Finally making it socially unacceptable to mock a stammer in the way it is to ridicule a wheelchair user
- Growing the British Stammering Association brand beyond its current scope to reach more people who stammer in the UK (younger, covert stammers, from non-traditional backgrounds)
- Modernising the British Stammering Association engagement strategy to make the most of digital, social and influencer approaches
It’s not easy being the person who can’t get words out or whose face is contorted just trying to give their name, but our impact on how our communities treat those who are different is far reaching. When we open up about our experiences of stammering, we realise we have much in common with a wide cross section of people. Anyone who feels shame, experiences teasing, professional barriers, self-limiting beliefs and actions can be an ally of a person who stammers. So I’m keen to find them and start a conversation. Together we can change society for everyone.
I’m currently applying to be a trustee of the British Stammering Association’s General Committee. This is an extract and extrapolation of that nomination form.
