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22 October marks International Stammering Awareness Day (ISAO), a day which aims to promote awareness of and support for people who stammer.

There are an estimated 70 million people who stammer, or stutter, making up 1% of the global population.

����ý Bitesize spoke to Jack, a young campaigner raising stammer awareness in the education and media sectors.

What is a stammer?

Many famous names such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, King George VI and Alan Turing all had stammers, but what exactly is it?

The British Stammering Association define stammering, otherwise known as stuttering, as a neurological condition that makes it physically hard to speak.

Someone who stammers may repeat sounds or syllables, make sounds longer, get stuck on certain words or have words that don’t come out at all, despite knowing what they want to say.

About 8% of children will stammer at some point in their lives, but most will go on to talk fluently. The NHS estimates that stammering affects around one in 100 adults, with men being three to four times more likely to stammer more than women.

Like other neurological conditions, stammering covers a wide spectrum, with every individual stammering differently and to different degrees.

Growing up with a stammer

Jack, 23, a TV runner, children’s entertainer and stammer campaigner, was diagnosed with a stammer at the age of five. “It was quite difficult growing up with a stammer in the education system. There were circumstances when even some teachers didn’t understand my stammer.”

He found picking his GCSEs a particularly challenging time. He told ����ý Bitesize: “Having all that pressure as someone with a stammer, the stress of it made my stammer a lot worse. But it got better after speech and language therapy.

“It got to a point where my stammer was at a real low, I was struggling to string sentences together. I still struggle to this day to say my full name.”

Knowing that he wanted to pursue a career that would involve communicating with different people, Jack made the decision to visit his GP before he started his A-Levels. It was there that he was referred to a specialist and began his speech and language therapy journey.

“There’s lots of people who have unfortunately been bullied because of their stammer, which I think is horrible because having a stammer isn’t a bad thing.

"I think the problem is a lack of education, if there was more education about speech impediments in general then there would be less bullying and less misconceptions around having a stammer.”

Campaigning for stammering awareness

In January 2020, Jack set up the Be Kind Stammer campaign which aims to promote stammer awareness in the education system and the media industry.

During his second year studying journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Jack was tasked with pitching ideas to broadcasters, such as the ����ý and ITV.

“I pitched an idea about the lack of stammer awareness in the media, because growing up with a stammer, I didn’t see anything about it on TV.”

Since setting up the campaign, Jack has delivered talks at schools, colleges and universities across the UK, and has even spoken internationally on panels in Brazil, New Zealand and United States of America.

One of his proudest moments was when he was recognised at the 2021 Diana Awards and secured a finalist position in the category of positive role model at the National Diversity Awards.

Jack said: “I don’t do this work to get acknowledged but when I’m getting these awards it’s a proper pinch-me moment, it’s fantastic”.

The bright future of stammer awareness

So, what can you do to be a good friend to someone who stammers?

“I feel like having a stammer can be such a lonely, isolating thing,” Jack told us. “I think just being there for someone who has a stammer and being part of their support network is vital. Especially if you’re family, friends or a teacher."

He also highlighted the importance of not singling out those who stammer, whether inside or outside the classroom. Instead he advised people to, "just be aware and embrace them for who they are. Just be there for that person.

“You will meet someone at your local cinema, at your local shop, at your local church that has a stammer. It’s important that everyone is educated.”

When asked about the future of stammering representation in the mainstream, Jack told ����ý Bitesize: “I would love to see someone with a stammer on a long-running drama or a big blockbuster film.

“It would be brilliant to have a superhero with a stammer and for them to show, you know what my stammer hasn’t held me back.”

This article was published October 2022