My name is Ridwana, and I am joining the Board of Directors as the Social Media Coordinator.

Growing up with a stutter has been challenging, particularly the struggle to find comfort in one’s voice without feeling a sense of hopelessness or frustration. In searching for resources to navigate these daily adversities, it became clear that the path forward isn’t about silencing the stutter, but about amplifying the person behind it. Achieving that comfort involves building community connections, reframing the narrative, and accessing the support you once wished you had as a child.

Photo: Jerry and Eli at Jerry's horse farm

My name is Irvin. I am a 79 year old farmer from Central Saskatchewan. I want to tell the story of my stuttering journey. I don't remember when it started but I remember stuttering since public school. I stuttered and had blocks, but I will mostly refer to them both only as stutters. I am not going to tell any stuttering experiences now, because they would be the same as those of the people reading this. 

In the months of October to December in 2025, I participated in the SingWell Project. This project is a weekly singing group for people who stutter. I was happy to know my previous singing experience in the shower was acceptable. While this project is undertaken at different parts of the country, my closest location was at the Toronto Municipal University in Toronto. The building had a beautiful, blended architecture reminding me of the past and the future. SingWell is a research project to assess the impact of Group Singing on fluency and wellbeing.  

Author Tove Selvåg-Drott was kind enough to snail-mail me a copy of her book Hello? Still there? for review and it was indeed a pleasure to read. Tove is a teacher in Sweden who stutters and this book not only presents her experiences but brings in multiple perspectives including from family members, Speech Language Therapists, and athletes.

As Catherine Moroney’s mother, I was the object of repeated requests to attend the conference this year (2025) and I finally agreed. I didn’t know what to expect as I took a seat on the first morning in Kingston, but then I was quickly asked to stand with four others at my table to be introduced as first timers at the conference. The vigorous welcome stayed with me for the rest of the conference, and I saw that the same feeling was generally in play for others: so many joyous reunions, conversations, friendships, warmth.