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Daughter Honors Amazing Mom
Kendra Joyce’s mother, Kara Joyce, has stuttered her entire life. Of course that only makes her more special in Kendra’s eyes. “My mom has always been a beautiful singer and has written some beautiful songs in her lifetime,” Kendra tells us.
An Historic Figure Who Stuttered
Cotton Mather, a prominent figure in U.S. history, rose above stuttering to achieve success. The Puritan leader of colonial America is considered one of the most prolific writers in American history.
Wonders of Waverly
Meet Margaret Griffo and her dog Waverly — a beautiful two-and-a-half year old Keeshond. The duo make up a registered Pet Partners® team. They are among only a handful who currently provide fluency therapy to patients.
Survey on the Impact of Stuttering in the Workplace
The Stuttering Foundation is assisting in an important survey on the impact of stuttering in the workplace. Through your answers, we will be better able to provide employment advice to people who stutter and offer improved education to employers.
Greetings from The Netherlands
My name is Sjef van Lierop. I am 44 years old and I am a garbage truck driver. My hobby is playing the bass drum, and I am also the drum major for several marching bands in our area.
My Best Quality? I Stutter
My name is Thomas Gambino. I am 6 foot 7, 244 pounds with an unfortunate receding hairline. Currently, I am a first year doctoral student at Rutgers University studying school psychology. Most importantly I am someone who stutters.
Stuttering Foundation Honors Entrepreneurs
In a reception at The Lotos Club, Foundation president Jane Fraser noted, “Finding meaningful employment can be one of the hardest endeavors those who stutter face during their lifetime. For some, starting or running a successful business is both a personal triumph and a necessity."
Camp Provides Fun and Learning
Camp TALKS was held on the Vanderbilt University campus for 24 campers ranging in age from 8 to 16, 14 graduate students, and 8 speech-language pathologists (SLPs), tackled daily challenges centered around this year’s theme of “Communication, whether you stutter or not!”
Stuttering
"Stuttering" is a poem by Dan Pappas that was featured in the Stuttering Foundation's Fall 2015 Newsletter.
Looking Beyond the Stutter
For a long time I felt as though my stutter was robbing me of the person I wanted to be; I was the shy girl who didn’t really say much, which in today's world is somehow synonymous with not knowing much, and I was always viewed as less capable than others.

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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.

John Melendez

He is a talented musician, actor, and comedian. Listen to a podcast.

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.

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.