“I probably recognized it when I was 5 years old. I definitely got teased a lot. It made me not confident in school…I just want children to know it is okay…It is never going away…Some of the most brilliant people in the world stutter…I really love your approach and what you are doing. You want us to face it and understand it.” -Shaquille O’Neal
Changing the World for People who Stutter
The Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research is changing the world for people who stutter by empowering children, teens, and adults worldwide to stutter openly, speak confidently, communicate effectively, and advocate meaningfully so that stuttering never stops them from living their lives to the fullest.
“40 for Forty” is an opportunity to build awareness about stuttering and grow philanthropic support for the Blank Center’s mission of providing quality CARE (Communication, Advocacy, Resiliency, Education) therapy at no cost to persons who stutter worldwide, mentoring a global pipeline of expert clinicians and researchers, and generating new knowledge to move the field forward.
Will you join us in helping more children, teens, and adults who stutter worldwide to “Dream. Speak. Live.”?
There are a number of ways to help:
- Make a contribution. Your gift of any amount will help the Blank Center provide treatment virtually and in person worldwide at no cost to more children, teens, and adults who stutter, provide scholarships and training to more speech-language pathology students and professionals nationally and internationally, and generate new knowledge about stuttering that will advance treatment and end the global stigmatization of stuttering. Your contribution will be directed to the "Dream. Speak. Live. Endowed Excellence Fund" to support our mission today and for years to come.
- Engage on social media. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram @blankcenterstuttering and look for ways that you can post to help us build awareness about stuttering. We’d love to hear your personal story. Stuttering is neurophysiological, not psychological, but people often assume stuttering is the result of being nervous, anxious, or shy. This widespread misunderstanding about why people stutter leads many children, teens, and adults to experience bullying, teasing, social rejection, and discrimination.
- Send an email to your family and friends sharing our “40 for Forty” page. You may be surprised to learn that you personally know several people who misunderstand why people stutter. Their lack of knowledge contributes to the stigma that children, teens, and adults who stutter experience every day. Even reaching out to one person in your personal network could make a meaningful difference in the lives of countless persons who stutter.
- Learn more through the CARE Manual. The "Blank Center CARE Model™: Application for School-Age Children Who Stutter" is an outstanding resource for people who stutter, faculty who teach stuttering courses, current and future speech-language pathologists, teachers, parents of children who stutter, pediatricians, and other stakeholders. Visit our website and click the "CARE Manual" button to learn more.
About the Blank Center
Today, the Arthur M. Blank Center and the three respective branches, the Michael and Tami Lang Stuttering Institute, the Dealey Family Foundation Stuttering Clinic, and the Dr. Jennifer and Emanuel Bodner Developmental Stuttering Laboratory, rests on a foundation of "Dream, Speak, Live," with the understanding that when individuals who stutter learn that communication is not and never should be defined or limited by fluency, they have the freedom to pursue their dreams, the courage to speak from their hearts, and the determination to live their lives to the fullest. The Blank Center is led by Founding and Executive Director, Dr. Courtney Byrd, who began building a stuttering program at The University of Texas at Austin in 2003.
With our flagship at UT Austin, a satellite center in Atlanta, Georgia, and virtual programming worldwide, the Blank Center offers daily CARE at no cost for persons who stutter of all ages, races, ethnicities, cultures, and languages. We also offer our annual intensive treatment program at no cost, "Camp Dream. Speak. Live.", which is held nationally and internationally. Camp Dream. Speak Live is offered in Texas (3 cities), Georgia, Delaware, Ohio, Alabama and around the world including Ireland, Belgium, Malta, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Tanzania, Nigeria, and more. In total, we are presently serving 31 locations for 2024-2025, with an aim to reach every state in the nation and every country worldwide.
Our global team consists of volunteers, expert clinicians and researchers, purpose-driven staff members, and students who share a genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of as many people as we can. Together, we strive to empower all individuals who stutter to Dream. Speak. Live.
Your support will enable Dr. Byrd and the Blank Center team to help more children, teens, and adults around the world who stutter to stutter openly, speak confidently, communicate effectively, and advocate meaningfully so that stuttering never stops them from living their lives to the fullest.
Learn more
If you would like to learn more about giving opportunities and ways to have an impact, please contact the Blank Center’s Director of Development, Laura McKnight, at laura.mcknight@austin.utexas.edu or (512) 784-1050.
