be loud. be bright.

don't reblog joke posts unless you have dysfluent speech. blog is for everyone, to educate and inspire those who need it. this blog will never be dead please submit and follow

[intersexfairy]

i wish people were kinder to people who speak slowly or stutter. and to people who need time to process what others are saying, or to translate their thoughts and feelings to words. i function at a slower pace than some people have the patience for and im not doing anything wrong. they are by being rude.

[intersexfairy]

would just like to give a reminder that this post is not just about neurodiversity. while about that too, it was mainly written about chronic illness since it has made this a bigger problem for me. i have stuttering, slurring, brain fog. it’s killed my short term memory. please do not forget about chronic illness.

[dysfluentsuggestion]

about page updated for 2021 and onward

[aegleseeker]

if you have a lot of vocal tics, i love you.

if you have a lot of typing tics, i love you.

if you constantly vocal tic whenever you speak, i love you.

if you typing tic whenever you type, i love you.

if you interrupt your own sentences with your tics, i love you.

if you interrupt others with your tics, i love you.

if you've been made to feel annoying or like an inconvenience because of your vocal or typing tics, i love you.

you are not bad for having tics. you deserve to speak, even if your tics hinder your communication or seem to bother others.

[dysfluentsuggestion]

i wonder if any of our speech therapists know that they aided heavily in making us depressed

[dysfluentsuggestion]

a couple days ago, I presented my valedictorian speech to nearly a thousand people. 

naturally, i put a disclaimer in the beginning, “I have a speech disability that affects how fast I speak, and can cause me to make some noises with my mouth that you might not be used to. If at any point, you feel the need to chuckle, there are four exits in the back.”

the reaction I got was definitely not what I expected. I braced myself for quiet murmurs, giggles from the classmates that used to mock me, and people to actually leave the room. instead, the audience roared with cheers and applause as if I had already finished. whenever I was blocking, some members of the audience would shout “you got this, baby!” and I’d smile and continue.

I never felt discouraged or judged. I wasn’t the timid, panicky kid I used to be. For the first time I felt like it was my words people were listening to – not the space in between them.

i promise you, things will get better for you like they are better for me. Whether your dysfluency eases over time, or you learn to accept yourself and others follow suit, it will get better.

never be afraid to speak. your voice deserves to be heard. do not back out of opportunities that you deserve, for they just might be a stepping stone to being happy.

[dysfluentsuggestion]

it's been over two years since i've posted this (and posted on this blog in general) so i wanted to give you all an update if you'd like.

i'll be 20 soon, and it's been about 5-6 years since i've had speech therapy. as a surprise to everyone who told me I'd grow out of it, I still stutter. it still causes me mild physical pain, but I'm not ashamed of it anymore.

last night, i met some new people at a party, and in the middle of telling a story, i had to stop mid-sentence (or rather, mid-word) and disclaim that no, I'm not having a seizure. The concerned looks—if they had any in the first place—melted off their faces, and we moved on. one of them said "i hope this isn't insensitive, but i like it. there's like, anticipation"

i have a lot to say, now. I have opinions to express and stories to tell and jokes to make. people tell me i should have a podcast, and i agree.

when i was a teenager and I realized i'd probably never grow out of my stutter, it broke me. my career options dropped to zero. "I can't even be a cashier. they need to say numbers. I can't do that." it was so ingrained in me that getting rid of my speech impediment was top priority in order to have a good life.

they were wrong. i've loved and lived and i will love and live some more. my wedding vows will have pregnant pauses between syllables. it's okay. it's beautiful, even. my voice delivers my thoughts and for that it is perfect.

so, here's a dysfluent suggestion: live your life. speak your truth. your words are valuable.

[kitsnicket]

I’m so frustrated with how normalized and accepted it is to make fun of speech impediments. Imagine being that unfunny that you have to make a joke at someone else’s expense

[kitsnicket]

And the amount of people who think that going to speech therapy magically “fixes” it 😐. I went to speech therapy for years and all it did was make me hate myself even more lol

[kitsnicket]

Ableism that is widely accepted is still ableism! Little fun fact

[kitsnicket]

Ok I genuinely was not expecting this post to get any notes but now that it has I wanna clarify a few things. Mostly my point about speech therapy.

This is not me saying that speech therapy doesn’t work because it absolutely can and does help people cope with their impediments. It still doesn’t fix anyone though. When you go to therapy for your depression or anxiety, are you magically fixed? Most of the time when I see people claiming that speech therapy “cures” impediments, they’re doing that to absolve themselves of the guilt of making fun of us. Because if therapy fixes impediments then it’s the person’s own laziness or unwillingness to go to therapy that causes their impediment and, therefore, they’ve brought it upon themselves and making fun of them is fair game. It’s a way to invalidate speech impediments as a disability. So yes, speech therapy can help impediments. No, it’s not a cure.

the self hatred comment. When I was going to speech therapy, it was very much focused on the person with the impediment “fixing” themself and talking correctly. There was little to no emphasis on self acceptance and loving myself and my stutter. The emphasis on something being wrong with me, combined with the culture we live in where stutters and other impediments are readily made fun of, lead to lots of self hatred that I’m still working through over a decade later. It’s hard to get over that self hatred when society still finds it socially acceptable to make fun of me and people like me. I mention this because my experience is by no means mine alone. There’s entire generations of us traumatized by therapy like this who are working on how we see ourselves and our disability.

[kitsnicket]

Reblogging for disability pride and awareness month. Speech impediment are rarely included in disability conversations and I’m going to change that <3

[dysfluentsuggestion]

to everyone still following this blog, i hope you're all having a prosperous disability pride month! remember that your emotional health is more important than what people think of the way you speak.

[dysfluentsuggestion]

a couple days ago, I presented my valedictorian speech to nearly a thousand people. 

naturally, i put a disclaimer in the beginning, “I have a speech disability that affects how fast I speak, and can cause me to make some noises with my mouth that you might not be used to. If at any point, you feel the need to chuckle, there are four exits in the back.”

the reaction I got was definitely not what I expected. I braced myself for quiet murmurs, giggles from the classmates that used to mock me, and people to actually leave the room. instead, the audience roared with cheers and applause as if I had already finished. whenever I was blocking, some members of the audience would shout “you got this, baby!” and I’d smile and continue.

I never felt discouraged or judged. I wasn’t the timid, panicky kid I used to be. For the first time I felt like it was my words people were listening to -- not the space in between them.

i promise you, things will get better for you like they are better for me. Whether your dysfluency eases over time, or you learn to accept yourself and others follow suit, it will get better.

never be afraid to speak. your voice deserves to be heard. do not back out of opportunities that you deserve, for they just might be a stepping stone to being happy.

[stutteringmyway]

stuttering on my name always broke my heart and made me feel so bad. it didnt happen very often but when it did, it felt like the whole world was collapsing on me. how can i take care of myself when i cant even say my own name?

today i got asked for my name. i got stuck and couldnt even make a sound. the lady kept asking for my name, laughing and telling me i dont have a reason to be nervous cause its only my name. its only my name. all i could manage to do was awkwardly smile and try to get to words out.

its only my name.

after that she took my id, i thanked her, left and moved on. normally i would spend all day (and a couple days after) thinking about that moment and hating myself.

but a part of acceptance is letting go. so today i stuttered on my name and the world didnt stop. today i stuttered on my name and it was okay. its only my name.

[dysfluentsuggestion]

yoo i messaged you guys like a month ago about starting group therapy anD IM TELLING YOU its been like 4 sessions and i already feel like a new person. just wanted to share some love with yall cause what you do here is amazing (also im writing about stuff @ stutteringmyway 👀) talking about how you really feel is fucking amazing??? i dont want to shut up about my stutter now i have to make up for 20 years of being quiet

ah yes I remember you !! glad it's going well. will give you a follow from my main account :) much love ! ❣️🌹💖🌸🌈

[dysfluentsuggestion]

hey people reading this! wassup

i just went to view this blog on desktop and i realized that the theme i chose years ago has a very small font. i will change the theme to a more accessible one tomorrow.  (it’s pretty late rn)

expect a fancy new look soon !

[dysfluentsuggestion]

today I competed with my school’s debate team

like usual, i stuttered my way through it

i got 5th best speaker. the first medal i’ve ever won was earned for doing something i’ve feared for years.

it gets better, my friends.

[dysfluentsuggestion]

im going to start group therapy soon and im super nervous & dont know what to expect. i hate talking about my stutter and never really knew or met someone else who stutters. i know its going to be an accepting and understanding enviorment but im still super anxious. do you guys have any tips or something ?

hi love, i’m sorry but i’ve never been to a group therapy session so I don’t know much about them. however, i do have 1-on-1s with my psych that make me anxious because of my stutter so I can relate to you on that. For me, I try to make psych appointments something to look forward to. My psych has a keurig in the waiting room, so whenever I go, I get some hot chocolate. (and having a drink can be a nice distraction when the anxiety gets to you) I don’t know if where you are going has something similar, but try to make it enjoyable in other ways. Maybe make it a point to get something nice for yourself before the meeting that you can’t get any other time. 

[dysfluentsuggestion]

speech therapy, for me, was an attempt to get me to dig through a boulder with a spoon every time I spoke until it became instinctual. I feel that this metaphor applies to everyone who undergoes speech therapy. The ones who were successful might have been equipped with a pick axe instead. For those people, it might be better to break through the obstacle to get somewhere, to reach your goals. That’s what most speech therapists, in my experience, try to teach you. I’ve found that that technique doesn’t work for those of us with different tools. My speech therapists and I dug through my speech impediment for almost a decade. Much of it did whittle away, but not as quickly as other people’s boulders. I was encouraged to continue like this, until I noticed a different route. I broke it down far enough, i could carry it with me now. 

I’ve been “carrying” my speech impediment for a couple years now, and it’s only made me stronger. It’s becoming less of a burden and more of a trait. I wear glasses. I’m genderqueer. I’m a lesbian. I have a stutter. Some see me dealing with this obstacle that I’ve carried all this way and question if I want to go back to waiting until I finish digging through it to continue down my path. It would indeed make it easier in the long run, but as of right now I have bigger fish to fry. 

so, i’ve been learning that the “impediment” in speech impediment can mean just that; an impediment to my speech. I was convinced that it had a double meaning and was an impediment to my life as well. For me, for all of us, it isn’t. it is simply additional weight to the world we carry on our shoulders. whether or not you choose to break it should be your choice.

[dysfluentsuggestion]

you never have to love and accept your stutter for your voice to be beautiful and worthy. if you can’t accept it, that’s okay. it’s okay to not like it and to wish you didn’t have a stutter. your voice is still worthy of being heard and it is still amazing and perfect. 

[constance-mcentee-deactivated20]

I’m nearly 50-years-old, have stuttered all my life, and I really needed to see this.

[donatart]

ive never seen a positivity post for tourettes kids on here with more than 100 notes so..

shout out to tourettes kids who have violent tics. who have painful, unpleasant and awkward tics. who feel ashamed of their tics. who love their tics. shout out to tourettes kids who are looked down on for doing and saying things that they cant control. no matter what people say about you, you are not a bad person or something to be hidden and kept away. you are wonderful, beautiful, and strong people who deserve everything good in the world and im on your side.

[dysfluentsuggestion]

Hello! I have a question: are both lisp and speech impediment both accepted terms for those outside of the community to use? Or are there alternatives? I am writing a character who cannot correctly(?) pronounce their hard s and z sounds, and though I did research on it but I couldn't find anything on if either of these terms were ableist.

those terms are fine !!! there's nothing offensive about having a lisp or speech impediment !

[veighta-deactivated20210925]

Normalize disabled voices

Echolalia, monotone voices, stuttered speech, slurred speech, labored breathing between words and sentences, mechanical AAC voices,  AAC or sign users who consider those to be their voices, selectively mute voices, disorganized speech, speech with vocal tics, speech considered to be of “inappropriate volume”, speech with vocal stims, all disabled voices and the ways they present

Normalize disabled voices