NSA members participate actively in National Stuttering Awareness Week (NSAW). This annual event is a time for the NSA to work with speech therapists and the media in the hope that we can reach the thousands of people who stutter who still feel alone and isolated. The National Stuttering Association was instrumental in getting NSAW established by an act of Congress in 1988 through the hard work and dedication of a group of our members.

National Stuttering Awareness Week is the second week of May, so now is the time to think about how YOU want to celebrate, educate, and spread the word about stuttering! Read on to see how some of our NSA’ers are spreading awareness and maybe give you a few ideas for how you can raise awareness right in your own community.

Fun Facts

• Did you know that the National Stuttering Association was one of the first organizations to encourage people who stutter to speak out – fluently or not?
• Two long-time NSA members, Paul Castellano and Barbara Hubbard Koval, organized the drive to win Congressional recognition for people who stutter, and in 1988 President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation establishing the second week in May 1988 as National Stuttering Awareness Week, which we continue to observe today.
• Surveys show that people who advertise their stuttering and talk about it openly encounter fewer stuttering-related problems at school or work.

Bring it Home

• Consider advertising your stuttering in your school, workplace, to friends or family, or even…the drive-through! We’ve got the bracelets, buttons, and brochures to help you get started.
• Sport one of our awareness bracelets. Wear one of our ‘#WESTUTTER’ t-shirts. Add one of our lapel pins to your wardrobe. We’ve got all of the bracelets, t-shirts, posters, books, and more to help you get started with advertising your stuttering in a simple and non-verbal way.
• Consider advertising your stutter in your workplace or classroom.  Not quite ready to put together a presentation on stuttering? Consider submitting a Career Success Profile or sporting one of our ‘#WESTUTTER’ t-shirts on casual Friday for an easy, non-verbal way to advertise.