India: Sachin Ingle

I got stammer, when I was 11 year old. As earlier I did not know why this is happening with me, and I just would talk as I could, I kept this issue many times in front of my parents, they would simply tell me nothing is wrong with you and would advise me to speak slowly. But this could not solve my problem.

I kept talking as I could. But after two year when I was in 8^th standard, this problem started me suffering more. I was always to be first in my class. It was very easy for me to face written exam. But when it turned to oral exam, I got scared, keeping in mind that whether it will be possible for me to talk properly or not. Even today, I remember those days when teacher make me stand and ask the answer of question. I would take 10 to 15 minutes to tell the answer of 4 to 5 sentence. Other student would answer the same question in only 2 to 3 minutes. In school I was always teased by my friends because I stammered. I had very less friends. So I would concentrate my most time on study. But only study was boring for me, I felt many times that, I should be able to talk as other boys should....To overcome the stammering problem, I tried a lot I went to Doctor, speech therapist, hypnotist and many more; I also took many Ayurveda medicines. But all it were fruitless for me. My present and future days all were too boring, I could not understand what to do, whom to tell about my problem. 

When I passed B.Sc.(math’s), I wanted to do M.B.A. but I had heard that M.B.A. students has to give presentation at least once a weak. Due to stammering to go for presentation was very difficult and almost impossible for me. So I decided not to do M.B.A. but at the same time few friends suggested me to do M.C.A. and with this also told me that in M.C.A. I will not have to face presentation. Keeping this point in mind, I decided to take admission in M.C.A. when I entered first year of M.C.A. everything was better as earlier. But one month later, a madam came to class and started teaching one subject. After finishing lecture madam asked the entire class that, is there anybody who is interested in giving presentation? But nobody showed interest on giving presentation. Due to this madam got angered.And madam made compulsory for all students to prepare for presentation. This decision was less fearful for some student but not for me. I got anxieties and scared after hearing this decision. As my experience for pws it is very difficult to face a presentation. There was no option on presentation and nobody was going to made me free from presentation. So finally I decided to prepare for presentation for three day. With this I practiced of talking in close room daily for three day. Finally that day came on which I had to be ready for giving presentation. Before entering into class room I was scared, but soon after, I built confidence and decided not to scare, finally With confidence I could give presentation very nice. Madam was very happy with my presentation. This way I kept giving one presentation per semester. Though this was nice experience for me, But friends you know what is stammering? If pws says one sentence properly first time, it is not sure that next time the same sentence will be said by him properly. 

All we know? stammering becomes worse when we are in depression. When we are relax we can speak very clearly whatever we have to speak but, same words could not be spoken by us clearly when we are in depression, in fact, whenever we want to be fluent we don’t be fluent. So overall I was not happy with my life. In college life too I had very less friends. In collage I used to speak with only one or two person. It was very difficult for me to speak in group of guys. When it turns to viva I would get into depression. 

Somehow I completed my Post-Graduation. And Went to Mumbai to look for job, I spent most of my time on internet to search a job then I noticed, there might be stammering group on internet, keeping this in mind I started looking for such group, and finally I got Tisa Website, I visited whole website and also read about different Tisa group in India. After that first of all I visited Mumbai Tisa. There were eight members present on first meeting. First we introduced ourselves and then shared our feeling about stammering. First time in my life I felt very nice after meeting eight pws, whom I had been waiting since many years, those I met first time. I came to know from them how to lives life. After that I visited two to three Mumbai Tisa meeting, after meeting TISA friends my attitudes towards stammering has been totally changed. My fear of speaking and depression everything got automatically run away. But after two month I had to leave Mumbai because I got job in nashik so I have been in nashik since 6 month, and want to start TISA in Nashik too.       

Sachin Ingle,

Contact No: 7709583602.

E-mail ID: inglesachin123@rediffmail.com.

Gangapur Road, Nashik  

 Thanks TISA and Team.

Children Literature: Stutterers

I took a few months off from Stutter Culture to finish my studies! I had to fulfill 2 more Literature requirement. American and Children Literature are the two courses I chose.  Coincidentally the last course had characters who stutter.

Lewis Carroll a pws had Alice of "Adventures of Alice in Wonderland" stuttering when she was explaining to authority figures like the Caterpillar. 

Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories had character who stuttered  - the bus driver But.

Read interesting novels this summer semester but so glad it is finally over!

Sweden: Anita Blom

Stuttering, disability or handicap?

When I started to stutter, I was 9 years (yes, that late). From that day my life was limited. My parents did not want me to speak in public or even to family.At school I do not answer the questions, and laughed aloud at all so, I did. The teachers told me that there was no sense that I would read the language I would not get anywhere with my stuttering. The job I wanted, I could not because of my stuttering. The grade that I wanted, I could not because of the stuttering. The friends that I wanted, I could not because of my stuttering. I was forced into a small box and excluded from society. And I let it happen.

Look at me today. I have gone back to school and received the highest rating. I have made ​​many friends who take me as I am with stuttering and all. My family is proud of me. Speaking in public is the best I know. I travel around the world to talk about stuttering in different languages, THANKS TO my stuttering.And best of all, I got my dream job: I work with computers in school. I love computers and I love people and in this job, I combine the two. I can be something that others can just as well. Others are limited in their ignorance of the data while I have a lot of freedom because of my knowledge. I can be something that others want and my stuttering is not in the way anymore. On the contrary, my stuttering has decreased considerably and is sometimes hardly noticeable.  

So what I'm saying is: sure, my stuttering is a disability that causes it sometimes. But stuttering is not a handicap until someone (your surroundings, but even you yourself) makes it a handicap. So do not let anyone set your limits. You notice your limitations when you meet them. And even then, they should stop you. Test your limits. Route them. Is it not, then you have all tried to fall. Stuttering is not something you ARE. It's just one of many things you do.
 

India : Ravi Singh

I have very nice memories of my high school years, met many interesting people and learned a lot about myself. But  in some way memories of primary school was always holding me back. Back then many classmates and unfortunately some of the teachers made fun of me. Over and over again I asked myself the same question “Why me? Why not someone else?” Not only did I wonder why me, when I was growing up I used to think it must be somebody's fault.

Primary school years were the hardest years of my life, but those horrible experiences made me who I am today. The hardest job on the planet for me was to say "Present mam" during roll call. I learned how to fight for myself and not allow other people to judge me based on my speech.  Now I’m a stronger person , but before I realize this I had one serious breakdown at age 15.

In India the main problem is that our legislation does not protect us. It  describes rights and defines adjustments for every group of people with special needs, except for people with speech and language disorders. So according to the law we don’t have any rights. There are legal documents which provide measures to prevent discrimination towards people with special needs and to increase participation and inclusion for people with special needs. Again - not for all groups of people with special needs - we are once again forgotten.

Also we do not have equal job opportunities. There is a lack of  stuttering awareness  in Indian  society. Most people  do not know what stuttering is. While others think they know "everything" there is to know about stuttering, but everything they know, they learned from watching movies and listening to jokes about stuttering .  Because stuttering awareness  very low society there are many prejudices. Many assume people who stutter are shy, not very clever, lazy, nervous, unsociable, and very strange. Another common view is that PWS are alcoholics or psychiatric patients. 

Most of the specialists in India surprisingly comment ‘Ignore the problem, it will be cured by itself when you grow up' – it is a passing phase. This suggestion is entirely wrong. By going against the stream and with my vast experience, my conception is that do not sit idle with the hope that it will be cured when you grow up. If luckily you get cured after 20 or 30 years, by then you would have missed the golden part of your life. Do not postpone, act immediately to overcome this major defect in your speech.

I think we should stop crying about what we don’t have and be thankful for what we have.  It is said, that if you cry because the sun has disappeared from the sky, the tears will prevent you from seeing the beauty of the stars. I'll probably never talk without stutter, but that’s alright. I still can achieve so many things in my life. I see my stuttering as my unique way of talking.

Besides what I already mentioned above, our everyday experiences is that some people are making fun of us, they laugh at us, speak very childish, loud and slowly, so we could understood what they are trying to say to us, use only short sentences as if there was something wrong with our intelligence. Some people don't even listen to us, others are full of advices how to talk and breathe so we won't stutter, or even feel sorry for us

I think that the first step to deal with stuttering is to stop hiding and running away from  fearful situations . Wondering why I stuttered, and crying about it did not make things easier.  But using my stutter to my advantage made my life better!

                                                       Center : Ravi Singh

BC, Canada: Mary Rose L

This is an article I wrote for BCAPS Newsletter  

BCAPS Profile: Mary Rose L, PR chair.  As the founder of the Vancouver Support Group for Stutterers, I have coordinated meetings regularly from 1997 - 2007. Starting with 5 members at Langara College, the support group has grown and has helped over 80 people who stutter. Towards the end of the 10 years, the group dynamics has evolved shaping the meetings into social outings rather than indoor meetings. Now the Support Group is a Social Club for Stutterers of which I, too, am the founder/coordinator. Members attend fun activities where they feel acceptance amongst their peers.

During my time with the BCAPS Board of Executives, 1998 - 2006. I've held the Fundraising and PR Chair positions. I took a hiatus from BCAPS to focus on my studies and simultaneously work as a Preschool Teacher. This year, I'll be graduating with a BA in Psychology at UBC. When the opportunity to be a part of the organizing committee for the Canadian Stuttering Association (CSA) Conference 2011 arose, I volunteered my time and joined the CSA Board of Executives. At the CSA conference, I reconnected with the BCAPS Board of Executives and ran for the position of PR Chair.


As BCAPS PR Chair, I would like to continue increasing public awareness of stuttering so that stutterers can communicate with ease and have the options to either use fluency skills or to accept their speech.

I would also like to thank the BCAPS Board of Directors for welcoming me to the association!

Vancouver Stutterers Social Club

Last week met up with a member for lunch and a walk in Stanley Park! Hope the weather clears up so I can plan an outing with group this weekend!

BCAPS Profile and Sweden

Whew finished BCAPS Profile! Will post it here soon. I received a facebook mail from Anita Blom, Sweden. She sent me her blog! Will check it out and see if there's any articles I can post here about how Stuttering is like in Sweden!

Sweden

On Facebook, I met the  Editor of the Swedish Stuttering Newsletter. Asked for an article for this blog and for BCAPS.

Today I have to work on my profile for BCAPS PR.  I took a hiatus to focus on Psych, BA. Now that I am nearly graduated from my studies I have  rejoined BCAPS Team of Executives!

Washington DC, USA

A LAWYER'S TALE
by David M. Steiner


Last May I addressed a class on stuttering at Hunter College in New York City taught by Dorothy Ross, Ph.D. After speaking for about 25 minutes, I threw open the session to Q&A. One of the student SLP's asked why in the world did I choose the law as my profession if I stutter. To truly answer her question would have taken at least another 25 minutes. One of the skills we learn in Toastmasters, however, is how to make a long story short. In this case, very short. I said that all of us who have chosen to do anything in our lives, and that is all of us, did it for exactly the same reason: It seemed like a good idea at the time. Fortunately, in my case, a career in the law has turned out to be richly rewarding.
For the past five years I have held the title of Assistant Corporation Counsel in the New York City Law Department, where I was recently promoted to Associate Counsel. The Law Department, also known as the Office of the Corporation Counsel, is New York City's office of trial attorneys. We defend the City when it is sued, and argue for the City when it sues others. Of course, we cannot offer the big salaries that private firms pay, but other incentives exist. Our lawyers frequently win public interest awards from bar associations, and the work is always interesting. We recruit from law schools and public interest job fairs.
I, however, did not come to the Law Department in the usual way, but via a circuitous route. My college career, though fun, lacked direction. While an undergraduate at Columbia University in New York City, I could not decide upon a major until my junior year, when I decided that I had a knack for Philosophy. As I saw graduation approaching, I had no idea what to do with myself. I decided to apply for Naval Officer Candidate School, to which I was initially accepted. On the day that I was to be sworn in, however, I was told to fill out a set of forms, one of which asked if I had ever had any kind of therapy. I said that I had had speech therapy, at which point my swearing in was postponed and my application ultimately rejected. The Department of the Navy later wrote me saying that there was no waiver for stuttering.
I ended up applying to the Peace Corps and, having learned my lesson, never mentioned my stutter during the application process. The Peace Corps assigned me to teach English in the West African country of Niger for two years. I then returned home and entered a masters program at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Unfortunately, my speech had degenerated significantly during my Peace Corps years, and my job interviews while I was at Fletcher went poorly. My inability to find a job was my primary motivation in going to Cornell Law School.
Initially, law school was a scary experience, to which I eventually habituated myself. When it came time to look for a job again, however, I had no more luck. I stuttered badly in my interviews and found myself jobless after graduation. I returned to another masters program at the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs, which I had actually started years earlier. My interviews there went no better and the job placement office banned me from further interviewing, telling me that I was hurting the school's reputation.
I never gave up, however, and eventually landed a volunteer job in the chambers of a federal judge in New York City, John Walker, cousin of George Bush. With that under my belt, I got a job offer from Judge Jane Restani on the U.S. Court of International Trade. During the interview, she asked me if I stuttered, my unconditional affirmative answer apparently impressed her. I then got a job with Judge Reynaldo Garza on the Federal Court of Appeals.
My work with the federal judiciary was followed by a period of joblessness during which I got a masters in tax law at New York University in order to get more interviews. Once again, I graduated jobless but eventually I got employment at a small firm through a friend from the Fletcher School, and then another friend got me a job at the New York City Law Department.
During my job hunting ordeal, I received speech therapy and became very involved with Toastmasters and am now president of my chapter. The Law Department has placed great faith in my ability to try cases and my speech has greatly improved. Perhaps the most important factor in my coming to terms with stuttering is my self-actualization as a stutterer. Joining the stuttering lists, going to NSA and Speakeasy conventions, and recently going to the Third World Conference of the International Fluency Association have all helped to embrace a condition from which I used to run. While I am not one of those who claim to love their stutter, I fully acknowledge its presence. As those in the NSA who know me can attest, I now love giving speeches and relish any opportunity to reach a podium. Facing one's problems head on is a liberating experience. When things go wrong, do not despair, the only thing regrettable about mistakes is the failure to learn from them. Remember, good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

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Reason

Yesterday I was on facebook and read a few messages regarding stuttering. It seems like we all have different views dependent on the country we are from. I searched online if there was an ongoing international blog for stutterers to express their view on their speech  - havent found a site thus I have created this blog - so that we can learn from each other and think positively during challenging speech times!

A few days ago I met a Trial Lawyer on Facebook. I asked him if I could post his story in Stutter Culture. I'm glad he agreed! I'm still very new at this blogging so please have patience. I'm hoping to be able to add his story soon!