postr/StutterJuly 9, 2020

Does anybody else feel super marginalized at work?

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Content

Does anybody else feel super marginalized at work? My stutter has been a strike against me with pretty much every employer. The worst thing is that unlike racial or gender bias, it’s much less recognized and kind of impossible to prove. It’s kind of a “invisible“ disability unlike being a wheelchair user or something else that’s more commonly recognized. As far as I know, stutterers are not even a protected class under the ADA (in the USA) and even if we were, once again - you have to have airtight proof that it’s happening. The most blatant examples I can say are constantly being interrupted in meetings, being blatantly discouraged from public speaking, generally being taken less seriously, etc. I’m sure that being a woman has a lot to do with it as well but honestly, the stutter may be worse. Thanks to this, I’ve never gotten to become a confident presenter and it is really holding me back in my career. Just today, I got left off an important presentation everybody else on my team got a chance to speak on, even the fucking intern! To be honest, I was pretty livid and I brought it up to my manager who apologized and insisted that it was not an unintentional oversight. But TBH, I’m just so disheartened and I’m afraid that I will never advance in my career because I’m not even allowed to goddamn speak!

Themes

Anticipation & AvoidanceCauses & VariabilityEmotional ExperienceIdentity & DisabilitySchool & Work

Subthemes

Hiding & ConcealmentOverthinking & MonitoringPropositionality & WeightAnxiety & Social JudgmentStigma & BullyingEmployment & Career