San Francisco Calls on State to Become First in Nation to Recognize Stuttering Awareness Week
SAN FRANCISCO — Today San Francisco unanimously passed legislation calling on California to declare May 8 to May 13, 2023 Stuttering Awareness Week, as the California legislature considers Assembly Resolution 59, a bill that would make California the first state in the nation to designate the second week of May for those who stutter.
“I am honored to recognize and uplift the stuttering community in San Francisco,” said Supervisor Dean Preston, who sponsored the local resolution. “It’s important we spread awareness about this speech disability, and my hope is that other cities in California and in other states pass resolutions to help shed light on stuttering.”
Last year, San Francisco became the first city in California to declare Stuttering Awareness Week. Now, the State of California is now considering Assembly Resolution 59, which would make California the first state in the nation to designate May 8-13 as Stuttering Awareness Week.
“Changing how we understand and talk about stuttering is critical if we are going to finally overcome the harmful and traumatizing stereotypes we see in popular culture,” said Proud Stutter Executive Director, Host, & Producer Maya Chupkov. “Spreading more awareness through advocacy, educational campaigns, and storytelling can allow people who stutter to realize they are not alone and there is a community for them."
More than 70 million people worldwide, and an estimated 8,000 San Franciscans, are people who stutter. When stuttering continues into adulthood, a person may have difficulty communicating with other people and stuttering may affect a person’s quality of life, interpersonal relationship, job opportunities, and professional growth.
“ACR 59 is a long overdue statewide recognition of the stuttering community.” said Johnnie Pina, Legislative Advocate and person who stutters. “I am deeply grateful to Speaker Designee Robert Rivas for introducing ACR 59 and to the City and County of San Francisco for being the first city to declare Stuttering Awareness Week. ACR 59 says that people who stutter are not only welcome in California Communities, but their voices are needed in the State Capitol and city halls throughout California.”
Paul Castellano and Barbara Hubbard Koval, members of the National Stuttering Association, organized the drive to win Congressional recognition for people who stutter, and in 1988 President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation establishing the second week in May 1988 as National Stuttering Awareness Week.
Locally, events are taking place across the Bay Area to cast a spotlight on the significant number of people in our society that live with a stutter, led by Proud Stutter, a San Francisco-based podcast about shifting the narrative around the speech disability. Full details of National Stuttering Awareness Week events can be found here.
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