Blog by Ken Kurian
April 9, 2026

My name is Ken Kurian, and I'm from Marietta, Georgia. I'm 18 years old, a senior at Walton High School and a person who stutters.

In this video, [1] I'm presenting my AP Research topic: “How Have Portrayals of People Who Stammer Changed Across Genres in Mainstream Film Over the Past 15 Years?”

As someone who stutters, I'm very passionate about the stereotypes and stigmas surrounding stutterers. I'm also very passionate about movies. (If you ask me anything about the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (MCU), we can have a LONG discussion.)

I chose this topic for my presentation because it intersects with two of my biggest passions, and this piques my curiosity about potential changes in the way stuttering is portrayed in film. My initial hypothesis was that in all film genres, the portrayal of stuttering would shift to a more progressive portrayal. SPOILER ALERT: I was wrong.

I know a lot of people in the stuttering community have been teased or ridiculed for their stutter. While there are films that use stuttering as a form of comedy, I want the audience to realize all films do not mock stuttering. Many films properly frame stuttering as a neurophysiological condition which does not affect what a character is capable of doing. I want all of you to remember that despite your stutter, you are able to do anything you put your mind to!

If anyone tries to cut you off or prevent you from speaking solely because of your stutter, continue speaking! Your words are important! What you are saying matters more than how you say it!

I hope you enjoy my presentation and find it interesting.