Empowered Speech Triumphs Over Lifelong Stuttering

Joy Emery, 64, has stuttered for most of her life. But she delivered the commencement address in clear, fluent sentences that so captivated her audience that they sat in utter silence before erupting in applause as she reached her triumphant conclusion.

Joy has much to say on the topic of empowerment, the subject on which she was asked to speak at the graduation at the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY. That she was able to say it so well is a tribute to her own “tremendous recovery” over the speech disorder that, in her words, significantly curtailed her life.

“Empowerment comes from taking good risks and making a few mistakes in order to gain success,” Emery told graduates and guests gathered on December 20. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; you’ll probably make quite a few before you’re through. Most of us do.”

The words were especially poignant, because until 10 years ago when she was referred to the college’s fluency program, Emery was so afraid of making mistakes that she avoided speaking to anyone other than family.

“In the past, stuttering dominated my life, because I experienced so much fear, embarrassment, shame and exhaustion,” Emery said in her address. “I felt different from all of my peers and so I developed a cozy little place called my “comfort zone” which gave me protection, a predictable life, and insulated me from the pain of making mistakes. I felt imprisoned with deeply engrained negative feelings about my speech and, moreover, about myself.”

Emery credits the fluency program at St. Rose with empowering her to not only say what she wanted to say, but also with giving her a sense of freedom and the confidence to take on leadership roles. She is particularly grateful for Dr. Charleen Bloom and Dr. Donna Cooperman, professors in the Department of Speech Sciences and Communication Disorders.

“Our approach is a synergistic one,” explains Sister Char, the preferred title of the Sister of St. Joseph. “We integrate fluency shaping and stuttering modification, and we integrate speech and language components, attitudinal components and environmental components. We believe that you can’t do a program without that.”

This holistic approach to speech therapy has been in existence at the college since Bloom initiated the program in 1971 with a group of about 19 people. A weekend workshop each March for those who stutter, now in its 29th year, was added next, followed by teen and children groups, a parent group, and the addition of a sibling group this year. The groups embrace both self-help and therapy practices, notes Sister Char, who has managed the program largely on her own. Two years ago, she was joined by Dr. Cooperman, with whom she has co-authored a textbook based on this model.

Joy, who began as a client at the college’s Pauline Winkler Center, now team-teaches the graduate fluency class.

“She was severe,” Bloom says of Emery’s speech when she started, “We worked on fluency targets as well as all the attitudes. She’s to the point now that she’s gone from hiding from people to being in leadership roles within the community and Council, with the SFA and other places. She’s been teaching the class with us for about eight years. The students get a great mix. Everything we teach about stuttering, Joy explains how it affects her life.”

The support group, whose membership is fluid, was important for her own sustained fluency, says Joy, who had been through a number of other programs, beginning in childhood. After early failed attempts at therapy—which included changing her orientation from left-handed to right and then back again and a program in which she was taught to speak and chew gum at the same time—Joy avoided therapy until she was in her 40s. A three-week precision fluency-shaping course worked briefly, but without lasting effect.

“I came back fluent, but I fell right back,” Joy says. “The College of St. Rose started me with a very low hierarchy: easy speaking situations, gradually getting tougher and tougher all the time. What they did was to work on my fluency so that I was stable. At the same time, we had a self-help group where I was able to practice my fluency.”

Simultaneously working on attitudes and feelings as well as communication and socialization skills made the difference, Joy says. “The environmental component helped me to understand the family situation, and the team teaching—telling my story—helped a great deal. As a result, I gained a tremendous fluency, but also a tremendous recovery.”

Still, what made Sister Char suggest Joy as a commencement speaker?

“I didn’t, the president recommended her,” Bloom responds. “He [Dr. R. Mark Sullivan] said, ‘How do you think Joy would be. Do you think she could do it?’ I said, ‘I’m sure she could!’ When it was over, all 2000 people stood and gave her a standing ovation. It was so moving and she did it so well.”

Contact Sister Charleen Bloom at 518-454-5122 or Dr. Donna Cooperman at 518-458-5357. The St. Rose program is open to children, teens, adults, parents and siblings. SLPs are welcome to observe.

For information about other programs, click on Resources on our menu bar, then Referrals. Programs are listed by state and/or country.