Dubai: Putting thoughts into words is tricky enough – but what if your own body stops you from saying what you want to say?
According to US-based nonprofit organisation The Stuttering Foundation, more than 70 million people around the world stutter. With stops and starts, this is a communication disorder in which, the flow of speech is broken by repetitions, prolongations, or abnormal pauses of sounds and syllables.
But when one per cent of the world’s population stammers, why should people who do, feel alone?
She said: “Growing up believing my stutter is something only my brother and I have, was a very lonely feeling. Added to that was the stigma of feeling different and the effect stuttering has on a person.”
In 2013, she decided to do something about it.
She said: “I met another person who stutters, and whenever we caught up over coffee, I realised that it helped to accept our stutter by simply talking about it.”
They came together to launch a support group called Stutter UAE. The group hosts monthly events and now has over 400 members on its mailing list.
Farah said: “Being part of Stutter UAE means you are part of a positive change in society with regards to stuttering or speech impediments in general. Through this initiative, we are able to link people who stutter with speech pathologists. We also bring together families to exchange experiences and strategies on dealing with their loved ones who stammer. Also, it is empowering for people to see others like themselves succeed in life. We are working on changing negative connotations, and are looking at stuttering as an accent, rather than a speech impediment.”
Farah was in grade seven when she first became truly cognisant of her stammer.
She said: “My teacher at the time asked me to read out a passage from a book, and as I stuttered, she embarrassed me in front of the classroom. The result of the experience was that it forced me into becoming an introvert.”
Children who stutter often face a difficult time at school.
A study published in the British Journal of Special Education found that 82 per cent of children who stutter reported having been bullied at some period in their school lives.
According to research by US-based Centre for Speech and Language Pathology, children who stammer experience feelings of shame and low self-esteem, especially when they are excluded from their peer groups. They often feel inadequate, cautious and anxious.
Farah said: “As I was looking into university options, I decided I wanted to challenge myself out of my stutter. Instead of being ashamed of it, I began my presentations at university by saying: ‘Hi, my name is Farah and I stutter... Please bear with me.’ This was my first step in realising that I am in control of my stutter, if only I learn to embrace it.”
He said his stammering caused people to underestimate his skills and abilities.
“When I first started to stutter, I felt like I was the only one in the world who had this issue, because no one else stuttered at school. In university, most people said I would not get my Bachelor’s degree, that it was higher than my level of understanding. But I surprised them.”
Now, Al Rumaithi considers his stammer as part of his personality, and refuses to be defined by it.
“Stuttering is not a big issue to me anymore, because I am fine with it. I have adapted to it and have learned how to live with it.”
“In my mother tongue, I have to stress every word, unlike in English, where you can combine words and speak more fluidly.”
The fact that most people do not patiently hear you out, is a problem too.
He said: “Often, people don’t listen to your entire sentence. They look away or move on to other subjects. At university, I would find it difficult to crack jokes with friends or share stories with them because it would take me a long time to express my thoughts.”
But throughout history, stammering is a hurdle that has never stopped people from rising to the top.
Joe Biden, the 47th Vice President of the US, overcame his stutter by reading poetry aloud in front of a mirror. Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe famously developed a low, breathy voice in response to her stammer.
At Stutter UAE, Farah said the group shares such experiences and advises people on how to communicate better with loved ones who stutter.
“We host monthly meet-ups, which do not necessarily talk about stuttering, but allow people to realise how to manage their stutter in different settings. It is also a chance for the community to get involved in change, in making our society a more understanding and tolerant one. We also host two main events during the year, alongside our regular events, which are the Annual Iftar Gathering in Ramadan, and a Stuttering Awareness Day event in October.”
Faisal Al Hammadi launched Stutter UAE with Farah.
The 31-year-old Emirati healthcare professional said: “My stammer has improved, yet I know that it is something that will never go away. Stutter UAE helps with that. We can manage it better, by socialising with people who have the same issues, the same struggles that we do. Sometimes, we forget that it’s not our fault… that we are not alone.”
Learn more about Stutter UAE through their facebook page: facebook.com/StutterUAE or on twitter, @StutterUAE.
