Hide | Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, now a small forward for the Charlotte Hornets, was considered one of the best basketball players in the country while in high school in New Jersey. In 2012, he was drafted second overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. That same year, he achieved his first career double-double, scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds and making him one of only five players under age 20 to accomplish that mark.

Remembering John Glenn

John Glenn with Jane Fraser.

Celia Gruss

Stuttering Foundation Board Member Celia Gruss is a full-time singer, songwriter, and voice talent who records voice overs for commercials, TV series, cartoons and films.

Hurricane

The Georgia office is closed because of Hurricane Irma. We will reopen as soon as we can.

Oxford Dysfluency Conference

We are proud to be a co-sponsor of the Oxford Dysfluency Conference. Please be sure to visit our stand for many great resources.

We are filming the speakers during the conference and plan to make the videos available in the near future.

Singing and Stuttering: What We Know

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Nov. 20, 2017) — The passing of Mel Tillis has the country talking about singing and stuttering.

"Understanding what dramatically reduces stuttering during singing may eventually help us understand stuttering better," explains Dr. Barry Guitar of the University of Vermont, author of several Stuttering Foundation publications. He offers the following comments on singing and stuttering:

Francine du Plessix Gray

Francine du Plessix Gray was a French-American writer known for being a “Jane of all trades,” writing everything from fiction to reports to literary essays and numerous biographies. However, she was never fond of this title. In a 1982 piece with The New York Times Book Review in which she was tasked with describing her development as a writer, Mrs. Gray provided a harsh self-assessment.

Another Blunder Down Under

For Immediate Release 
Contact: Greg Wilson 
greg@curleycompany.com
(571) 239-7474

Stuttering Foundation: “By George, He Has Big Shoes to Fill!”

For Immediate Release 
Contact: Greg Wilson 
gregwilsonpr@gmail.com   
(571) 239-7474

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (July 24, 2013) — Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation, had the following reaction to the naming of the most recent British heir to the monarchy:

“By George, he has big shoes to fill!

Stuttering Foundation’s 23rd Annual Media Awards Competition

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Jan. 27, 2014) — For the 23rd consecutive year, the Stuttering Foundation, www.StutteringHelp.org, announces it will recognize journalists for excellence in reporting that furthers the understanding of this complex disorder.

“We are happy to announce these awards to further public awareness of stuttering,” said Jane Fraser, president of the nonprofit foundation. “Media coverage has grown substantially in volume and sensitivity in recent years. We want to continue to recognize outstanding reporting.”

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

John Stossel

John Stossel is one of the most recognized and articulate reporters today. However, he once considered giving up his broadcasting career because of his stuttering.

“Fear of stuttering can easily become worse than the stuttering itself,” observed Stossel. “The idea that I’m on television and making speeches is still a shock to me sometimes.”

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.

Byron Pitts

Byron Pitts has brought much attention to stuttering with his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, released in September, 2009. The book not only details his speech difficulties, but also his illiteracy until age 12 and his unstable family life. Pitts overcame the odds to become the chief national correspondent with ABC News.

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.

Jack Paar

While Jack Paar is among the most prominent of the entertainers on the Stuttering Foundation’s list of Famous People Who Stutter, he deserves special recognition as he was among the first to openly address his stuttering in public. As host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1962, he spoke of his difficulties as a stuttering child and teenager, giving hope to young people.