The National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association is presenting a free showing of the documentary “My Beautiful Stutter” in the Buzzard Auditorium Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with a discussion following immediately after.

The documentary will follow the lives of five kids who stutter. The kids ages range from nine to 18 and are from all over the U.S.

Viewers will witness the experiences of a lifetime of bullying and stigmatization of the children inflicted with this disability. The kids all come together at a program called the Stuttering Association for the Young. Over the course of a year the film depicts the life-changing view of SAY: that stuttering is OK.

NSSLHA President Breeanna Henson, a senior communication disorders and sciences major, said she believes that this documentary will have a very strong impact on viewers. 

One of the main sources of her trust in this documentary is the awareness it will raise for people with disabilities. Another impact she said she expects to see is in the way that communication disorders and sciences students will see this film. 

Henson said CDS students and staff will look at the documentary from a more anatomical side, such as the way a stutter impacts the speech process. The main results she said she wants to see are a creation of advocacy, acceptance and awareness. 

Towards the end of the documentary, attendees will have the chance to ask questions to CDS instructor Anne Dralle. 

Dralle is specialized in the anatomy of a stutter and the reasons for having one. 

She will field questions in order to provide more awareness about this disorder that many suffer from. 

Paige Philpott, a senior communication disorders and sciences major, will also share her experiences. 

Philpott has struggled with a stutter her whole life and will provide firsthand occurrences of what it was like for her growing up. 

Henson said she hopes this too will help to raise awareness for the disability. 

 “My Beautiful Stutter,” produced by Paul Rudd and George Springer, has already won six awards. 

One of these includes the “Best Documentary” title given at the 2019 Boston International Kids Festival. 

Due to the documentary’s popularity, Henson said the NSSLHA hopes to produce a large attendance. 

Henson predicted anywhere from 80 to 100 people at the screening event. 

While stuttering is not as common as one may originally believe, about one in 20 people actually suffer from the disability, according to mybeautifulstutter.com. 

While this number may not seem large, Henson said it is still very important to raise awareness and acceptance for the five percent who suffer. 

Claire Ring can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]