2021 NSA Annual Conference

Mark your calendars, and plan to join us in Austin, Texas.

We are thrilled to announce the 2021 NSA Annual Conference will happen in person from July 7-11! 

The NSA Annual Conference is a life-changing event for adults, children, families, and friends who share stuttering as a common bond. We’ve experienced far too much isolation in the past year, and this conference will bring the stuttering community together, in person, for an exhilarating and unforgettable time!

During our four days together, you will be inspired, informed, and have the opportunity to confront any challenges or misconceptions you might be holding onto about stuttering.

Simply hearing from and being around others who stutter – others who really get it – can have a life-altering and lasting effect for the better. Most importantly, you will leave this event knowing for certain that when you’re a part of the NSA, you will Never Stutter Alone.

Join us in July and experience weird, hip, and wonderful Austin, Texas, in a whole new way.

The NSA Annual Conference is something that can’t be described; whether online or in person, you have to experience this exhilarating and unforgettable event for yourself. With days full of workshops, sessions, speakers, and events tailored specifically to each age group, and evenings filled with laughter, fun, and connection, you’ll learn about stuttering, explore your attitudes toward living life as a person who stutters, make new friends, reconnect with old friends, be entertained, and feel a connection like you’ve never felt before.

Our full program is where you will find workshop descriptions, sessions leads, bios, and more, and the Day at a Glance is your quick reference to see exactly what’s going on when, at just a glance. This is a preliminary Day at a Glance schedule, subject to change, and a final, printed version will be given to you at check-in. Want to start planning what your days will look like? Check out our Day at a Glance and Conference Program below and start marking which sessions you don’t want to miss!

Conference Registration

• Adult/SLP – $249.00
• Kids (12 and Under) – $123.00
• Teens (Ages 13-17) – $223.00
• College/Grad Student – $223.00
• Chapter Leader – $228.00
• 1-Day Admission – $103.00
• ASHA CEU Add-On – $35.00

Registration Includes:

• Full access to all workshops, general sessions, and all associated workshop materials
• Coffee and refreshment breaks
• Saturday Night Banquet meal (not included in 1-Day Admission price. 1-Day attendees will have the option add on a banquet meal at event check in)

Saturday Night Banquet

Regular registration includes the Saturday Night Banquet. You may make your meal selection during checkout.

All meals come with fresh market salad, dinner rolls, coffee, tea, and dessert. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions.

• Chicken Roulade with Caramelized Fennel, Baby Spinach with Roasted Peppers & Garlic, Parmesan & Herb Polenta Cake, Sundried Tomato Broth
• Braised Beef Short Rib, Baby Spinach with Roasted Peppers & Garlic, Parmesan & Herb Polenta Cake, Sundried Tomato Broth
• Vegetarian/Vegan: Curried Black Lentils with Grilled Tofu and Roasted Vegetables
• Kids meal: Chicken Tenders, Mac & Cheese, Salad

Notes:

No refunds will be given. Special circumstances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

*Thanks to the generosity of the Liben Family Scholarship Fund, we are honored to be able to offer a discounted rate to our college/graduate student attendees.

We have lined up a few local activities you can check out while visiting Austin. You can reserve/book your space during registration.

The Escape Game

Thursday, July 8th from 7:30pm – 8:30pm

• Cost per person $36  
• 60 minutes per game, 1 game per person

At The Escape Game, each adventure has been built in-house from scratch by expert engineers, and so to keep it interesting, things don’t always play out quite like you’d expect! Each adventure is filled with curveballs and revelations that keep you guessing until the last second. Wondering if The Escape Game is for you? Escape games are as accessible as they are immersive, and everyone can contribute to the action. Your experience will be challenging, fun, even funny!

NOTE: The Escape Game is doing everything possible to give guests the safest possible experience, including disinfecting between every game, offering contactless check-in, hosting all-private experiences capped at 5 rooms/41 people.

Lone Star Riverboat Cruise

Thursday, July 8th from 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm

• Price: $35
• BYOB
• Evening cruise, 2.5 hours

All aboard one of Lone Star Riverboats’ environmentally-friendly vessels! Experience the exhilaration of the outdoors, the abundant waterfowl, and the ever-changing Austin city skyline.

BYOB: Unlimited non-alcoholic drinks (bottled water, sodas, juices, an assortment of mixers), plus all your ice, extra ice chests, and all supplies (plastic cups, napkins, TABC certified bartender will be provided. You just bring your own alcohol (no glass bottles or food of any kind will be permitted).

NOTE: Lone Star Riverboats are taking all the necessary COVID precautions, including disinfecting the boats between cruises, wearing face masks, taking temperatures before each cruise, and using hand sanitizer to ensure the safety of our guests. Lone Star Riverboats request that guests wear face masks and observe social distancing. All tours have a maximum capacity of 80 people.

Haunted History Walking Tour

Friday, July 9th from 8:00pm – 9:30pm

• Tour is 1.5 hours
• Cost will be $28.00 per person

For a not-so-typical take on Austin history, tour guests will experience the ghastly tales of this historic city on this storyteller-led haunted walking tour! Get ready for a good scare as you head out for your nighttime adventure to uncover tales of ghosts, murderers, and the spooky stories in between. Stop at haunted attractions, including the Driskill Hotel, and hear about how Austin has developed over the decades.

NOTE: The majority of the tour is outside, however, masks are encouraged for all customers. Masks are required when entering any historic buildings including the Driskill hotel. Tours are capped at 40 participants.

Austin Marriott Downtown

Welcome to this brand new, chic, urban retreat in the heart of Austin! The Austin Marriott Downtown features over 600 guest rooms, including 25 stunning suites, a rooftop pool with breathtaking views, a two-level lobby bar, a signature restaurant, and rooftop tropical bar (complete with signature tiki cocktails!). The hotel is just steps away from stunning Lady Bird Lake, and surrounded by a range of popular shops and restaurants at all price points. Come hear the new beat of Austin!

Self-Park — no self-parking at the hotel, public parking available nearby | Valet — $40 with in/out privileges

Donate A Silent Auction Item

Our Silent Auction is one of the most talked-about happenings at the Conference. Attendees check out the autographed sports memorabilia and scheme on how much to bid to win the gourmet chocolate and coffee gift basket and other fantastic auction items.

Have a Silent Auction item to donate? Email us and tell us about it!

Consider the following donation ideas when thinking of items to donate for our Silent Auction. Keep in mind that all money raised through the auction helps fuel the NSA to continue to change lives!

• Apple iPad
• Envelope full of scratch-off lottery tickets from your state
• XBOX/Nintendo/PlayStation
• Autographed memorabilia
• Tickets/parking passes to an event

Donate A Gift Card

Donating a gift card is easy. Simply purchase a gift card from a well-known nationwide store or restaurant at any dollar amount ($5, $10, $20, etc.) and bring it with you to the conference. We’ll collect the cards when you check-in to the conference. Donation done! Not able to attend the conference? Simply mail the gift card to us ahead of time. Donated gift cards will be grouped randomly and raffled off during the Annual Conference. And who knows…you might be a lucky grand prize winner!

Thanks to the generosity of the Liben Family Fund, special donors, and many of our supporters, we are determined that financial difficulties will not prevent anyone from attending our Conference. However, funds are not unlimited, and due to the increasing number of applications each year, we aren’t able to award as much as we’d like.

We encourage those with financial hardships to apply, but please keep in mind that we do not offer 100% scholarships for anyone and that funds are limited. In addition, yearly scholarship funding may run out before the deadline. Thank you to all who applied for scholarship funding during this cycle. All scholarship funding for 2021 has been awarded and all recipients have been notified.

The 2021 NSA Annual Conference will be here sooner than you think, and we can’t wait to see everyone in Austin, TX in early July!

The NSA is always looking for fresh, fun, and informative workshop ideas to help attendees learn more about stuttering, its impact and how to live one’s best life.

Interactive small group discussions on provocative topics make for great workshops. Cutting-edge research sessions are also well-received. Workshops about careers, relationships, advice for parents, covert stuttering, overcoming stigma, and self-acceptance are always favorites. And, don’t forget about fun and helpful sessions for kids, ‘tweens, and teens!

Together, let’s make the 2021 NSA Annual Conference the best one — it all starts with your workshop proposal.

It’s impossible to describe how powerful it is to spend four days where the majority of people you talk with, stutter. They understand what it is like to live with a stutter every day and achieve success in life.

NSA 2020 Virtual Conference

While this year’s Conference didn’t look quite the same as in years past, we were able to deliver an experience that won’t soon be forgotten! This online event offered connection, support, and education to people who stutter of all ages through interactive Zoom sessions, keynote conversations, roundtable discussions, games, and fun activities, all surrounding the theme of: Changing Lives Together.