Stutter Social #PWSchat - Surviving the telephone

On Monday, March 11, people who stutter from around the world converged on Twitter to discuss their phone survival tactics and how communication on social media affects their lives. The discussion, hosted by Stutter Social, took place under the #PWSchat hashtag and was Stutter Social's first weekly live Twitter chat for people who stutter. These Twitter chats will serve as a standing archive of real peoples' feelings, ideas and stories about stuttering. If you missed last Monday's #PWSchat, here's the Storify:
This Monday's #PWSchat at 9PM EST will focus on disclosing your stuttering (specific questions will be revealed at the start of the chat). We hope to see you then!

Join us Monday for Stutter Social's first live Twitter chat!

Stutter Social is hosting its first-ever live Twitter chat about stuttering on Monday, March 11 at 9PM EST (Toronto, New York).

For an hour on Monday, we'll be chatting all about phone survival tactics! We'll ask a series of questions pertaining to the topic, and anyone will be able to answer and offer their thoughts using the #PWSChat hashtag.

We hope this will be the start of a weekly Twitter chat, in which we'll have a topic of the week. It will be a great opportunity for us to share our thoughts on a range of topics related to stuttering.

So, if you're on Twitter, remember to follow us @stuttersocial. If you're not on Twitter, it's easy to create a free account from the main website. And if you're unable to make it to our first Twitter chat on Monday, not to worry! You'll be able to chime into the discussion at any time with the #PWSChat hashtag.

We hope to see you then!

Introducing our new host: Matt Schreifels

Photo credit: Matt Schreifels

Stutter Social is happy to announce a new addition to its lineup of hosts: Matt Schreifels, a participant from Minnesota.

Schreifels, a 32-year-old person who stutters from St. Cloud, Minnesota, first heard about Stutter Social almost a year ago from a podcast about stuttering. "Before giving (it) a try, I was pretty nervous about what sort of interactions I'd have with other participants within the hangout," he says. "But from the moment I entered the hangout, everyone was very welcoming and friendly. Stutter Social hangouts are an extremely laid back environment. It's a chance to be with other like-minded people who stutter, a place to be who we are without hesitation."

After participating for about 10 months, Schreifels decided to become a host. "What made me want to become a Stutter Social host was the chance to meet and make friends with as many stutterers worldwide as possible."

He will be hosting every other Tuesday at 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (Toronto, New York), alternating with co-founder Daniele Rossi.

When not hosting or participating in Stutter Social, Schreifels can be seen hunting or fishing. He aspires to have his own furniture-building workshop. He also started attending the recently established St. Cloud chapter of the National Stuttering Association (NSA) and he hopes to attend the upcoming NSA annual conference in Scottsdale, Arizona this July. "I feel support groups of any kind are such a great asset," he adds.

Stutter Social presenting in 15th annual ISAD online conference

Photo credit: Judith Kuster

The Stutter Social team will be included on the list of presenters for "A voice and something to say," the 15th annual International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD) online conference.

The conference begins on October 1 and lasts until ISAD on October 22.

According to Judith Kuster, conference host and professor emeritus at Minnesota State University in Mankato, the conference represents a world-wide endeavor by people interested in stuttering, including people who stutter, their friends and families, and professionals such as educators, researchers and clinicians.

Prior to the conference the presenters submit papers on a variety of aspects of stuttering. For the duration of the conference, threaded discussions take place between presenters and participants. Instructions on how to register will be available beginning on October 1.

All papers remain available online after the conference concludes. Past online conferences are freely available in the conference archives.

The Stutter Social team hopes to see you on October 1 for the beginning of the conference!

From frustration to acceptance

Christine Dits, a Stutter Social participant and 23-year-old person who stutters, seen at the National Stuttering Association's annual conference this past year in St. Petersburg, Florida (photo credit: Dits).

Soon after starting the speech-language pathology graduate program at Eastern Michigan University this fall, Christine Dits, a 23-year-old person who stutters and Stutter Social participant, found herself confidently disclosing her stuttering to her classmates.

However, she didn't always have this confidence. “I couldn't accept the fact that stuttering was a part of me and I would always have it,” she recalls. “I was embarrassed by my stuttering and dreaded the negative reactions from others.”

Over the years, her attitude changed from feelings of frustration to feelings of acceptance, she notes. And it was this shift that prompted her to become a speech-language pathologist. “I understand the frustration and anxiety that comes with such a disorder and wanted to share my story with others. I knew I could relate to others about their struggle with communication on a deeper level, and I wanted to help serve as a driving force in their recovery.”

Dits's attitude started changing when she was about 16 or 17, and began researching self-help activities and came across the National Stuttering Association (NSA).

“I stumbled upon the NSA website during a quick Internet search,” she says. “I sought out these resources and the NSA because I wanted answers and I wanted information. I also wanted to be connected to a support system of people in my area or near me who could understand exactly what I was feeling.”

Her support system continued to expand. Last year, she found out about Stutter Social through her friends from the NSA. “I wanted to reconnect with my NSA friends and talk to other people who stutter,” she says about what drew her to participate in hangouts.

What she enjoys most is the opportunity to gain advice from others and offer her own advice to those facing similar struggles. “It’s a big self-help group,” she says.

Due to the support she's received and her attitude changing, Dits has accepted her stuttering, giving her the confidence to advertise her stuttering in a classroom full of strangers.

"I want you all to know that she just showed a lot of courage by introducing herself to a room full of strangers and telling you all that she stutters,” her professor told the class after she disclosed, as Dits wrote on Facebook.  “I have had some clients who, it took 50 days (or sessions) to get them to open up about their stuttering. For people who stutter, stuttering is like a backpack they carry around all day and can never take off. These individuals are very well-adjusted people, because they have to learn how to work around their stuttering."

Love is in the air

The Stutter Social crew would like to congratulate co-founder and host, David Resnick and his new bride, Dana, on their wedding today! 

We also would like to congratulate host, Evan Sherman and his bride-to-be, Christina, on their recent engagement!

See? Proof that you can stutter and get married :)

Pong Down Under

Photo credit: Grant Meredith

Every time Grant Meredith comes into a Stutter Social hangout, those in the group who haven't previously met him enthusiastically ask about the gaming posters adorning his walls.

A lecturer in multimedia and games design at the University of Ballarat in Australia, Grant is also an avid collector of game consoles.

“I have about 200 or more consoles," explains Grant. “Most of them are basically Pong. And a different version of Pong. And another different version of Pong!” he laughs. “My Pong powers are such that I play myself at Pong. Right hand versus left hand.”

When he is not playing Pong or tending to his other important responsibilities of life, the father of two enjoys hanging out with his fellow stutterers on Stutter Social. It gives him easy access to a support group since the nearest one is about 100 km away from where he lives.

“Stutter Social makes it basically a button press away. I guess because in my country, everyone is so widely dispersed and it's really hard to get a number of people who stutter online at the same time.”

Along with the international participants in the hangouts, Grant is drawn to the ease being able to talk to other people who stutter around the world in an open environment, “and a non-judgemental one. I like the fact that it's not technique-orientated because that's normally more exclusive then. I'd class this service as inclusive. It is open to anybody who stutters in any shape or form.”

It's also that open environment that Grant says makes it easy for first timers to quickly feel at home.

“I can understand how it can be a scary step for some first timers,” he ponders. “You might not be comfortable stuttering in front of other stutterers. You might not want to put your hand up and talk at various times, but it's a brave step you should be taking.”

“[Stutter Social] is a non-pressure-filled environment and nothing will be held against you. You don't have to use any form of technique. You can practically talk about any topic, too, and everyone there is friendly and fun.”