You do not have to hide your stammer

Wednesday 16th September 2026

Zulfah

Zulfah Sonaike shares her journey with stammering and tells us how it led her to create a video to help others who stammer.

My name is Zulfah, I'm based in the UK and I am currently an accounting & finance student as well as a self-taught creative director with a passion for using creativity to tell meaningful stories.

My stammering journey started when I was around 8 or 9, towards the end of primary school in Nigeria. I developed a very noticeable stammer, and it changed a lot for me. Later, I found out that one of my uncles also stammered, so it was not a complete shock to my parents. However, there was very little support available to me throughout primary and secondary school.

Stammering affected many parts of my life, especially when I got to secondary school. It stopped me from making friends, joining in with activities and asking questions in class. I remember one day when my English teacher asked me to read a passage aloud. I found it extremely difficult to get through it and ended up crying. Some of my classmates made fun of me afterwards. Even now, some of them remember that day and joke about it. They may not mean any harm when they mention it, but it is something I had to live with for a long time.

As I have grown older, I have realised that there were things that could have been done differently.

My parents did their best to support me, and I am very grateful for everything they did. At the time, they believed they were giving me the support I needed. As I have grown older, I have realised that there were things that could have been done differently, such as simply giving me more time to finish what I was saying rather than completing my sentences for me. I know that if my parents had known more about stammering and the support available, they would have done things differently.

Pushing myself

When I was 16, after completing my WAEC in Nigeria, I moved to the UK with my family to continue my education. I started college and studied business, which involved a lot of speaking, presentations, interviews and working with other people. At first, I really struggled with this. I constantly thought, "I have to speak," and I hated being put in situations where I had to use my voice.

However, I started pushing myself to get involved in college life. A friend I made on my first day encouraged me to become a student ambassador. The first time I volunteered on an open day was difficult, and I remember thinking that I could not do it anymore. My friend encouraged me to keep going, and gradually I became more confident. Putting myself out there opened opportunities for me and eventually contributed to me receiving two awards at the end of college.

I wanted to create something for children and young people who stammer... because I know how difficult speaking situations can feel.

I was also able to access speech & language therapy for a year. It taught me that I should not put so much pressure on myself or feel ashamed whenever I stammer. I learned that stammering is not something I should have hidden. I also learnt that while anxiety does not cause stammering, feeling anxious can sometimes make my stammer more noticeable. Building confidence and becoming more comfortable with my stammer has been an important part of my journey.

My short film

I decided to make a film after getting involved with Action for Stammering Children's mentoring programme, which encouraged me to pursue opportunities that I may previously have avoided. As someone who stammers and as a creative, I wanted to turn something I had personally experienced into something visual that other people could connect with. I especially wanted to create something for children and young people who stammer, particularly those returning to school, because I know how difficult speaking situations can feel.

You can watch my film 'Going back to school? Stammering? You are not alone: Story of my Life' on my Instagram. It shows some of the thoughts and situations that I and other people who stammer may experience, from worrying before speaking to hesitating to ask a simple question or struggling to read aloud, even when alone. My main message is simple: you do not have to hide your stammer, rush your words, or feel ashamed. Take your time. Your voice deserves to be heard.

Read more Your Voice articles.

Would you like to write an article? See Submit Something For The Site or email editor@stamma.org for details.