This is an interview with Stuttering Foundation Board member Celia Gruss, who ran an informational booth at the 10th World Congress for People Who Stutter in June in the Netherlands. The event attracted people from across the globe.
Q. What were your impressions of the World Congress?
A. My first impression was the beautiful location. Lunteren is next to a forest National Park. Second, the size of the congress building was perfect, not too big, where you can feel lost, and not too small, where everyone is “on top of each other.” Last, the service and organization were outstanding. I enjoyed meeting people during the lunches and delicious butter cookie and tea breaks as well! All in all, the Congress was a very pleasant one, a gathering of people who really cared about stuttering.
Q. Is it true you sold the shirt off your back? To whom? How did it happen?
A. It's true! There was an Italian woman who stuttered and explained that many of her family members did as well. She wanted the T-shirt, but I had to wait for the last day because it was part of my booth decoration. So on the last day at lunch I wore it. I thought wearing it might get the booth and the Stuttering Foundation some attention. I also wanted to show how good it looked! I walked around the dining room until I found the Italian woman. She thought it looked a little small for her. Since she’d told me her nephew stuttered, I suggested she get it for him. At that point, I sold the shirt off my back!
Q. Businessman Tim Fell was an attendee. Did the way he didn’t let stuttering stop him in the business world remind you of your grandfather?
A. Yes it sure did and I told him so. I was sorry to miss his keynote speech, but I couldn’t leave the booth.
Q. What do you think your grandfather, Malcolm Fraser, would have thought had he been able to attend the World Congress?
A. He would have thought it was marvelous and that things had gone a long way since “the early days.”
Q. Were any products more popular than others?
A. The most popular were the books & DVDs.
Q. What was your most interesting experience at the World Congress?
A. My most interesting experience was in the very first hour I got there. I was scrambling to get the booth up as quickly as possible, and before a speech was finishing in a room right next to me. I wanted to get a picture on Facebook quickly! I had just finished when out poured all these people from the speech room. Five enthusiastic people from Japan, one of them Shinji Ito, executive director of the Japan Stuttering Project, came straight to me with interest in the booth and admiration toward my grandfather, Malcolm Fraser. I took some pictures with them and put the pictures up on Facebook! I had just arrived, and right then and there, felt welcomed and thought surely our booth will be useful to others as well.
From the Fall 1013 Newsletter