National Stuttering Association
- This event has passed.
Amplify Houston 1-Day Conference
October 15, 2022 @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm CDT
$30.00 – $45.00
Mark your calendars and plan to join us for a day of workshops and activities for kids (age 7+), ‘tweens, teens, and adults who stutter and their families and friends. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet and learn from others who stutter, as well as respected professionals in the field, in a safe and supportive environment.
October 15, 2022 | 9:00AM-1:00PM
Cost: $30 per person | $45 per family
Vineyard Church of Houston
1035 E 11th Street
Houston, TX 77009
Teen Workshops
Teens who Stutter: Amplified Together! – Game Time! (9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.)
Join us for some fun while connecting with other teens who stutter! This workshop will provide an opportunity for teens to share their experiences with others who ‘get it’ in a safe and welcoming environment. Stuttering is only one part of who you are. Let’s support one another and learn about the amazing and unique qualities that make you ‘YOU’!
Teens who Stutter: Amplified Together! – Teen Forum (10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
How do you feel about being a teen who stutters? What do you wish non-stutterers knew? This is your time to share your thoughts and to be heard! Let’s take this opportunity to learn from your peers who share similar experiences and discuss what it’s like being a teen who stutters with other teens who stutter. Whether you share or just listen, this workshop is designed to meet you where you feel most comfortable. There is strength in a shared community!
Kids Workshops
Icebreaker (9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.) Hey kids! Let’s learn about our speech anatomy while having fun. We will play a game, get to know others who stutter and learn all at the same time!
What is tension? What is Smooth? (9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.) – Some stuttering terms can be difficult for a child to understand. Kids will make a sand dial and use their senses to learn about tension and smooth.
Draw my Stutter! (10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) – Through this therapeutic activity, kids will feel empowered to express what their stutter looks like to them. They will have the opportunity to bring their stutter to life through art. Kids, get ready to unleash your inner artist!
Parent Workshops
Supporting Your Child Who Stutters (10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) – We will explore strategies and discuss ways to support your child who stutters with an SLP, a person who stutters and parents of children who stutter. This session will allow you to connect with other parents who share similar experiences, challenges and successes.
Featured Speaker
Mario Salinas – Claiming Your Voice and Sharing Your Story – (9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.)
Mario Salinas, Manager for the historic Leonel Castillo Community Center, is a public speaker and community organizer with an incredible personal and professional story.
As a person who stutters, Mr. Salinas has stated, “I use my stutter to connect with people.” He is actively involved with self-help and support needs for people who stutter. Additionally, he has served as a chapter leader for the National Stuttering Association’s Houston chapter. He reinforces the belief that everyone has a voice that deserves to be heard and understood.
Mr. Salinas serves on the Latino Initiatives Advisory Committee for the Holocaust Museum Houston, Vice President of Latino Giving Houston, and is the recipient of a 2018 Comcast Hispanic Hero Award. He is engaged in making the communities he calls home the best they can be and is highly committed to raising awareness of stuttering in his travels.
During this compelling discussion, Mr. Salinas will challenge people who stutter to examine how to effectively navigate through daily communications: to shift focus on the importance of conveying messages and what is said rather than how to say it. He hopes that persons who stutter will leave with a deeper appreciation and understanding of how to tell their own stories.
Adult Workshop
WeStutter @ Work (10:45 – 12:00pm) – The WeStutter@Work initiative from the NSA® seeks to eliminate the many workplace stigmas to improve employment outcomes for people who stutter. Please join this panel of inspiring and successful people who stutter as they share their experiences of navigating the workplace and how they’ve reached their professional goals.
Open Mic, Closing & Pizza Lunch
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Family Workshop Presenters
Arianna Gilliam is a Special Education Teaching Assistant at a High School in Texas. She has been involved in the National Stuttering Association since 2018. Being a person who stutters, and a part of the stuttering community has helped her to learn and grow in every way possible.
Tiffany Ramon is a behavioral therapist and a graduate student in Texas. She has been involved with the National Stuttering Association for four years. She has benefited from the organization by gaining confidence, peer support, and meeting new friends. Tiffany’s interests include photography, travel, nature, and learning about neuropsychology. She hopes to be more involved with the organization in the upcoming years.
Rosie Brown is a Speech Language Pathologist at an Elementary school in Texas. She has been involved in the National Stuttering Association since 2008 including her role as the Houston chapter leader for five years. Being a part of the stuttering community has helped her to learn and grow alongside others who are on their own journey. Rosie speaks two languages and is not fluent in either one.
Sarah Bell lives in the Spring area of Houston and works at an elementary school in Klein ISD. She is a person who stutters and has been involved with the NSA for about 22 years. She is currently one of the Houston NSA Chapter co-leaders.
Kelly Cole, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist who has been a member of the NSA since 2013. After a fulfilling career as an SLP in Columbia, SC, she moved back home to Houston in 2021 and currently works at The Speech and Learning Center in Missouri City, where she treats preschoolers, school-aged children, teenagers, and adults for a variety of speech/language disorders. She has passion for working with people who stutter and is starting NSA Kids and Families chapter in the Houston area.
Kayla O’Connor, M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with a passion for working with teens. She has spent the past eleven years working with teens across the Houston area in private practice and the public school system. Both personal and professional experiences supporting families of children who stutter, in combination with attending professional workshops and conferences promoting greater practices and advocacy for stuttering, has fueled her passion for stuttering and the teen population.
Cara Duggal has been active in the stuttering community since 2018. Both her son and brother are people who stutter. She lives in the Houston area with her husband, children and their pet cats. She has worked in experiential marketing for over 2 decades and wants to use some of that experience to empower the stuttering community as well.
Taylor Buzek, M.A., CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist who has been in the field for 10 years. She currently works in the public-school setting. Taylor is also a person who stutters. She especially enjoys working with preschoolers and individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
WeStutter @ Work Panelists
Pascal Orelus is on a mission to help individuals and organizations maximize their potential. Pascal was born in Haiti and moved to the U.S. when he was 11 years old. Pascal completed his undergraduate studies from the University of South Florida and master’s from Lamar University. Pascal discovered the NSA back in 2010 and has been part of NSA leadership since 2018. Pascal currently works as a Management Professional with a strong focus on solving complex problems and creating value for the greater good of mankind.
Demetrius Phenix is a Houston native who graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown with a degree in finance in 2013. He currently owns his own State Farm agency in Stafford/Missouri city TX and has been in business since April 2022. Demetrius has stuttered since he was a young child. He decided to join the NSA as a way of coming together with people who share the same journey, who he now considers family.
Doug Schwab has spent over 40 years in refining and petrochemicals as a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Texas. His career has taken him around the world as a chemical engineer and project manager. Stuttering was always a concern of his and a source of embarrassment. Covert stuttering became his modus operandi. As a young professional he sought out stuttering therapy. His therapy group informed him of an organization that encouraged “Letting Go” which was life altering for him. Doug has been a member of the Houston Chapter of the NSA since 1990.
Amy Skinner is a person stutters who has lived in Houston most of her life. She currently works as a nurse on the High-Risk Mother/Baby unit at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. As a child, her stutter was very mild but became more pronounced and permanent through her high school/college years. Her goal is to be much more open and overt about stuttering and since joining the NSA has learned that acceptance is a process and journey.
Tony Valle is a 30-year veteran with the Houston Police Department. He has served as a patrol officer as well as in Community Services, Jail, Homicide divisions and Office of Public Affairs and he is currently assigned to the Gang Division’s Gang Prevention Unit. Officer Valle currently specializes in teaching life skills to middle school kids, Personal Safety and Bullying presentations to local business and school districts. All that he has accomplished professionally, he has done so as a person who stutters.
Marissa Moschetta is a California-born and Texas raised person who stutters. She is a Baylor and UPenn grad who unexpectedly found her way back to Houston in 2015. As a social worker, Marissa has worked in various non-profit contexts, including child welfare case management, mental health education for faith communities, and intergenerational volunteer program for older adults. Currently, she is the Director of Meals on Wheels at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, where they deliver hot meals to 450 older adults each week. She has been a Co-Leader for the NSA Houston Adults Chapter since August 2020 and credits the stuttering community with making her the person she is today.
Who's Attending
41 people are attending Amplify Houston 1-Day Conference
41 people are attending Amplify Houston 1-Day Conference
