More News | Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter

November 29, 2019
Following Up with An SFA Ambassador
When we first interviewed Vanessa Tremonte, she was our teen spokesperson and had just won the Miss Arizona Jr. National Teenager pageant. Since then, she’s grown up, started a career and a family. Although she decided to move on from pageantry to focus on school, Vanessa tells us her exposure to and experience in pageants gave her the confidence and poise she needed to be her best self and overcome her fear of public speaking.
November 24, 2019
Tribute to Esteemed Irish Authors
While the Irish literacy legacy is historically rich with famous writers, it is important to recognize that some of these writers have struggled with stuttering, as has been the case for many authors all over the world. It is an understatement to say that Irish people who stutter — as well as all people who stutter — are proud of these Irish writers.
November 21, 2019
NFL Superstar and Stuttering Superhero
Adrian Nicholas Peterson is known as a former running back for the Chicago Bears in the NFL, but he is more than just an athlete; he is also an inspiration to people who struggle with stuttering.
November 16, 2019
Spinning the Struggle
Jason Heffler, aka DJ Fluencee, found his voice through music. Growing up with a stutter, he struggled against bullies and feelings of isolation, but his family always had his back. Read more to find out about his experience growing up with a stutter and breaking through the music industry.
November 15, 2019
Bringing It Home
When Brandon stepped into my office a few weeks ago, he did not know the word "stuttering." Yet, surely in his own way, he did know it.
November 14, 2019
Stuttering to Speak
I can remember stomping my feet and rolling my eyes hoping the words would come out quicker. These were outward expressions of how frustrated I was because of the challenges I experienced with my speech.
November 11, 2019
NIH study in mice identifies type of brain cell involved in stuttering
Discovery could lead to targets for new therapies
November 4, 2019
Stuttering Foundation Launches Podcast
We're continuing our efforts to bring you relevant and accessible learning opportunities - and we can't tell you how excited we are to be entering the podcasting world!
September 27, 2019
10 Ways to Celebrate International Stuttering Awareness Day
October 22 is International Stuttering Awareness Day. This is a great opportunity to focus public attention on a complex disorder that touches 70 million people around the world and more than 3 million in the U.S. alone.
July 2, 2019
Netherlands Workshop Focuses on Preschool Children
A workshop designed for speech-language pathologists who want to be trained to practice the DCM treatment that was investigated in the RESTART trial will be held in the Netherlands from July 31- August 2, 2019.

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

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.

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.

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.

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.

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.