Website review: Stuttering Commons Handbook

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Volunteer reviewers John & Bill share their thoughts about the Stuttering Commons Handbook, a new online resource aiming to challenge perceptions of stammering.

Stuttering Commons is an initiative set up by a group of international figures in the stammering world. With their website, they're creating resources to 'generate new understandings of stuttering, with the new handbook being their latest offering. You can access it on their website Stuttering Commons.

Here's what our reviewers thought of it...

John Russell

The Stammering Commons Handbook isn't a handbook in the  traditional sense, but more of an interactive resource tool for people who stammer, speech & language therapists, researchers, parents of children who stammer, or anybody with an interest in anything stammering-related or communication generally.

It is a beautifully put-together collection of writings, pictures, and audio and video clips, that sets out to challenge how stammering is viewed by both people who stammer and by society in general. 

The handbook aims to promote a sea-change in stammering perception by inviting readers to see and acknowledge differences in how we speak as something to be celebrated. The opening gambit 'This handbook was written by those who speak with pauses, blurt out, hesitate and with effort' could be relatable and inspirational to readers who stammer. 

Curiosity could well be piqued by topics such as 'Dysfluency Studies', 'Stammering Pride' and 'the Three modes of belonging', which navigates ways for people who stammer to feel like they belong.

The first thing I noticed was a statement proclaiming, 'I have stopped trying to be fluent, why should I?', challenging not only society's belief that anything less than fluent speech is not 'normal', but also a person who stammer's possible belief that 'unless I am fluent, I can't be X,Y or Z'.

The handbook aims to promote a sea-change in stammering perception by inviting readers to see and acknowledge differences in how we speak as something to be celebrated.

The video clip of former MP Ed Balls being mocked and derided for stammering during a House of Commons speech, serves as a reminder that verbal differences have a right to be heard. 

Stammering Pride advocate Conor Foran explains how the movement came into being, as well as the meaning of the Stammering Pride flag, likening a stammer to that of being in a swirling fast-flowing river.

The narrations are done in such a way that feels as though the viewer is being spoken to individually. This is a strength of the handbook. Another is that, as with many books on stammering, there will be more questions than answers, but the handbook proves readers with new resources to enable them to find answers/partial answers for themselves. 

There is a link detailing how a stammer can impact on a person's life, primarily for the fluent general public. It is a key message that needs to be acknowledged if we are to become fully stammer-aware. 

The wide-ranging contributors take you through this interactive journey and open your mind to new discoveries and information, and will get you re-examining what you know — or think you know — about stammering.

The handbook represents a sea-change in stammering thinking and perception by encouraging our different voices to be heard, and the creation of safe spaces for these voices. 

Are there advantages to stammering? Should we aim to stammer more? These are two thought-provoking statements from the handbook, bound to promote lively discussion.  

As a person who stammers, I was much encouraged by the handbook. Rather than promoting the idea of having to be fluent to fit it with society, it promotes the value of speech differences and embracing them, as well as advocating spaces for stammered voices to be heard. Anyone who views the handbook will, I believe, benefit from doing so. I recommend it.

Bill McMillan

This is, without doubt, the most interesting thing I have ever read about stammering and possibly the most inspiring. 

The handbook looks at stammering in a new and positive way. The one thing that stands out is that fluency is still in some quarters seen as the 'holy grail'. The section on 'fluency privilege' — the advantage that fluent people in society — was demonstrated here in one way by fluent people talking over someone who stammers while they're trying to speak, and resonated with me. Other sections show how music, poetry and writings from people who stammer demonstrate that stammering does not inhibit creativity. This could hopefully make non-stammerers think again about their view on people who stammer.

This is, without doubt, the most interesting thing I have ever read about stammering and possibly the most inspiring.

I loved most of the components, particularly the mind-blowing poem by Erin Schick called 'Honest Speech'.  

It's not flawless. Creators of the handbook say that its target audience include children, young people and adults who stammer, but with its sometimes academic style and use of language, I suspect it might not be very easy for young adults or children to read. I found it a bit difficult at first to jump into all the separate components, but when I got the hang of it, the whole thing was indeed inspiring.

I liked how the handbook is different; it's not the usual book about how people have coped with stammering but instead it says 'here are people who stammer and this is who we are', giving a very positive message. There is really so much to enjoy and relate to, even for non-stammerers.

View the Stuttering Commons Handbook on their website. To read more about the idea of fluency privilege and how part of the community is pushing back against it, on our page ‘What is Stammering Pride?’