Lived Experiences of People Who Stutter:
Stigma, Identity, Intersectionality, and Empowerment

About the Presenter: Derek E. Daniels, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an associate professor and graduate program director for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Wayne State University. He is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist who specializes in stuttering therapy, and has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on stuttering. Dr. Daniels has participated in many self-help events, workshops, and clinical training programs for people who stutter. His research focuses on public perceptions of stuttering, and factors that influence the psychosocial experiences of individuals who stutter. He is particularly interested in identity, stigma, intersectionality, self-help groups, and culturally responsive practices for individuals who stutter. Dr. Daniels is a former President of the Michigan Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and currently serves as the Association's Vice-President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In 2023, he received the Professional of the Year Award from the National Stuttering Association for his scholarly and community-service contributions to the stuttering community. 

Session Description: Stuttering can affect an individual’s quality of life in a variety of ways. For example, people who stutter can experience stigma and discrimination on multiple levels and in multiple contexts. However, people who stutter can also experience freedom and empowerment. It is important for both speech-language pathologists and society-at-large to be knowledgeable about diverse experiences of people who stutter. This presentation will address the following questions: What does it mean to stutter? How do people who stutter experience stigma? How do people who stutter experience empowerment? How might people situate stuttering as a part of their identity? By viewing stuttering through a framework of diversity, equity, and inclusion, people who stutter can experience more inclusive care.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will define stuttering.
2. Participants will describe at least two ways that people who stutter can experience stigma.
3. Participants will describe at least two ways that people who stutter can experience empowerment.

Participants will discuss factors that influence how people who stutter might situate stuttering as a part of their identity.