Dr. Frederick Murray, a beloved figure in the stuttering community, passed away last week on January 24 at age 92. Fred was a person who stuttered and an admired speech-language pathologist.
Ryan Cowley
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a very visual person. While there isn’t anything wrong with that, it has provided me with one major setback. Due to my stuttering, if I'm speaking with someone, I need their visual attention. So, if someone I’m speaking to is looking at a computer screen, looking through cupboards or sitting in the front seat of a car while I’m sitting in the backseat, getting even just a few words out can be a daunting task. Since I can’t see who I’m speaking to on the phone, it makes speaking even more difficult.
Movies that feature stuttering are few and far between, and they usually depict it unrealistically or for the laugh factor. There are exceptions, of course. In 2010, the The King’s Speech was released, an uplifting story about the struggles of King George VI as he unexpectedly assumes the throne of England. But three years earlier, to considerably less attention, launched a different film that also featured a stuttering protagonist, Rocket Science. The two films could not be more different.
Mary Wood gives the keynote speech at the 2018 CSA conference
Thank you to all of you who attended our 2018 annual conference held in Toronto! One major highlight of the conference was the keynote speech graciously given by Mary Wood. Every sentence was packed with wisdom, meaning, guidance and compassion! You can hear her speech on Daniele Rossi's Stuttering is Cool site here. Enjoy it!
Lifelong stutterer and award-winning Speaker and Comedian Joze Piranian shares his ongoing journey of confronting fear to motivate others to overcome their own obstacles (their "inner stutter") and fulfill their true potential.
It was a typical morning in the bustling streets of downtown Toronto. I had yet to speak to anyone outside of my home that day. With every step to work, I thought about my initial “listener” who lurked just a few blocks away: an anonymous coffee barista at Tim Hortons.