TISA recently interviewed Beata Akerman, a researcher, an activist and a PWS from Slovenia. She has written 'Izabela', a beautiful award winning children's book, about a princess, who stammered! One of her great personal achievements is- instead of seeking personal relief, she decided to be an activist and work for those who stammer. We share here, this interview in two parts. You are welcome to contact her, if you have a question at the email ID given at the bottom.

TISA: Can you briefly introduce yourself?
Beata: My name is Beata Akerman. I'm a young researcher in Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana, Slovenija. I've stuttered for more than 20 years now and because stuttering is in Slovenia big stigma, I became an activist and I fight for the rights of people who stutter. Therefore I wrote many articles, I participated on television and radio shows, congresses, I have my own support group and now I published a book for children about princess Izabela who stuttered (http://www.fsd.uni-lj.si/knjizne_izdaje/),  for which I won  a special award in Austria  for the best international children and young people literature (http://www.schwanenstadt.at/default.asp?ID=9&det=379).

TISA: Tell us something about yourself ?
Beata: I started to stutter when I was 4 years old. At first, about a half year before I actually started to stutter, my voice changed. It became very hoarse and stay that way for few months. The doctors did not find the reason why this happened. When I got my voice back, I started to speak very quickly. Again, this change happened very suddenly. Soon after that, I started to stutter. The preschool speech therapy treatment did not help. At first my stutter was, so to say, mild. Everything changed when I started to go to primary school where other children and unfortunately some of the teachers made fun of me. I started to stutter very hard and it stayed that way until now. I was afraid to open my mouth and speak, because I knew that everyone will laugh at me. With no friends and low self-confidence, I made it through the primary school. Those years were the hardest years of my life, but those experiences made me who I am today. I learned how to fight for myself and not allowed other people to judge me based on my speech.

Growing up with a stutter and not having a person to talk about problems related to stuttering was very hard for me. No one can understand those problems better than someone who actually stutter. I was ashamed of myself. Always wondering: >Why me?< and not knowing the answer to the question, I  promised to myself that if I make through all the difficulties, someday I'll become activist and I'll fight for the rights of those who stutter.

At age 22 and after third unsuccessful speech therapy I become aware that I need to accept myself for who I'm. I am a person who stutter and there is nothing wrong with that. When I reached that point in my life, mine stutter was no longer a problem for me.

At age 24 I wrote thesis with title 'Living with Speech Impediments Through the Eyes of People who Stutter' for which in year 2006 I won special award called Prešerens award (Prešeren was famous Slovenian writer). The thesis explored different aspects of the lives of people who stutter, difficulties that lie within each individual aspect, as well as the ways in which these interwoven problems influence the individual's self image, their own speech and their daily lives with a speech impediment. I also finished postgraduate studies of social work for people with special needs where my main area of interest was representation of people who stutter in media. My postgraduate studies ended with specialist thesis 'Changing public discourses about people who stammer in Slovenia'.

The thesis shows a detailed survey through the history of the social exclusion of people who stammer. A very detailed medical model of procedures of speech particularities has also been described and the influence of such proceedings to people who stammer. I have been dealing with some public discourses, which together with education, upbringing, and words of other important people affect the shaping of conceptions, persistence in prejudices and consequentially the discrimination. The goal of the activity research was to change the public discourses about the people who stammer with a help of leading the lectures and workshops for different age groups and professional profiles of listeners, co-operation in different projects, writing articles and appearances in media. Mine Group for self-help My speech - my particularity has been established in the range of the specialist thesis which gives help to people with speech and/or language impediments.

Today, I'm 27 years old, I work as a young researcher in Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana, I'm a social worker, a specialist of social work for people with special needs, for my doctoral dissertations I'm planing to do a research about educational and employment opportunities for people who stutter.

TISA: Why did you write this Children's book?
Beata: The story about princess Izabela is, at least in Slovenija, very unique. First of all because I as an author stutter and some of the parts of the story are taken from my life. Then, because if you look closely how are people who stutter present in books and movies, you'll see that the character who stutter impersonate every possible part of stereotype image there is about stuttering. The common aspect of the character that stutter in the media is that they're portrayed as shy and not very bright pushovers, or even worse, as a killers, rapists, prisoners, people locked in the psychiatry.
I intentionally chose a character that embodies grace, goodness, wisdom and beauty. My intention was and still is to break stereotypical image of PWS and with that help other people who stutter to reduce problems with which we are dealing on everyday basic. The fairy tale also helps readers to accept their own speech impediment not as a deficiency but as a particularity which makes them unique.

TISA: Social reactions to stammering is often different than it is to blindness or paraplegia? Is it so in your society too? and if so, why?
Beata: If a person is for example blind or in the wheelchair, you can see that, or at least in most cases, at first sight. In the case of speech impediment the fact that a person stutters occurs after first spasm which can expand to other muscle groups. With first spasm the behavior of our interlocutors change. Because the awareness of Slovenian society about stuttering is very low, there are many prejudices by which people who stutter are shy, not very clever, lazy, nervous, unsociable, but first of all very strange. Also common is seeing a PWS as a person with drinking problem or as a psychiatric patient.

Once, a colleague of mine, who didn't know me that well, asked me, if I stutter. When I said yes, he smiled at me and said: But otherwise  you look so normal! My friend has a brother who stutter very hard. Once he brought home a new girlfriend to meet his family. Shocked, she said: You've never told me you have a retarded brother! Some people still believe that stutter is a disease. When I was a student of social work, I worked for a year as a volunteer in the Youth center. There was a small girl. Her parents soon prohibited any contact what so ever with me, because, as I was told later, they believed, that there is something wrong with me and if their daughter will keep on seeing me, she'll start to stutter!

Our everyday experiences is that many people are making fun of us, they laugh at us, speak very childish, loud and slowly, so we could understood what they are trying to say to us, use only short sentences (as if there was something wrong with our intelligence!). Some people don't even listen to us, others are full of advices how to talk and breathe so we won't stutter, or even feel sorry for us.

TISA: What important changes did you notice in yourself, as you shifted from a PWS to an activist working for PWS?
Beata: I am no longer ashamed of myself because I stutter. My stutter makes me unique and I'm a stronger person because of the fact that I have this experience. I'm no longer trying to be someone who I'm not. It is a relief to finally feel good about myself, not being afraid to speak up and stand up for myself and others. So what if I stutter? There is nothing wrong with that.

TISA: Was there any role of spiritual / religious beliefs in this transition?
Beata: No. Like I said before, I had very hard childhood because other children made fun of me and nobody really understood what I was going through. I never showed them how much they hurt me. And even though, it's been 20 years, the pain did not go away. I don't want anyone to go through the same experiences alone like I did. That is why I've decided to help other people who stutter and fight for the rights of those who are afraid to speak for themselves.

TISA: Was there any family history in your case?
Beata: No, I'm the only PWS in my family.

Part Two

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TISA congratulates Beata Akerman on her achievements and wishes her all the best on a great adventurous journey. Look out for the part two! To contact her: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it