The British Stammering Association (
BSA), a
charity since 1978, 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. Based in London, it is run by people who stammer. BSA promotes awareness of stammering, offers advice, information and support to all whose lives are affected by stammering, initiates and supports research into stammering and identifies and promotes effective therapies.
[4] It describes stammering as a
neurological issue and estimates that about 700,000 people in the UK have a stammer.
[5]
Organisation[edit]
The Association's chief executive is Norbert Lieckfeldt
[1] and the Chair is Tim Fell.
[6]
Patrons[edit]
In September 2010, the Association announced that
Ed Balls, who was then a Labour
MP and
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, had become a
patron of the Association. BSA chief executive Norbert Lieckfeldt paid tribute to him for having been very public in his declaration that he too knows what it's like to stammer and has at times struggled with his speech.
[5][7][8][9][10]
International links[edit]
Scotland[edit]
The Association's Scottish branch, BSA Scotland, was founded in 2004 as a focus for Scottish campaigns, events and support services as well as to engage with the
Scottish Parliament.
[21]
Advice, information and support[edit]
The Association operates a
helpline and offers information packs for parents of children under 5, primary and secondary school children, teenagers, adults who stammer, speech and language therapists, teachers and employers. It can also signpost callers to their local
NHS Speech and Language Therapy Service.
Research and publications[edit]
In 2010 the Association produced research showing that children with signs of stammering are more likely to overcome the problem if they receive help before they reach school age.
[24]
To increase understanding in schools of stammering, the Association has produced an
online resource for all teachers and school support staff in England and Scotland. It includes guidance on how to identify children who stammer and strategies on how to support them in both primary and secondary schools.
[25]
The Association publishes a magazine,
Speaking Out,
[2] now published exclusively online. The spring 2011 issue included an article in which BSA member Richard Oerton recalled his own experiences with
King George VI's speech therapist
Lionel Logue who is featured in the film
The King's Speech.
[26] An interview with Neil Swain,
voice coach for the film, was published in the summer 2011 issue.
[27] The spring/summer 2012 issue included an interview with the actor
Charles Edwards, who played George VI in the
West End stage version of the film.
[28]
The Association produces an information pack.
[29]
Campaigns[edit]
The Association has campaigned for several years to eradicate misleading advertising claims made by stammering treatment providers. Some claim, for example, that they can "
cure" stammering − but it is not possible to "cure" a stammer, in the accepted medical sense of the word.
[30] Accordingly, the BSA believes such claims not only give false hope to those who stammer − but also give people who don't stammer the false impression that stammering can easily be rectified. Respectable healthcare companies carry out independent trials on large numbers of people, over long periods of time, before claiming any benefit for their products or services. The campaign has been conducted by, firstly, encouraging treatment providers who are making doubtful claims to provide supporting data and, if they cannot do so, to moderate those claims; and, secondly, in cases where the treatment provider has not co-operated, the Association has reported their advertisements to the UK
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA),
[31] who have investigated the claims and, if they prove to be unsupportable, have instructed them to remove the offending advertisement and amend any future claims. As from 1 March 2011, the ASA, and thus the Association, have also been able to act against misleading claims made in editorial copy on websites.
[32] Following a complaint by the Association, on 13 July 2011 the Advertising Standards Authority issued an adjudication against a website which said: "Discover how to stop stuttering with stammering cure that works".
[33]
BSA's chief executive Norbert Lieckfeldt, who describes stammering as "the hidden
disability",
[34] said the charity had received calls from members who said people were asking them about their stammer for the first time, because of
The King's Speech. The film had created a "good opportunity" for people to talk about stammering. He said: “Suddenly it has become a thing that can be talked about, which is very important for us...For those people who are engaged in conversations about it, their situation will have changed for the better.”
[35][36]
However, the Association criticised comedian
Lenny Henry for his opening sketch for the 2011
Comic Relief, during which he
spoofed the film and grew impatient with
Colin Firth's portrayal of
King George VI as he stammered over his speech.
[37] The Sun reported that the British Stammering Association had branded the sketch as "a gross and disgusting gleefulness at pointing out someone else's misfortune".
[38][39]
In 2007 the Association's then Chair, Leys Geddes, strongly protested to the YouTube website about their classifying, as comedy, videos showing people struggling to speak, including three which he said appeared to be "malicious and stereotypical".
[40][41] YouTube replied that the videos did not violate its terms of use. Geddes has now posted his own video on YouTube, arguing for greater understanding for those who stammer.
Speaking in support of the Association's stance, Labour MP
Kate Hoey said: "For many people, particularly youngsters, stammering is not a joke – we need to ensure that help and support is given as early as possible and, most of all, we need to educate the public to understand the impact it has on people for the whole of their lives".
[40]
In May 2012, the Association criticised a headline and story on the front page of
The Sun mocking newly appointed England football manager
Roy Hodgson's
rhotacism.
[42]
Commenting on the media coverage of Ed Balls' stumbling over his response in the
House of Commons on 5 December 2012 to the
Autumn Statement by
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, Norbert Lieckfeldt said: "The experience of a lifetime of stammering gives an edge to a personality, something to rub against, and I'd prefer that over smooth glibness any day. This is also the advice we at the British Stammering Association would give to anyone who stammers who is considering a career in politics".
[5]
Employers Stammering Network[edit]
To mark
International Stammering Awareness Day on 22 October 2012, the Association announced the forthcoming launch of the Employers Stammering Network, an alliance between employers and the BSA, which aims to create a culture where people who stammer can achieve their full potential.
[43] The network was launched on 9 May 2013 with a reception in the
House of Commons hosted by Ed Balls MP.
[44]
See also[edit]
Other organisations on stammering/stuttering[edit]
International[edit]
United Kingdom[edit]
United States[edit]
Elsewhere[edit]
