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Happy National Stuttering Awareness Week! In case you’re wondering, we found out that Sen. John Glenn (the astronaut) declared this week as such in the 1980s. Thanks, John.

Anyways, around 16 of us came out on Monday in Brooklyn to celebrate, including one first timer (Welcome, Bianca!!). We talked about ways in which we can share the facts and lived reality of stuttering with the world. Sometimes we prefer educating others with tips on how to react to our stuttering, or by emphasizing the neurological basis of our speech, while some prefer to do no formal education at all, and instead just live openly as a person who stutters, with the assumption that people will get it eventually.

Something that became evident during our discussion on Monday is that every one of us has a unique relationship to the our stuttering. And that relationship informs how we assume the world views us. We can assume that the world is harshly judging us, and that we need to get our act together and be fluent if we want to thrive. We can assume that what others think doesn’t matter in the slightest, and that we don’t need to work on effective communication because “this is just how we are.” Most of us fall in the middle of those two, I think. In reality, the stories we tell ourselves about how the world perceives us will play a heavy hand in how we move about and make choices in our lives.

There is no fixed or definite way that “others” view our stuttering. We play a pretty powerful role in determining how we live and are perceived. Though that childhood bully, or boss, or teacher, or parent can make you feel that you are “this kind of person” because of how you speak (or don’t speak), they are not right about you. We decide who we are, and we evolve. Sometimes we make shitty choices (like avoiding important opportunities, or switching words so we sound ridiculous, or eating fast food at 10pm) but we can turn around tomorrow and make a better one (like saying what we mean, being kind to ourselves, bravely being open about our stuttering). If you think you are stuck in a box because of how you speak, you are wrong. Not wrong like “Hey idiot, you’re wrong.” But wrong like “You have been taught that stuttering must limit you, and that is not true.” You have choices to make. Will you show yourself to the world? Will you speak up? Will you look them in the eye? Will you hide? No one is going to open up the door and let you out of the box, you gotta break that shit doooooooown.

The good thing is, we’re in this together

Announcements

NYC Stutters is hosting another event on May 31st – a HIKE!
(see beautiful picture above) – check it out and join up

The NSA Annual Conference is a few week away, you can still register and come along! Lots of us are heading down to Baltimore for this conference, and its been known to change lives…Check out this panel of highly successful stutterers that will take place

Until June!

BK Leaders