Joshua Patlik
Josh Patlik is a second year law student at York University in Toronto. He is also a person who stutters. Josh recently met with a class of SLP graduate students at the University of Toronto for a conversation about his experiences, his perspectives, and his life as a stutterer.
If you receive the disability tax credit you can apply for a government assisted savings plan.
For the longest time, I had a very real struggle. I knew and accepted that I stuttered. It was okay with me because it was a part of me, but not all of me. However, there was always something that nagged me. I hated being treated as different. All I wanted was to be seen as normal. I really disliked the word “stutterer”, even though that is what I am.
The Canadian Stuttering Association is having a one-day conference this month in Toronto. It will feature a number of speakers giving short presentations on stuttering, from personal stories to scientific research on the causes and treatments for stuttering. For more information, check out the website. Alexandra, a CSA board member, offers advice here for people who have never attended a conference for people who stutter.
Heather GrossmanHeather Grossman is the clinical director of the American Institute for Stuttering. She has worked for over 25 years as a speech pathologist for both children and adults. She recently gave a interview with Peter Reitzes of Stuttertalk and spoke about her career, working with people who stutter and the way speech therapy has changed over the decades.
Alan Turing
You may have seen the recent movie, The Imitation Game, about British mathematician Alan Turing. During the Second World War he devised a machine, much like a computer, to break the encrypted "Enigma" code used by the Germans for communication. This gave the Allies a secret advantage and the ability to end the war much earlier than otherwise possible. Turing was not publicly credited for this during his lifetime.
Casey (2nd from right) and conference friends
I stepped into a beautiful hotel lobby on a sunny Wednesday afternoon in Washington, DC. Almost immediately I could sense that this conference was going to be extraordinarily and terrifyingly special. I saw groups of people – hundreds of people – mingling, talking, and laughing. Old friends, spotting each other from across the room, excitedly called to each other to catch up on close friendships that had been put on hold since last July. Many “first-timers” were excitedly introduced to complete strangers as though they were family members not yet met. Others, like myself, stood for a few seconds on the sidelines with suitcases, watching in awe.