A WYTHALL man is supporting an international awareness campaign which highlights what life is like living with a stammer by sharing his own experiences.
Jonathan Hubbard, who grew up in Lickey and has lived in Wythall for 20 years, understands all about the trials and tribulations of living with a stammer and wants to help others in the lead up to International Stammering Awareness Day (Oct 22).
Jon has reflected on his journey from a young boy fearful of reading in class or taking a phone call to a man now who now coaches and supports other with overcoming their stammers.
His stammer became noticeable at the age of 5 and he began speech therapy sessions just four years later, aged 9.
“I just couldn’t say the words I wanted to say,” Jon said. “Nobody else was having trouble speaking, I’d open my mouth and nothing would come out.”
His difficulty expressing himself led to embarrassing moments in classrooms and experiences of being made fun of. He was determined to hide his stammer which led him to avoid social situations continuing into later life, impacting his university studies and even employment.
He would arrive late to meetings to avoid introductions, or skip meetings altogether. Sometimes he would take phone calls under the table so colleagues could not hear him.
“As a ‘covert’ stutterer, you will do everything in your power to hide your secret. You end up avoiding situations completely where you might have to speak,” Jon added.
“When I got to work, I had no experiencing facing my fear of speaking to people.”
Jon’s experience living with a stammer was so difficult at times, he would avoid ordering certain foods in restaurants or making phone calls.
Jon added: “I lost count of the amount of times someone hung up on me because they thought there was no one on the other end of the line.
“It was a constant battle – always thinking a sentence ahead, words you might block on, then thinking of a replacement word so you sounded fluent, even if it wasn’t what you wanted to say. It was so tiring.”
Over the years, Jon tried a number of speech therapy techniques. Unfortunately, Jon says the majority fail to recognise the importance of focusing on overcoming fears and anxieties around speaking.
One approach to speech therapy, a more holistic route encouraged by The McGuire Programme, has been heavily beneficial for Jon.
The programme tackles both the physical blocks and the psychological barriers which need to be overcome to take control of your speech.
He added: “I’d just like people to be able to talk about stammering, without those affected or the listeners feeling embarrassed. It’s such a taboo subject still.”
“‘Just getting it out there and being open and honest about the fact you have stammer is a huge weight lifted off your shoulders. That’s what’s unique about McGuire.”
Jon has since became a coach on the programme, in 2019, and last year he even instructed his first course teaching others valuable techniques to take control of their stammers.
Jon said: “To know the course team has helped in just a small part of that journey to take control of so many people’s stammers is a real honour.”
The McGuire Programme hosts multiple courses across the country throughout the year. They are holding a free information session in Birmingham City Centre on October 19.
Visit www.mcguireprogramme.com for more information. Alternatively, contact Matt Wilton, The McGuire Programme’s regional director via email [email protected] or phone 07838172768.
