Fighting Stuttering Stigmas, Tri-Valley Teen Founds Support Org

PLEASANTON, CA — For Alexander Chen, a stutter is much more than just a verbal tic or a physical condition.

“It’s something that has really transformed who I am,” said Chen, 17, a senior at Foothill High School who has dealt with a sudden-onset stutter since childhood.

Because it’s hard for non-stutterers to understand how all-consuming the condition can be, many media portrayals of stuttering frame it as a physical disorder that can be overcome through speech therapy — a portrayal Chen finds unrealistic.

“Not everyone has costly speech therapists or other methods to improve their speaking,” he told Patch. “Most people I know who struggle with it see it as more of a personal issue.”

Frustrated by those misconceptions, the Pleasanton teen decided to change things himself: last spring, Chen founded A Free Voice, a support and advocacy group that helps people deal with their own stutters while working against the stigmas that stutterers frequently face.

The organization has a volunteer staff of about 15 — mostly high schoolers and middle schoolers — and runs support groups at CSU East Bay and in partnership with the local chapter of the public speaking nonprofit Toastmasters.

Dozens of people of wide age range attend the meetings, where attendees practice public speaking and find support from other members who've shared similar experiences. There’s serious healing being done at these meetings, Chen said, given what the members have faced.

“Many of the people who I’ve worked with in these support groups have told stories about being laughed at, or being mocked, or even being rejected for jobs because of their condition,” he said. “This stigma perpetuates a cycle of low self-esteem and lack of confidence that only makes them more anxious and more prone to low self-confidence.”

By openly discussing that stigma, A Free Voice hopes to break the cycle. And it’s working: Chen said he’s watched group members get a handle on their stutters — “Not because of one magic method or path to success, but mainly because of the group aspect of our programs,” he said.

Now, Chen is looking to expand the organization beyond its current status as a local support group. In the near future, Chen plans to put on a fundraiser that would help the group expand its outreach in the Bay Area, host guest speakers, and travel to the National Stuttering Association’s 2020 conference in Newport Beach.

If all goes according to plan, Chen hopes the group will eventually move beyond local support sessions and start correcting society's perceptions of stuttering.

“We don’t see ourselves as one group, but as a movement as well,” Chen said.

More information about A Free Voice can be found at afreevoice.org.