postr/StutterJanuary 28, 2023

Accommodations for a fellow student in debate and public speaking

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Content

Accommodations for a fellow student in debate and public speaking tl;dr: How can I make debate more accommodating? Hello! If this type of post doesn't belong here, feel free to let me know, or take it down. I hope I don't come off as insensitive either, I really just want to try and help As a brief introduction, I am the vice president of a student organization that participates in competitions involving a fair bit of public speaking. We recently recruited a member who has a pronounced stutter, and I was wanting to ask if anyone had recommendations for how we can accommodate them so that they will feel both comfortable, as well as be as involved and engaged as possible. The main thing that made me want to look for some ideas is that debate times are fairly strict in terms of how long you have to speak. I am in multiple 4000 level courses with them, and I know he has the information and points to be an excellent debater, but I feel that because of his stutter, I'm concerned that he may not be able to express all of his ideas and counterpoints in the allotted time. I really don't want to come off as insensitive or belittling, my intentions are the opposite. I want them to be involved because I know they would be a valuable member, I was just curious if there is more we can do than listen closely, not interrupting to finish sentences and basic things of the sort. I am coming here first because I truly don't know how to approach them/if that would even be a good thing to do in the first place. Again, the goal is to be welcoming, safe, and inclusive. ​ Thank you for yalls help <3

Themes

School & WorkCoping & Advocacy

Subthemes

Access & RightsSchool & Academic LifeSelf-Advocacy & Boundaries

Codes (1)

public_speaking