New Doors Open for Kids Who Stutter

Malcolm Fraser Honored

Stuttering Foundation President Jane Fraser and Vice-President Joe Fulcher joined therapists, supporters, and trustees of the Association for Research into Stammering in Childhood, ARSC, and staff of the Michael Palin Centre on Sept. 20 to celebrate the opening of the newly-refurbished facility, which includes a high-tech room named for Malcolm Fraser.

The new centre opened in August and this special event marked the move.

The purchase of the new building was funded by charitable donations and the refurbishment was made possible by a grant from the previous government with support from the Right Honorable Ed Balls MP.

During the celebration, Michael Palin gave a personal speech about his father’s stammer. He described the difference it would have made if specialist therapy had been available all those years ago.

Speaking on behalf of the trustees, Lord Egremont described with great passion his memories of being a youngster with a stammer and his commitment to the work of the specialist therapists at the centre.

Ed Balls discussed the challenge of being a senior politician with a stammer and the impact on him of seeing the young people working with therapists at the centre to overcome stammering.

Among the guests were Travers Reid, life president and co-founder of the ARSC, and Emily Thornberry, Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury.

The Malcolm Fraser Room is equipped with teleconferencing equipment that enables therapists to reach children worldwide.

“My father would have been amazed and delighted by the marvelous work being done at the new Centre!” said Fraser.

-From the Winter 2012 Newsletter

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

Emily Blunt

Actress Emily Blunt struggled with stuttering early in her life. A teacher encouraged her to act in a school play at age 12 despite her stuttering.

Blunt’s name is prominently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles, a former player for The Philadelphia Eagles, the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers, made history in 2007 when he became the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt for his first two NFL touchdowns in the same game. In 2021, he was selected to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, is well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones has spoken some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.