Is the Did I Stutter Project against speech therapy?
Stutterers go to speech therapy for all sorts of reasons, and whatever your history is with speech therapy, you are very welcome here. Whether it is focused on reducing your stutter or providing emotional supports, we recognize how helpful therapy can be in a world that discriminates against our voices.
With that being said, our goal is to help create a world that accepts our voices just the way they are.
We don’t believe there is anything wrong with stuttering. Stuttering is not a medical or pathological problem, it is simply a different way of speaking that our society as a whole—including the medical world—has decided is a problem or disorder. Because of this we adamantly reject any claims that stuttering “should” be treated. Like with any medical discipline, the field of Speech-Language Pathology has dominated the discussion of stuttering, simply taking for granted that stutters are something to treat. We are therefore critical of Speech-Language Pathology as a whole, and the way that it has reinforced the idea that our stutters should be changed or fixed.
People deserve a choice about whether or not they would like to reduce or remove their stutter. True choice can’t exist when the imperative to “treat” voices is taken for granted, and when our society continues to discriminate against stuttered speech. These are the issues that Did I Stutter is fighting to change.
(Read more on Speech Therapy here.)
Why don’t you use the term “Person Who Stutters”?
It is very important that people can identify themselves as they choose, and we strive to refer to others by their chosen terms. For some this means using person-first language (“person who stutters”; “people who stutter”), but for us this means using the term “stutterer.” The drive toward person-first language emerged in the 1980s as a way for disabled people to assert their identity as more than their disability—as People First. Since that time, however, a growing number of disability communities have become uncomfortable with this language.
We do not feel that our stutters are a negative attribute that should be removed from our identity, or that we should have to remind others that we are people. Rather, we are proud to stutter and proud to call ourselves “stutterers.”
(Read more on Person-First Language here.)
Is stuttering a disability?
Disability rights activists define disabilities as attributes that society is not built for and discriminates against. Therefore, as long as stutterers are stigmatized: denied respect, employment, time, patience, and the same dignity in speaking that fluent speakers receive, stutterers are disabled. Note that we are not disabled by our voices, we are disabled by a society that does not make space and time for us. At the same time, we believe disability--including stuttering—is a positive part of our world that we need to appreciate and have pride in.
(Read more on stuttering and disability here.)
Is the Did I Stutter Project a Self-Help organization?
The Did I Stutter project is similar to self-help in many ways. We want to create community among stutterers outside of therapeutic systems, and provide spaces for us to work together to make our lives better. But we are also different from many self-help groups. Our goal is not to help ourselves speak more fluently or even just handle the pressures of being a stutterer. Our goal is political: to advocate for stuttering acceptance and stuttering pride. We believe the challenges we face are not in ourselves (our voices or attitudes or self-esteem), they are out in the world that discriminates against us. It is those stigmas and discriminations, not (just) ourselves, that we want to help change.
Why don’t you give people advice on ‘overcoming’ stuttering?
The internet is a big place, and there are lots of places that give advice and techniques on how to overcome or reduce stuttering. Here, our message is you should not have to. There is nothing wrong with your voice; your stutter is fine just the way it is.
What solutions or alternatives do you offer to the current system?
Our dream is for the general public to stop viewing stuttering as a problem or inconvenience, and make time and space for us without any stigma or discrimination.
Widespread social change always take more than a few people. At Did I Stutter we are focused on challenging the assumption that stuttering is a disorder or unwanted. This includes (on this site and in other venues) combating stereotypes about stuttering, challenging speech-language pathology’s impulse to fix stuttering, and advocating for stuttering pride. We are currently beginning to build online communities where stuttering can be celebrated and stutterers will feel no pressure to change the way that they speak.
Changing society to truly accept stuttering will need to go far beyond us. It will involve things like:
Stutterers go to speech therapy for all sorts of reasons, and whatever your history is with speech therapy, you are very welcome here. Whether it is focused on reducing your stutter or providing emotional supports, we recognize how helpful therapy can be in a world that discriminates against our voices.
With that being said, our goal is to help create a world that accepts our voices just the way they are.
We don’t believe there is anything wrong with stuttering. Stuttering is not a medical or pathological problem, it is simply a different way of speaking that our society as a whole—including the medical world—has decided is a problem or disorder. Because of this we adamantly reject any claims that stuttering “should” be treated. Like with any medical discipline, the field of Speech-Language Pathology has dominated the discussion of stuttering, simply taking for granted that stutters are something to treat. We are therefore critical of Speech-Language Pathology as a whole, and the way that it has reinforced the idea that our stutters should be changed or fixed.
People deserve a choice about whether or not they would like to reduce or remove their stutter. True choice can’t exist when the imperative to “treat” voices is taken for granted, and when our society continues to discriminate against stuttered speech. These are the issues that Did I Stutter is fighting to change.
(Read more on Speech Therapy here.)
Why don’t you use the term “Person Who Stutters”?
It is very important that people can identify themselves as they choose, and we strive to refer to others by their chosen terms. For some this means using person-first language (“person who stutters”; “people who stutter”), but for us this means using the term “stutterer.” The drive toward person-first language emerged in the 1980s as a way for disabled people to assert their identity as more than their disability—as People First. Since that time, however, a growing number of disability communities have become uncomfortable with this language.
We do not feel that our stutters are a negative attribute that should be removed from our identity, or that we should have to remind others that we are people. Rather, we are proud to stutter and proud to call ourselves “stutterers.”
(Read more on Person-First Language here.)
Is stuttering a disability?
Disability rights activists define disabilities as attributes that society is not built for and discriminates against. Therefore, as long as stutterers are stigmatized: denied respect, employment, time, patience, and the same dignity in speaking that fluent speakers receive, stutterers are disabled. Note that we are not disabled by our voices, we are disabled by a society that does not make space and time for us. At the same time, we believe disability--including stuttering—is a positive part of our world that we need to appreciate and have pride in.
(Read more on stuttering and disability here.)
Is the Did I Stutter Project a Self-Help organization?
The Did I Stutter project is similar to self-help in many ways. We want to create community among stutterers outside of therapeutic systems, and provide spaces for us to work together to make our lives better. But we are also different from many self-help groups. Our goal is not to help ourselves speak more fluently or even just handle the pressures of being a stutterer. Our goal is political: to advocate for stuttering acceptance and stuttering pride. We believe the challenges we face are not in ourselves (our voices or attitudes or self-esteem), they are out in the world that discriminates against us. It is those stigmas and discriminations, not (just) ourselves, that we want to help change.
Why don’t you give people advice on ‘overcoming’ stuttering?
The internet is a big place, and there are lots of places that give advice and techniques on how to overcome or reduce stuttering. Here, our message is you should not have to. There is nothing wrong with your voice; your stutter is fine just the way it is.
What solutions or alternatives do you offer to the current system?
Our dream is for the general public to stop viewing stuttering as a problem or inconvenience, and make time and space for us without any stigma or discrimination.
Widespread social change always take more than a few people. At Did I Stutter we are focused on challenging the assumption that stuttering is a disorder or unwanted. This includes (on this site and in other venues) combating stereotypes about stuttering, challenging speech-language pathology’s impulse to fix stuttering, and advocating for stuttering pride. We are currently beginning to build online communities where stuttering can be celebrated and stutterers will feel no pressure to change the way that they speak.
Changing society to truly accept stuttering will need to go far beyond us. It will involve things like:
- Inclusion and showcases of stuttered voices in artistic communities.
- Representation of stuttering in the media that goes beyond narratives of pity and inspiration.
- Better protection for stutterers seeking employment.
- Legal resources to assist stutterers in matters of discrimination.
- Families being taught stuttering acceptance and pride as a valid alternative to traditional therapeutic treatments.
