Research Opportunity

Research Opportunity

Researchers at NYU and Yale are conducting a joint research project which examines the brains of people who stutter during social interaction. We are seeking adults who stutter for two experiments. Both experiments use functional near-infrared spectroscopy to monitor changes in brain activity during a series of simple tasks (e.g., reading aloud, talking to the researcher). The experiments are safe and non-invasive, and involve wearing a stretchy cap with light emitters and sensors. Experiment 1 will take place at NYU and Experiment 2 will take place at Yale. Both experiments will last approximately 60 minutes.

Participants will be compensated $40 for Experiment 1 and up to $100 for Experiment 2. Additionally, subjects will be reimbursed for train travel to/from Yale University, if applicable. You can participate in one or both experiments.

If you are interested in participating in either study, please contact Dr. Eric S. Jackson at eric.s.jackson@nyu.edu.

November Recap

November Recap

We had an exceptional month at the Manhattan chapter with two very well attended and diverse meetings. The first meeting was our standard ‘3rd Monday of every month’ meeting attended by 35 people, including 2 first timers and 4 SLP’s. The second meeting was collaboration between 8 dedicated SLP (Speech- Language Pathologist) and 10 people who stutter. The conversations were varied and stimulating. Topics ranged from stuttering and identity to stuttering and language, to stuttering trauma and healing.

Stuttering Across Different Languages

We started the night off discussing stuttering across different languages. One member had recently taken a trip to Mexico City and shared how on top of the language barrier, there was a sort of stuttering barrier. Whether it is a lack of confidence in the language, new sounds, cultural defensiveness, or perfectionism, we all agreed that learning a foreign language or communicating with someone speaking a foreign language could cause stress and anxiety, which can enhance stuttering. We then continued the conversation of stuttering, stress, and anxiety to our everyday lives. As great and motivational as these support groups can be, the reality is we are all stuttering every day in worlds that feel so fluent. So, we devoted some good, therapeutic energy to exploring these emotions and justifying our experiences. Stuttering can be extremely overwhelming and taxing on the soul, but we hope that groups like this can inspire feelings of connectedness and validation.

Feelings Surrounding Stuttering and Identity

A question came up of whether it was possible to reach a point where no negative emotions would be felt when identifying themselves as a person who stutters, either to a listener or oneself. One of the members expressed that for him there are and there will continue to be many emotions and thoughts that he feels when identifying as a person who stutters. Stuttering has led him to feel much pain in his life, and it continues to do so at times. But it has also brought him the ability to connect with others in a way he may not have been able to if it were not for his stuttering. It has also helped him become an effective communicator by examining speaking in a different light. And stuttering has brought him to this wonderful community of others who can connect with him in a way that most others cannot.

Relationship between stuttering and Trauma

What role does traumatic stuttering experiences from the past play into our present day life? This question surfaced after someone reflected how he found himself perplexed by the intensity of his fears surrounding stuttering in his present day life, despite his high levels of choice and stability. This question led to a heated conversation about the mismatch between the perceived danger surrounding moments of stuttering and the reality of that moment. Many people opened their hearts to share about times they were confused or surprised by the intense response they had to a stuttering moment, and how to this day they can’t wrap their heads around it. The conversation morphed into the latest research on trauma and the brain, including healing modalities for traumatic experiences such as mindfulness, yoga and meditation. However, the larger question about the connection between stuttering and trauma remained at the end of the night, and several eager participants talked about their interest to explore the topic more outside of the room.

SLP Collaborative Meeting

Our third year in a row SLP collaborative meeting was a huge success. Led by the SLP Liaisons’ Chani Markel and Chaya Goldstein, the night forged a deeper connection between people who stutter and SLP’s. Authentic questions from SLP’s and people who stutter were addressed, including the most effective ways to support people who stutter. People who stuttered got to share their experiences of therapy and the ways they felt SLP’s could support people who stutter in and out of therapy. It was a night of mutual growth, understanding, and support, one we look forward to replicating in the future.

 

 

July Meeting Recap

July Meeting Recap

Thirty of us came out to our July meeting – 25 people who stutter, one committed SLP, and 4 awesome SLP students from Chaya’s class who came to observe. Chaya teaches the stuttering course at LIU by the way. And I hear she’s a pro at it. Also, a warm welcome to our good friend Eric Jackson who is back in NYC. Eric co-founded the NSA Brooklyn Chapter, and is a pioneer in the NYC stuttering community.

We started with intros, we then split into 3 smaller groups, and here is some of what we covered:

The phone can really suck at times, especially for interviews because you may be stripped away from the opportunity to make a positive impression with anything other than your speech. This lead the conversation to the benefits of advertising up front, during an interview, over the phone. Usually, people seem to respect you for it, as it builds a human connection. Not advertising during an interview may force you to continue to hide it. It might feel uncomfortable and even ‘unprofessional’ but many members expressed that the outcome is almost always a positive one.

Two stutterers on television: George Springer, a particularly good player on the Houston Astros, who was set up with a live mic while he was playing in the recent Major League Baseball All-Star game. He gave live commentary which was interesting, and stuttered openly. He has been open about stuttering and has received positive feedback both professionally and in the stuttering community about his stuttering. Also Jeff Zeleny, Senior White House Correspondent for CNN, who has discussed his stuttering in the public eye and stutters subtly while on air.

A few of us discussed that we felt that recently on the internet and in the media, we seem to be finding more examples of stuttering being spoken about as something negative, as an indication of dishonesty or stupidity. Some of us mentioned that we worry that people will think we’re stupid when we stutter.

We talked about whether we advertise or make jokes about stuttering at work. Does joking about stuttering, like advertising, help to put people at ease? Does it put us at ease? Someone questioned to what extent advertising really puts other people at ease, saying that he wouldn’t want other people to open up to him and disclose all their personal issues right away.

When people say, “Oh, I used to stutter, but now I don’t”, do those people really understand what stuttering is?

We talked about the high of advertising when first starting a job, and how we may be able to maintain these positive vibes. But what do we do when some of this novelty wears off? This lead to a conversation on why we advertise, and a couple members expressed that the goal for them was simply to better connect with your listener, nothing more nothing less.

Many of us went out for a drink, per usual, at our nearby hang out bar, Juniper. Come join us next time around if you weren’t able to be there. And now, three quick…

Announcements

Mock Interview Event at Goldman Sachs
We are excited to tell you about the upcoming mock interview event at Goldman Sachs which some of you have heard a little about. George Daquila, a passionate member of the New York City stuttering community, works at Goldman Sachs and is leading their initiative to hire more stutterers. Event is on Friday, August 11, 1:00pm–5:30pm, and you can click here for more details

Yankee Game
Get your tickets today and join us as we take Stuttering out to the Yankee Game. On Sunday, August 13th at 8:05 pm. An email will be sent out shortly about tailgating for this event. See you then! – Nina
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/take-stuttering-out-to-the-ballgame-tickets-36193000238

August meetings
Brooklyn and Manhattan meetings are at their regular meeting times this month. Click here for more info for Brooklyn meeting. They’re a good group. One of the best, actually. We love them. Every one of them.

April meeting reminder (actually on May 1st)

April meeting reminder (actually on May 1st)

A reminder that we’ll be meeting this upcoming Monday. Please note the changes in time, location, and check-in procedure for this meeting:

• Monday, May 1st
• 8pm–9:30pm
• 520 Eighth Avenue, between 36th and 37th Streets

Please arrive at 7:45pm if possible. There may be a short line to get past security. At the security desk, say you are going to A.R.T./New York on the 3rd floor. (This is the Alliance of Resident Theatres.) For security purposes, you will need to present a photo ID and have your picture taken. Take the left side elevators to get to the 3rd floor. On the 3rd floor, follow the signs to Studio B.

Three Rooms
Our new location will have three large rooms, which means we’ll be splitting up into three smaller groups to give everyone the opportunity to speak if they would like to.

Going Forward
Our May meeting will be later in the month, most likely on May 22nd. More details soon. And we expect to return to our normal third-Monday-of-the-month schedule in June.

NYC Stutters Conference Tickets
On Sunday, May 28th, the NYC Chapters of the National Stuttering Association will hold our second annual conference by and for people who stutter! If you haven’t bought your ticket, please go ahead and do so now to ensure you get a spot. You can learn more about the Conference and buy your ticket here.

Stay dry until then!

March Meeting Recap

March Meeting Recap

Pesach Sameach to all of our Jewish members!

Recap
This email is more of an announcement email than a recap one. But first, we wanted to thank everyone who joined us a couple weeks ago for our Manhattan meeting. We had 33 people in attendance, we split up into 2 groups, and had some great conversations. Important note, our next meeting will be on the 4th Monday of the week, not on our 3rd usual Monday. More on that in a minute. But first…

NYC Stutters
On Sunday, May 28th, the NYC Chapters of the NSA will hold our second annual conference by and for people who stutter.
Last year we gathered over 60 people who stutter to explore the “Past, Present & Future of Stuttering” via workshops like the history of stuttering and the accomplishments of the disability rights movement. This year, we plan to bring 100 people together for an introspective day of “Reflection, Connection and Growth”.
The day will consist of 3-4 core workshops exploring topics like stuttering without apology, the vulnerability of stuttering, and how to advocate for oneself. The workshops will be facilitated by people who stutter, including NSA chapter leaders, people who research and write about stuttering, long-time self-help activists, and relative newcomers to the community.
Click here to find out more and to buy your ticket asap.

Brooklyn Meeting….tonight
Brooklyn meeting will be on the usual time, 2nd Monday of the month, so that’s this evening, from 7:30pm to 9:00pm

NSA Manhattan Meeting and Venue
Our next meeting, like mentioned above, will be on the 4th Monday of the month (not our usual 3rd Monday), due to Passover and Easter. During the last couple months, during our free time, we have been reaching out to dozens of venues across the Midtown area. We have visited several of these places, and are continuing to narrow down our search on what we believe is the best for our group – based on cost, location and the size of the rooms.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you all for staying patient with us as we finalize this process, and we promise you that you will all be happy with our final venue selection very soon.

Your voice
On that note, one of the most important things we can do as a Chapter, is to provide a safe space for our attendees, especially our newcomers, not only to feel comfortable speaking, but to also ensure each person has the opportunity to speak. As we have continued to grow during this last year, we usually split up into 3 groups during meetings. Given the large turnout of participants during our last meeting, this, unfortunately, was not possible. And we sincerely apologize to everyone who did not have the opportunity to speak. We want you to know that we are committed in finding the right venue for our upcoming meetings, and we thank you for your patience during this process.

We hope you to see you all soon, and you can expect to hear from us by the end of the week for our April location, for our meeting that will be on the 4th Monday. Also, make sure you are following us on Facebook.