When People Who Stutter Realize They’re Not Alone

National Stuttering Association
1 day ago
3 min read

Finding Belonging as a Person Who Stutters

For many people who stutter, the hardest part isn’t always the repetitions or blocks. It’s the isolation that can come with it, the moments of feeling invisible, misunderstood, or alone in a fluent world that often feels impatient with our voices.

Maybe you’ve masked your stutter. Maybe you’ve sat near the edge of a table so you could point at a menu if words didn’t come easily. Maybe you’ve practiced your coffee order again and again, hoping to feel just a little more confident when you spoke.

That’s why belonging matters so deeply. Something shifts when you realize you are not the only one, when you’re seen, not in spite of your stutter, but with it.

The First Moment of Connection

That moment looks different for everyone. For some, it happens while sitting in a room filled with people who stutter at a local NSA Chapter meeting, a One-Day Conference, or the Annual Conference. For others, it’s in a quiet one-on-one conversation where someone listens without interruption and without finishing your sentences. And sometimes, it comes from reading another person’s story and thinking: “Wait… someone else feels this way too?”

Reflections from First-Timers

The words of people who have experienced this connection capture just how transformative it can be:

After I leave this Conference, I know that I will have more confidence, just after one day.— Stephanie Stubbe, 2025 Annual Conference First-Timer

Seeing my stutter differently is something I never heard much in the last 60+ years. “You are strong, you are valuable, you are beautiful, you are interesting, I want to hear what you have to say,” is so welcome, after 60 years of feeling like I was walking alone through this journey and realizing I’m not.— Doug Harris, 2025 Annual Conference First-Timer

I was very skeptical when told that my first NSA Conference would change my life. I guess you old-timers are not surprised to hear that it did, indeed, do so. I am so thankful to all at the NSA for all the hard work you put into the Conference, and thankful that I did eventually decide to attend the Conference. For the first time in my life, I felt at ease in a group of people and felt that I am not alone. Seeing all you amazingly intelligent, talented, and courageous people is truly awesome. I met so many wonderful, warm people, and I am grateful for that. I was really depressed for most of Sunday, having to leave the Conference and get on with life. — Hanan Hurwitz, reflecting on attending his first Annual Conference in 2010

We just got back from our first NSA Conference, and it was truly life-changing. There was a wonderful, kind group of teenage boys there and the bond they formed at the Conference was everything you dream of for your child. We had to drag Adam away. And Peter and I had a great time connecting with other adults (since Adam ditched us within 5 minutes of arrival) and we feel even more grateful to be part of this community.— Peter and Alison Slater, parents of people who stutter and 2025 Annual Conference First-Timers

Why Belonging Matters

These moments of belonging rewrite a lifetime of messages many people who stutter have heard:

Fluent is better.
Confidence = smooth speech.
Silence is safer than stuttering.

Connection changes that story:

Fluency is actually overrated (to quote our wonderful Executive Director).
Confidence isn’t about smooth speech. It’s about being heard.
Silence is not safer than stuttering.

For the Late-Diagnosed Adult

Some people never grew up with the word stuttering being spoken at home. They may have been told it was just a phase or something they’d “grow out of.” Others carried shame into adulthood, without ever naming what they were experiencing.

Belonging does not come with an age limit. It’s never too late to find a community that sees you, values you, and reminds you that you are not alone.

What Changes After You’re Seen

Finding community as a person who stutters doesn’t make stuttering disappear. Instead, it transforms how you carry it. You may begin to:

Apologize less for speaking.
Share your thoughts more freely, even when words feel difficult.
Feel less isolated in moments that once felt unbearable.
Embrace talking with your stutter instead of trying to talk around it.

And perhaps the most powerful change is that you may become that source of visibility and encouragement for someone else who is just beginning their journey.