⠀Stuttering is No Joke

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A lifetime of prejudice pushed two PWS to act.

Assistant Professor Joshua Bodman, with support from Columbus College of Art and Design, and Gregg Benedikt of the School of Visual Art, NY, collaborated to start the #StutteringIsNoJoke organization. Along with amazing volunteers and people like you who helped get the word out, this stuttering awareness campaign went live in 2020.

Why did we start this campaign?

“As a person who stutters, I understand how challenging day-to-day life can be for some,” said Gregg Benedikt, “so as a creative professional, I’m just to doing my part to help change the mis-conceptions and the mis-understandings surrounding stuttering." Finding a constructive way to change public opinion was the perfect plan to change this reality. “We will do our part to educate the public about the negative stereotypes around stuttering,” Bodman said, “while empowering fellow people who stutter to speak up and join the movement.” The campaign seemed like a natural way to get real people who deal with this prejudice either in their own life, or in the lives of their friends and families to help spread the world. “We want to show others that stuttering is natural in over 70 million people worldwide and that means it’s not a joke.” Said Bodman, “We no longer want to allow uninformed people, media, or politicians to define who we are.” Bodman and Benedikt began planning for the campaign to launch on International Stuttering Awareness Day, October 22nd when they first started collaborating. Within a few days, a plan was developed to create awareness, a website was formed, and the campaign launched on October 22nd, 2020.

Thank you for spreading the word!

Hundreds of PWS and friends of PWS participated in the #StutteringIsNoJoke campaign in October 2020. Through your involvement, we were able to reach tens of thousands of people on social media. We know that through the power of design, combined with activism, and an outpouring of support, we can educate others while elevating the voices of countless individuals. We know that this effort can make our world a better place for everyone who lives in it.