Colin joined City in August 2015 as the Learning Technician in Language & Communication Sciences, and provide specialist technical support for over 300 students, most of whom are hoping to become Speech Therapists. As a person with a speech disability (stammer), he asked LCS academics if voluntarily sharing his experiences with their students might be useful to them, to which they replied very positively. This led to a few small group sessions in the summer and he recently spoke to 120 PG students at a session, which though very daunting, was also highly rewarding. Student and staff feedback has been very encouraging, and hopefully the talks have given the students an insight into their clients’ experiences.
For some, particularly the young, everyday life with a stammer can be incredibly stressful, and it’s often assumed that people who stammer are shy or nervous, which is untrue. On the flipside there are also positive aspects, which people are generally unaware of. The children that our students work with naturally struggle to explain the emotions they are feeling, so Colin’s aim with the talks is to be as open and thorough as possible so that the students can gain a better insight, and provide helpful therapy to their clients. The talks have led to some follow up questions from students and this is also encouraged. Colin is hoping to raise a little bit of awareness but above all help our students to be better equipped when they go on placement to Hospitals and Speech Therapy centres.
