Stories from People who Stutter

Word By Word Researching the Cause 2500 Years of Stuttering It Didn't Stop Them Clear Speech: What Works Typing Speech

From: Jock A. Carlisle I only have memories of how my stutter used to plague me, so I can only write about how the internet would have helped when I was almost totally inarticulate. I stuttered severely as a child, and after World War II, I was almost speechless for some time. I gradually reached better fluency but not enough to speak in classes or use the phone until 1974 when I made a total assault upon my stutter and emerged bruised but triumphant. I still stutter a bit, but it causes me no bother at all If people don't like the way I speak, well they have got two legs and there is always a door nearby!!!. How I would have enjoyed computers and internet. For so many years the telephone was almost impossible. I could seldom say the number well enough to call home. I was so happy when I got one telephone operator who was kind and helpful. We became friends until she was killed by the bomb that nearly finished me off. With other operators I would struggle digit by digit until they rang off, to my fury. I could always write but it was not the same as talking. Letters helped, but they took so long and people seldom replied. Worst of all was the way a stutter isolated me from society, With the internet, I could have written to people on e-mail and got instant replies. I could have chatted via interactive programs on internet, with instant replies. I can see that when I punched in STUTTERING on my browser there are lots of websites with people reaching out to people who stutter, either to help or to make contact. Since I wrote my book THE TANGLED TONGUE...LIVING WITH A STUTTER in the early 1980s, things have changed a great deal. More and more people have come out of the closet and shed the false shame and low self- esteem that went with stuttering They feel freer to talk about their problems in public. More people know that when you help others you help yourself.. These contacts would have helped me regain contact with the human race and see that I was not alone. Good luck to all people who are dysfluent. May your tongues soon untangle. Unsigned I am a person who stutters. All of my life I felt terribly alone with this disorder and talked with no one about the shame, fear and embarrassment that were a constant source of anxiety. While I am a mild stutterer and was helped by speech therapy, I still harbored the secret feelings of shame. When I first discovered the National Stuttering Project, for the first time in my life I did not feel alone and could actually talk about my inner feelings with other people who understood --- really understood. I instantly had hundreds -- even thousands of people I could relate to through a monthly newsletter and chapter meetings the city where I live. Now the internet has just exploded this concept. I can have discussions (or simply read discussions) with people who stutter from all over the world. I not only learn new ideas but I no longer feel alone. When a person in England or Iceland is discussing a problem that I thought was so special to me, the universality of the disorder is a comfort. And to see people coming from all walks of life and in all different jobs gives me the confidence to know that I can be and do whatever I want -- and not let the fear of stuttering get in the way. From: Howard I can honestly say I never thought of the internet and e-mail as any thing other than what it is and not as a 'tool' of my stuttering. Sure, it is cheaper and 'safer' than a phone and safer in the respect of not having to verbalize and the FEAR of using the phone (which I have long since overcome) is all but alleviated. Ironically, however, it is the use of e-mail by stutterers that may indeed be cause for MORE anxiety if a correspondence lead to a personal encounter and the 'truth' not having been told. Chat groups, forums and listserves are safe bets and one's anonymity can be guaranteed, but all that does is perpetuate the 'lie' or the denial if you will. It can be a no-win situation. The web can be as much of a crutch as it can be a tool for independence. It is up to us. Send us your story about how the internet has affected your ability to communicate.