Hidden Voices
widespread. I parti cipated in regional Speaker’s Do I sti ll stammer? Yes I do. The diff erence now is I
Meeti ngs, where I’m now the President of Leicester don’t let it hold me back from doing the things I want
Speakers Club. I went on to complete an MSc to do. As a person who stammers I feel it is important
in Computer Science and in 2007, completed to raise awareness of the sensiti vity about stutt ering
a Doctorate degree in Health Care Informati on within ethnic communiti es. If you’re reading this and
Technology. Currently, I work as a consultant helping fi nd life diffi cult because of your stutt ering, I would
small and medium enterprise businesses, which like to end by saying I was in a very dark place once.
involves me talking on a daily basis. I came out of it. So can you. Let us help each other.

DO YOU STUTTER? DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO STUTTERS? OR ARE
YOU A PART OF THE HIGH PERCENTAGES WITHIN THE ASIAN COMMUNITY
WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD OF STUTTERING? (STAMMERING)
S
tutt ering is very common and aff ects key issues of stammering within minority ethnic
around 1% of the Briti sh populati on. communiti es, and the huge lack of awareness and
There is no single cause for stutt ering sensiti vity about stutt ering in the Asian community.
and research suggests that the structure
and functi oning of the brain is diff erent
in people who stutt er. There could be a geneti c
link but it can also arise due to a mixture of factors
such as the environment, or speech and language
development, and even psychological and or physical
aspects. Stammering has many variati ons; it is unique
to each individual, a person can stutt er more or less
in diff erent situati ons.
Despite the fact Bollywood icons Hrithik Roshan
and Imran Khan have both shared their personal
struggles with stammering openly, the issue is sti ll
hidden within South Asian communiti es.
The sad reality is that many Asians who suff er stay
quite because they feel there isn’t enough support
or understanding from their family and the wider
community. There is a general feeling of shame, and
embarrassment att ached to this conditi on.
This causes serious concern, as the lack of discussion
about stammering means there is very litt le research
on the matt er. There is a crucial and pressing need
to address this, as people who stutt er from minority
ethnic communiti es have diff erent needs that need
to be met urgently. Without this type of research, the
professional community can not be able to off er and
provide adequate support.
USEFUl SItES:
As a member of the Briti sh Stammering
Associati on, and a person of South Asian origin, Hiten
Do you or do you know someone who may be
Vyas aims to raise awareness about stammering
aff ected by what’s been discussed here? Check out
within our communiti es. He has set up a blog, as a
the following sites for more advice:
space to gain help and support for those who are
www.stutt eringhub.com
struggling with the conditi on. In September of this
www.stammering.org
year, he presented research at the Briti sh Stammering
www.Stutt eringHelp.org
Associati on Conference. The project highlighted
www.stammeringcentre.org
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