Don’t Leave Home Without It

Be Sure to Pack Your ID Card

Have you ever been stopped for speeding or had trouble when questioned coming through airport security? If you have, whether you stutter or not, you know how tough these two situations can be.

The Stuttering Foundation created a free ID card available to all those who stutter, designed to help them in stressful “what’s your name?” situations.

“Not only have we been told by many people who stutter that the ID card is a helpful tool but we have also learned from TSA officials and police staff that they appreciate knowing that the hesitations and repetitions they hear are not a sign of suspicion,” noted Foundation President Jane Fraser. “When seeing the card, TSA agents quickly understand why some travelers may have trouble giving their own name or city of departure during routine questioning.”

Added Board member Don Lineback, “I hand out the cards to TSA staff at airports; they use them as a multi-purpose educational tool.”

“With constantly evolving security concerns, the traveling public and the screeners are under more pressure than ever—we’re just trying to help and to educate,” added Fraser.

The card was designed in response to an incident involving Kylah Simmons, a U.S. citizen returning home through the Atlanta airport after studying abroad. According to media reports, Ms. Simmons, a person who stutters, was questioned repeatedly about her stutter by a customs agent. Ms. Simmons was told by the agent that she was “lying” about her stutter.

After this stressful event, Simmons worked closely with the Foundation to design the card and make it available to the stuttering community worldwide.

“When questioned by someone in authority, we all may have difficulty maintaining our fluency. For someone who stutters, it can be a much greater challenge. We hope this tool will make a difference,” added Fraser.

Download your free copy of the ID card or request a card by mail by emailing info@stutteringhelp.org.

From the Summer 2016 Newsletter

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

Frank Wolf

This Virginian congressman has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1981. The longtime supporter of the Stuttering Foundation drew national attention to childhood stuttering in 2006 when he submitted an article about Tiger Woods from the SFA newsletter to the Congressional Record. The congressman is featured in the Stuttering Foundation's Famous People Who Stutter brochure.

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.

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.

Emily Blunt

Actress Emily Blunt struggled with stuttering early in her life. A teacher encouraged her to act in a school play at age 12 despite her stuttering.

Blunt’s name is prominently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter.

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.