The Indian Stammering Association

Last updated
The Indian Stammering Association
Founded2009
TypeCommunity Service
Focus People who stammer
Location
Area served
Bangalore Mumbai Surat Jammu Herbertpur Goa Pune Delhi Chennai Meerut Hyderabad Kolkata Chandigarh Jaipur Ahmedabad Indore
Website stammer.in

The Indian Stammering Association (TISA) is a public charitable trust and self-help movement for people in India who stammer. In India a person who stammers (PWS) faces stigma at home and in public, as often parents chide their children publicly, and social acceptance is not high.

Contents

Background

An estimated 11 to 12 million people in India stammer. [1] [2] [3] Stammering is a physiological disorder. [4] The World Health Organization classifies stuttering (stammering) in its section F98.5, "Mental and behavioural disorders", where it is defined as "Speech that is characterised by frequent repetition or prolongation of sounds or syllables or words, or by frequent hesitations or pauses that disrupt the rhythmic flow of speech. It should be classified as a disorder only if its severity is such as to markedly disturb the fluency of speech." [5] However, as India has a shortage of good speech therapists, speech therapy is expensive and the government of India does not officially recognise the condition as a handicap. [6] [7] Those who stutter face problems getting jobs as well as barriers to career growth, resulting in feelings of shame, guilt, and fear of not being accepted within an organisation. [1] Many stammering people avoid talking and prefer to communicate by writing, text or e-mail, as they may be unable to enunciate even simple words. [1]

Formation

International Stuttering Awareness Day Ribbon Isad ribbon.gif
International Stuttering Awareness Day Ribbon

TISA grew out of an e-network managed by Viren Gandhi from Mumbai operated through a Yahoo group initiated on 3 April 2001 by Dr. Satyendra K Srivastava, an Indian PWS. [1] The blog, called "Haqlana" (Hindi for stammer), where Srivastava first went public with his condition and was joined later by members responding from across the country, raised awareness that real-time experiences, like difficulty in answering when attendance is taken in schools, job interview difficulties, and fear of social boycott, were widespread. [8] By late 2010, the group had 576 members, contributing almost 6,000 posts on issues including speech therapy reviews, self-help tips, and emotional support. One experience Dr. Satyendra recalls from his childhood is when he found it difficult to buy bus tickets, and when riding would call out a stop before or after his intended stop instead of where he wanted, then reached his desired location by other means. [8] Srivastava currently counsels various young boys and girls whose e-mail queries seek help, as well as anxious parents about the dilemmas their affected children face. [1]

Some group members met in person for the first time in Mumbai on 13 April 2008, where they determined to start a self-help association to be named The Indian Stammering Association. [9] TISA started a blog on 9 May 2008, the first Indian blog about stammering in open public internet space, unlike chat groups, which required registration and were open primarily to those who stammer. [10]

There had been parallel and/or preceding attempts by Indians to address coping with stammering. Inspired by Keith Boss, a trustee of the British Stammering Association and board member of the International Stuttering Association, a small group of Indians started an internet group. One Indian PWS contributed to International Stammering Awareness Day in 2006 [11] and another attended the world congress in Croatia in 2007. A group in Chennai had been meeting under the statute of Mahatma Gandhi on the Marina Beach from 2001. The Samagra Trust also helped TISA in its formative years by, among other things, publishing a booklet on stammering. [12]

The Indian Stammering Association launched its official website on 15 August 2009 and was formally registered as Public Charitable Trust No. 6055 on 13 November 2009. The trust's head office is located at Herbertpur, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. By October 2020, the body grew to include self-help groups, online courses, daily virtual meetings, counseling, communication workshops, and other support, and has over 8,000 active members from places like Pune, Jaipur, and Lucknow as well as metro cities. [8] [13]

Activities

The trust has conducted self-help workshops in various Indian cities, based on acceptance, breathing techniques and CALMS approach. A model of the workshop is freely available on the internet. [14] TISA promotes self-help groups in different cities and has made available a self-help manual that combines the modern approach to stammering with eastern concepts of self-acceptance. It also produces a newsletter. [15] [16] [17] [18] TISA is also participating in genetic research into stammering in India. [19] TISA organised a three-day National Conference at IHS, Bhubaneshwar (31st Dec 2011 to 2nd Jan 2012). [20] Twenty five participants from different parts of the country learned from each other, shared experiences and did sightseeing. Dr. Satya Mahapatra and Dr. Elaine Robin from the National Stuttering Association (USA) gave the inaugural address and shared their wisdom with participants over the three days. [20] In 2019, Hrithik Roshan, an Indian Film industry Bollywood superstar, agreed to become the organisation's brand ambassador. [21]

Self-help groups

Groups are open to those taking speech therapy from any source, and are facilitated by a volunteer PWS. The facilitator provides the opportunity for members to practise communication skills in a group setting, to offer and receive counseling, and to gather information about techniques and therapists. TISA recommends that self-help groups limit themselves to no more than 12 participants (with no minimum). Cities with TISA self-help groups include Bangalore, Mumbai, Surat, Jammu, Herbertpur, Goa, Pune, Delhi, Chennai, Dehradun, Meerut, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Ludhiana and Ahmedabad. [22]

TISA's self-help communication workshops last from three to ten days, depending on participant needs and time availability. These workshops are based on acceptance: Even though I stammer, I accept myself wholeheartedly, because there is an inner perfection in me. Breathing techniques based on Pranayama are introduced to aid in relaxation and to speech driven by belly breathing. Western techniques are also incorporated, [23] as well as the four techniques, adapted from a book by Peter Reitzes, [24] among other sources. Accepting and serving other PWS is an important concluding theme in the workshop. Some participants have started their own self-help groups after the workshop. [25] [26] [27]

Members also interact through many communities (where they are known by their nicknames) including three on the social-networking site Orkut, and several e-groups for PWS where they discuss their lives and problems and comfort and support each other, knowing that no one is alone and that the condition is common. [1]

Advocacy

In October 2010, TISA filed a public interest writ petition against the director and producers of the film Golmaal 3 and the censor board of India at Uttarakhand High Court, objecting to the film's portrayal of stammerers as objects of ridicule, on the ground that this promoted discrimination, teasing and bullying of people who stammer. [28] [29] [30]

Philosophy

TISA philosophy consists of two precepts: "Accept stammering and work on communication".

See also

Related Research Articles

Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the person who stutters is unable to produce sounds. The term stuttering is most commonly associated with involuntary sound repetition, but it also encompasses the abnormal hesitation or pausing before speech, referred to by people who stutter as blocks, and the prolongation of certain sounds, usually vowels or semivowels. According to Watkins et al., stuttering is a disorder of "selection, initiation, and execution of motor sequences necessary for fluent speech production". For many people who stutter, repetition is the main concern. The term "stuttering" covers a wide range of severity, from barely perceptible impediments that are largely cosmetic to severe symptoms that effectively prevent oral communication. Almost 70 million people worldwide stutter, about 1% of the world's population.

Speech disorders or speech impairments are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean fluency disorders like stuttering, cluttering or lisps. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute. Speech skills are vital to social relationships and learning, and delays or disorders that relate to developing these skills can impact individuals function. For many children and adolescents, this can present as issues with academics. Speech disorders affect roughly 11.5% of the US population, and 5% of the primary school population. Speech is a complex process that requires precise timing, nerve and muscle control, and as a result is susceptible to impairments. A person who has a stroke, an accident or birth defect may have speech and language problems.

Cluttering is a speech and communication disorder characterized by a rapid rate of speech, erratic rhythm, and poor syntax or grammar, making speech difficult to understand.

The European League of Stuttering Associations (ELSA) was set up in 1990 by organisations in 12 countries to promote a greater knowledge and understanding of stuttering and to bring together, as a top umbrella organisation, the national stuttering self-help organisations of Europe. ELSA is a trans-national, cross-cultural organisation. It seeks resources only open to multi-national groups, extends the exchange-of-information network, and lobbies for stutterers at a prominent international level.

The Tisa is a river in Central Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speech–language pathology</span> Disability therapy profession

Speech–language pathology is a field of healthcare expertise practiced globally. Speech–language pathology (SLP) specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of communication disorders, cognitive-communication disorders, voice disorders, pragmatic disorders, social communication difficulties and swallowing disorder across the lifespan. It is an independent profession considered an allied health profession by professional bodies like the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and Speech Pathology Australia. Allied health professions include audiology, optometry, occupational therapy, rehabilitation psychology, physical therapy and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaik Campbell</span> British comedian

Jaik Campbell is a British comedian, and an Edinburgh Festival Fringe regular since 2001 and performed his first solo show "I've Stuttered So I'll F-F-Finish" in 2005. He performs stand-up regularly in London at prestigious venues such as The Comedy Store, Banana Cabaret and Headliners, and has appeared on BBC and ITV television. Campbell performed a new show "L-L-Lost for Words: My Life with a Stutter" at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic fluency device</span> Devices intended to improve the fluency of persons who stutter

Electronic fluency devices are electronic devices intended to improve the fluency of persons who stutter. Most electronic fluency devices change the sound of the user's voice in his or her ear.

There are many references to stuttering in popular culture. Because of the unusual-sounding speech that is produced, as well as the behaviors and attitudes that accompany a stutter, stuttering has been a subject of scientific interest, curiosity, discrimination, and ridicule.

Stuttering therapy is any of the various treatment methods that attempt to reduce stuttering to some degree in an individual. Stuttering can be seen as a challenge to treat because there is a lack of consensus about therapy.

Charles Gage Van Riper was a renowned speech therapist who became internationally known as a pioneer in the development of speech pathology. A severe stutterer throughout his career, he is described as having had the most influence of any speech-language pathologist in the field of stuttering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Stuttering Association</span>

The National Stuttering Association (NSA) is a United States support group organization for people who stutter. Its headquarters are in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuttering Foundation of America</span> American nonprofit organization

The Stuttering Foundation of America provides free online resources, services and support to those who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Stuttering Foundation was established by Malcolm Fraser, the co-founder of Genuine Parts Company, in 1947 in Memphis, Tennessee. The Stuttering Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, free printed and online resources including books, pamphlets, videos, posters, referral services, support and information for people who stutter and their families, and research into the causes of stuttering.

Speech and language impairment are basic categories that might be drawn in issues of communication involve hearing, speech, language, and fluency.

<i>Golmaal 3</i> 2010 Indian film

Golmaal 3 is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty and the third film in the Golmaal series. The film contains an ensemble cast starring Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Mithun Chakraborty, Kareena Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Khemu, Ratna Pathak Shah, and Johnny Lever. The storyline is partially inspired by Basu Chatterjee's 1978 film Khatta Meetha which itself was based on the 1968 film Yours, Mine and Ours.

The British Stammering Association (BSA), trading as Stamma since 2019, is a national membership organisation in the United Kingdom for adults and children who stammer, their friends and families, speech and language therapists and other professionals. It became a charity in 1978 and is based in London. The mission of the charity is to support anyone who stammers in the UK and tackle the stigma, ignorance and discrimination that people who stammer face so that they can live their lives in full and with dignity. It describes stammering as a neurological condition and estimates that up to 3% of adults in the UK have a stammer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Institute of Speech and Hearing</span> Rehabilitation institute in India

The National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) is an institute devoted to the education and rehabilitation of individuals with speech-language and hearing impairments located in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city in the Indian state of Kerala. It was established in 1997 on the initiative of the state of Kerala and is a self-financing affiliate college of the University of Kerala. Academics at NISH is unique in the sense that NISH has an integrated campus where students with hearing impairment and students with normal hearing share the same campus. Bachelor's level courses exclusively for students with hearing impairment include Degree courses in Fine Arts, Computer Science and Commerce affiliated to University of Kerala. On the other hand, NISH also provides RCI approved professional courses at undergraduate level and graduate level in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology as well as diploma courses affiliated to Kerala Health University (KUHS)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Sidney Bluemel</span> American psychiatrist and writer (1884–1960)

Charles Sidney Bluemel was a British–American psychiatrist and pioneer of speech pathology, best known for his research on stuttering. He had a stammer himself, which influenced his lifelong pursuit of understanding the speech disorder and discovering a cure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuttering pride</span> Social movement

Stuttering pride is a social movement that repositions stuttering as a valuable and respectable way of speaking. The stuttering pride movement challenges the pervasive societal narrative of stuttering as a defect, repositioning stuttering as a form of vocal and linguistic diversity that enriches our language, ideas, and art forms.

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