We are rare and underrepresented. Your friends don’t live all aspects of your life, they see you sometimes. They probably mostly see you at your best when you are having fun. They can’t comprehend your struggles because they’ve never had to. You used the paralysis example. That is a condition that is more common, and more represented in media. Its easier for most people to imagine that being paralyzed is horrible. Most people have experienced some form of their bodies not being able to move the way they want. Someone who has broken a bone or sprained a muscle has a small fraction of that experience. Most people get old, watch their loved ones get old, and lose mobility. Very few people experience not being able to talk the way they want. Even people who use a second language, can communicate with ease to others in their native language. There’s also this idea cemented into most people’s heads, that stuttering is something that happens when someone is nervous or lying. We all know people who say “everyone stutters”, its true. But most people don’t live with it ALL the time, they experience it for a moment once in a while. Its not a big deal to them.