Hi! I’m Liv, a blind, autistic, and ADHD human with a stammer. I now embrace my neurodivergent and disabled self fully, but it wasn’t always that way…

Growing up, I knew many other blind people, but I didn’t know anyone else who stammered. This made me feel incredibly isolated. In primary school, everyone was understanding and waited for me to speak, as I mostly blocked on words. However, high school was different. When I started giving presentations, I became very anxious about speaking. This anxiety led me to go mute for a couple of months, speaking only when absolutely necessary because I felt so ashamed of my stammer. My school recommended speech therapy, but it didn’t help as it focused on fluency rather than acceptance of my stammer.

Throughout high school, I continued to feel anxious and ashamed about stammering. I worried about being judged for not speaking like everyone else. By the end of my first year of university, my anxiety and shame became unbearable. I isolated myself, avoided making friends, and was consumed with self-hatred because I believed my stammer was the problem.

The turning point came when I realized I couldn’t continue hating myself for a speech difference I couldn’t control. Society had conditioned me to feel shame about it, but I knew I had to start living instead of merely existing. I decided to speak up, no matter how difficult it was. At first, it was incredibly hard, but it gradually became easier. I realized that worrying about what others thought was only holding me back, and I couldn’t control their opinions anyway.

Now, I want to help people break free from the shame around stammering so they can live the life they want and deserve!