On Saturday, October 24, the Canadian Stuttering Association annual one-day conference had an overwhelming response with over 100 people in attendance. People who stutter of all ages attended, along with speech-language pathologists, SLP students, parents and friends. Among the guests were people from the United States, Quebec and other cities across Ontario.
The day started with an "Ice Breakers" session, in which people introduced themselves to others they had not met yet. CSA Board member and conference co-organizer Casey Kennedy welcomed everyone and introduced the first panel of speakers who shared how stuttering had shaped their academic paths and professional lives. After a short break, our keynote presenter Katherine Preston spoke about how stuttering affected her life, the process of writing her book, and how she came to face her fears and accept herself.
Lunch was catered by Stuttering John's Smokehouse. We already knew their food was excellent, and Johnathon Boville and his staff did not disappoint!
After lunch more workshops and an informative talk by researcher Luc De Nil was featured about current research on stuttering. An open mic session allowed attendees to speak freely about their stuttering. A panel entitled "The Stuttering Journey" gave different perspectives on how one's personal relationship with stuttering can change over a lifetime, from both a person who stutters and a speech-language pathologist.
The presentations had a lot of positive feedback. Presenter Sam Dunsiger, also a CSA Board member, had a mother of a teen who stutters approach him after his talk. "She gave me a heartfelt thank you for being a positive role model and for providing her son with hope. That made my day!"
About 30 attendees went for dinner at Milestones afterwards and enjoyed more social time together.
CSA Social Media Coordinator Daniele Rossi tweeted updates of the event on our feed. For more photos of the event, check out our album on Flickr.
The CSA Board and conference co-organizers are (in photo above from left clockwise) Sam Dunsiger, Social Media; Yan Zou, accounting; Casey Kennedy, SLP Liaison; Andrew Harding, National Coordinator; Lisa Wilder, webmaster; David Stones, Strategy and Planning, Alexandra D'Agostino, Social Media, Daniele Rossi, Social Media.
We also wish to thank CSA members who assisted with the conference: Giovanna Pasqua and Carolina Ayala. And, of course a big thank-you to Harmonize for Speech for their financial assistance with the conference.