Does a disfluent tongue impede a free utterance? Does fluent speech necessarily reflect the will of the speaker? Joshua St. Pierre, who holds a PhD in Philosophy and is currently Canada Research Chair in Critical Disability Studies and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Alberta, asks this question in his book, Cheap Talk, Disability and the Politics of Communication. After seeking therapeutic relief from disfluency for most of his life, St. Pierre now “[refuses] to see stuttering as a state of diminished agency”.

Introduction

This is a story of how my stuttering became, at least for a while, something less than 99.99% better. At times it is a bit of a scary story for me. At times, it is even a bit humourous. And a few times, however, it felt glorious and triumphant.  

An important part of the CSA’s mission is to “promote awareness and understanding of stuttering.” As such, we support the accurate representation of stuttering in traditional and digital media of different types.

At 15, I believed I was doomed to stutter for the rest of my life. I had misread an article, interpreting it as a life sentence. That misinterpretation led me to a desperate moment, standing on top of a 33-meter tower, ready to give up. What saved me wasn’t a miracle cure or therapy, but the love of someone close to me—my mother—and, in time, a complete change of mindset.

Summary 
It is important for Persons Who Stutter to practice effective self-advocacy in the workplace. Self-Advocacy is personalized and reflective of a person’s past experiences, personality, and outlook. In this Article, Mathew offers tips on self-advocacy in the workplace.

Bullets

For Sathvega Somasundaram, stuttering has never been just a speech impediment. She has been able to use it in a way that has shaped her for who she is today, and shows her lifelong journey of growth. Now, it is also the heart of a powerful children’s book that has reached classrooms, families, and young readers across the country.

Summary 
In this Article, I provide recommendations on what to do if you are the victim of discrimination or harassment in the workplace. Persons Who Stutter need to stand up for themselves and protect their interests in the face of discrimination. Your ability to change behaviours and obtain redress can be dependent on the extent of your evidence. Good record keeping and documentation skills are necessary.

Bullets

This is a review of a short autobiographical text by Anupam Sharma. Born and educated in India, he now lives in Germany with his wife and daughter and works in the IT industry.

This book  does not offer much in the way of specific speech exercises,  but is instead the author’s personal account of how he learned to accept and deal with his stuttering by changing his mindset towards it.

External Opportunity

Below is an opportunity with Left Turn Right Turn <www.ltrt.ca> a private accessibility consulting firm.  If you are interested in their opportunity, please contact Kaila Hunte with Left Turn Right Turn directly. Kaila’s contact information is listed below.