Lots of interest & thoughtful questions at the @stammeringchildren.org 2026/27 Mentoring Programme launch event for mentees this evening brought to life by a contribution from a current mentee. TY to everyone who attended. Applications are now open: actionforstammeringchildren.org/mentoring-20...
Having someone who understood both the professional world & the experience of #stammering made an enormous difference” Powerful blog post by Clemmie Gillespie reflecting on what she has gained from the @stammeringchildren.org Mentoring Programme: actionforstammeringchildren.org/finding-conf...
“[Stammering pride] changes the conversation by recognising that the antidote to stammering shame is not becoming 'normal', but finding joy and community through stammering.”
Persuasive opinion piece by Josh St Pierre on reframing stammering to make pride possible: stamma.org/your-voice/r...
“Stammering pride is […] an invitation to be human, to inhabit our voice, and together to re-organise the world in more hospitable ways.”
Photograph of a burning candle in a circular candle holder taken from above. The light from the candle contrasts with the darkness surrounding the candle holder
Wishing all our followers, supporters & collaborators - past, present & future - a peaceful New Year! From international projects, collaborative workshops & a dynamic app to support reflection to a new book project, here’s to thickening #stammering-affirming narratives in 2026!
Last blog post of 2025! One of my personal highlights at the 15th ISA World Congress in Finland this summer was the powerful opening talk by Nelly Penttilä on why working against #ableism must be at the ethical core of speech & language therapy: www.redefiningstammering.co.uk/unfolding-st... Enjoy!
Big congratulations JJJJJerome! “In JJJJJerome Ellis’s magical compositions, their #stutter is a guiding light. Pauses & repetitions spark new life, new ideas, new possibilities.” Insightful review of their latest album Vesper Sparrow @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n... 🌊🌊🌊
An honour to be awarded the Jeremy Swain Partner Award this evening & to celebrate three decades of advocacy, activism, community building & collaboration fostering #stammering-affirming narratives & culture. Thank you to everyone who has supported me & contributed to this work over the years
Photograph of Sam Simpson (left), Genevieve Lamoureux (centre) & Conor Foran (right), all pictured smiling to camera.
Photograph of Sam Simpson (left), Conor Foran (centre) & JJJJJerome Ellis (right), all pictured smiling to camera. Image taken at PHI following a visit to the Habitat Sonore to listen to Jessica Moss’s meditative solo album Unfolding
Heartfelt thanks to Genevieve Lamoureux & all the organisers, contributors & workshop facilitators for making the 1st Voice & Media Festival a reality. The warmth, dynamism & innovation within the stammering community is truly heartwarming #stammeringgain #transformativebelonging
Photograph of Luke Wyland seated bottom left playing a keyboard with the audience seated around tables to the back of the frame, the stand of a free standing speaker is pictured front right.
Photograph of JJJJJerome Ellis pictured standing singing into a microphone with Luke Wyland accompanying on piano to their left. Audience members are seated at a table front left of frame.
Finally the breathtaking live performances by Luke Wyland & JJJJJerome Ellis at Café Robin des Bois on the closing night of the festival. Both musicians explore the cadences of dysfluent speech to create unique & inclusive musical soundscapes turning difference into beauty
The screening of the Video Project: Youth Perspectives on Representation created during the 2025 summer camp of the Association des jeunes bègues du Québec. Exquisite cinematography captured vibrant perspectives on future media representation & the power of collaborative project-based therapy
Photograph of Sam Simpson presenting the Reflect app funded by Stuttering Commons. Sam is standing front left holding a microphone and a sign language interpreter is seated to her right. Behind is a screen showing a PowerPoint slide showcasing the Reflect app housed on the Stuttering Commons website.
Having the opportunity to present on the shifting landscape of stammering representation across three decades as well as showcase the Reflect app, a collaboration with Conor Foran & Bart Rzeznik at Take Courage & funded through Stuttering Commons
Photograph of Conor Foran presenting on the work of Stuttering Commons. Conor is sat front left holding a microphone and a sign language interpreter is seated to his right. Behind is a screen showing a PowerPoint slide showcasing the Manifesto, Library, Workshops, Podcast, Handbook & Reflect app housed on the Stuttering Commons website.
Photograph of Conor Foran presenting the Stuttering Commons animation ‘How many people does it take to stutter?’. Conor is sat front left holding a microphone and a sign language interpreter is seated to his right.
Conor Foran’s thought-provoking presentation showcasing the Dysfluent magazine, the Making Waves #stammeringpride flag & Stuttering Commons to illustrate how dysfluency intersects with creativity & how art & design can instigate social change & foster stammering-affirming identities
A photograph of the poster for the short film ‘Le public c’est nous’ (We are the audience) at the Cinema Beaubien
A photograph of Genevieve Lamoureux opening the premiere screening of ‘Le public c’est nous’ (We are the audience) at Cinema Beaubien in Montreal
The premiere screening of ‘We are the Audience’ at the Cinema Beaubien, an exquisite short film exploring the representation of stammering blending film-style documentary & public service announcement, followed by a panel Q&A with members of the creative team. Breath-taking!
Photograph of Genevieve Lamoureux presenting the findings of her PhD research on the obstacles faced by people who stutter on screen and future pathways for fair and inclusive media representation. Gen is positioned standing at a microphone centre-back of the photograph with two TV screens on either side and surrounded by cameras and lighting. Towards the front of the photograph are two tables with chairs and an audience member seated on the right.
Festival highlights included visiting Maison de Radio-Canada for an afternoon of reflection, discussion & experiential workshops exploring pathways for fair & inclusive media representation of people who stutter, are deaf or who live with Tourette’s
Back home after an unforgettable 4 days of discussion, connection & celebration at the inaugural Voice & Media Festival of Dysfluent Representation in Montreal. Wonderful to break new ground & be part of stammering history in the making. Feeling grateful, nourished & hopeful
So excited that the Stuttering Commons handbook is now out in the world - an informative, dynamic online resource introducing Dysfluency Studies & exploring #stammeringpride, fluency privilege & transformative belonging. You can check it out via: www.stutteringcommons.org/handbook Enjoy! 🌊🌊🌊
We’re off! A joy to co-facilitate today’s @stammeringchildren.org mentor & mentee training sessions with Ria Bernard & introduce all the committed mentors to a fantastic group of young people who stammer. The openness, enthusiasm & level of engagement has been heartwarming #stammeringgain #ISAD2025
Very much enjoyed reading writer & filmmaker @celestinefraser.bsky.social’s insightful write up of the picnic & #stammeringpride march in Victoria Park, London this August - a thoughtful tribute to community & #stammeringgain: substack.com/home/post/p-... 🌊🌊🌊
Bias shows up not only in the actual content of what's said or written out loud. It threads its way through the very choices made. Choices of when to say something, of what not to say and why, of who to feature most prominently, and of how and where this stuff is shared.
Central to stammering-affirming shared world building is the liberatory power of cultivating both a ‘fierce no’ to fluency & a ‘fabulous yes’ to dysfluency & what dysfluency disrupts that is desirable for us all #transformativebelonging 🌊🌊🌊
Josh St. Pierre’s writing on the spoken & unspoken political goals that co-exist within the stammering community & proposal of three modes of belonging as a bridge is a game changer in terms of a foundational theory for stammering-affirming approaches: www.redefiningstammering.co.uk/dysfluency-i...
Photograph of the tables laid out for dinner on the Gala Evening at the Kellariteatteri Saivo, Rovaniemi, Finland
A photograph of three glasses of Jaloviina, a Finish cut brandy. Such a fun discovery! Thank you to Naheem Bashir for the introduction.
Heartfelt thanks to all the organisers, speakers, workshop facilitators & participants for making the 15th ISA World Congress such a positive experience. The warmth, inclusiveness & dynamism within the stammering community is truly lifegiving #stammeringgain
Photograph of Naheem Bashir (left) and Patrick Campbell (right) during their Together Louder workshop. The #MakingWaves Stammering Pride flag is draped across the table in between them
And the inimitable Patrick Campbell who together with Naheem Bashir explored what we understand by activism in their workshop ‘Together Louder’. I enjoyed creating a collective & personal stammering activism timeline & reflecting on past achievements, current projects & future possibilities
Photograph of Gina Waggott’s closing slide inviting the audience to consider an advocacy-related action they would like to take going forward. The slide shows a photo of Scatman John featured on a German magazine with the title ‘Ich stottere - na and?’ which translated into English means ‘I stutter - so what?’
As well as Gina Waggott for her ‘From Mockery to Millions - The Scatman John Media Masterclass’ showcasing real footage & highlighting what a progressive & powerful advocate for open stammering Scatman John was. Loved the invitation to continue his work on stammering-affirming media representation
Photograph of Willemjn Bolk’s final keynote slide summarising her key learnings: #1 Suppression or control of what is difficult is not the answer #2 Be kind to yourself unconditionally
Photograph of a self portrait created following the prompt to use as much space on the white A4 page as possible. Image in purple crayon
Finally I would like to acknowledge the brilliant Willemijn Bolks @JustStutter for her powerful keynote & thought-provoking drawing workshop - I loved the opportunity to let go of perfectionism, take space & celebrate the creative possibilities generated by making mistakes!
Photograph of the landing page of the Reflect app. A blue wave-like graphic created with four intersecting lines is featured on the left. The text on the right reads: Reflect offers you a creative way to explore & visualise your relationship with stuttering over time. This novel perspective supports a more detailed understanding of your personal experience & the different factors that shape how you story stuttering in your life. Through colour & form, your own unique image will reveal what stuttering can teach you about yourself and the world. It is hoped that this will act as a springboard to envisaging future possibilities & new understandings.
Also very much enjoyed demoing the ‘Reflect’ app for the first time having collaborated with Conor Foran & Bart Rzeznik @dysfluent on this for the past 3 years. Grateful to #StutteringCommons for funding the project & to the overwhelmingly positive feedback & development ideas received
Photograph of Sam Simpson (left) & Patrick Campbell (right) standing in front of two screens projecting the opening slide for their ‘Stuttering Commons: Deconstructing, unsettling & bending fluency privilege’ workshop. Sam, a white woman in her 50’s, is wearing a dark blue denim dress and Patrick, a white man in his 30’s, is wearing blue jeans and a striped blue & white short-sleeved shirt
Conference highlights included collaborating with Patrick Campbell on two workshops showcasing the groundbreaking work of #StutteringCommons. Exciting to share the fruits of two years of labour & to receive such enthusiastic feedback on the Manifesto and Library. Thank you to everyone who attended
Photograph of the 15th ISA World Congress for people who stutter programme positioned on top of the conference drawstring bag adjacent to my conference lanyard. All three are white & feature a marine blue reindeer head around which the words ‘Stuttering unfolds in the artic’ are written
Photograph of several of Willemijn Bolks @JustStutter cards positioned on a black tote bag featuring different shaped speech bubbles in white & the writing ‘Difference is beautiful’
Back home after a whirlwind 4 days of connection, collaboration & conversation at the 15th ISA World Congress in Finland. Wonderful to see the global stammering community flourishing - & to have stocked up on some amazing @juststutter merch! Feeling grateful, nourished & uplifted
Photograph of the 15th ISA World Congress for People who Stutter programme showcasing this year’s theme ‘stuttering unfolds in the artic’
Excited to be in Rovaniemi, Finland for the 15th ISA World Congress for People Who Stutter. Nelly Penttillä’s thought provoking Congress opening speech calling out ableism within speech & language therapy has set the stage for honest dialogue across international communities