Giving Stutterers A Voice
Donation protected
My name is John Ampiah-Addison Jr., a recent MBA graduate from American University in Washington, DC. This fundraiser was created to help me raise money to pay for a conference I am organizing on stuttering (stammering) in Ghana that will create and increase awareness about stuttering in the Ghanaian society and engage Ghanaian leaders on ways to improve inclusiveness in the community. Any amount raised will be used to pay for:
-Venue and Logistics
-Media and Publicity
-Air Fare and Accommodation for two US Speech Therapists
-Honorarium for Speakers
-Scholarship Fund to assist one child with therapy
-Operating Expenses
Born a stutterer, I faced some challenges growing up in Ghana. At the time, my community had little understanding of the topic and there were no resources available to manage my speech impediment. In school, my teachers would punish or beat me for not answering questions quickly. To them I was faking my stuttering because I didn't know the answer to the question. For a very long time I had very low self-confidence and hated public speaking. Though I have overcome my fear of stuttering in public and now feel confident with my voice, I hope to bring together people with speech impediments, government leaders, parents, business leaders, educators to share experiences and discuss the challenges facing people who stammer (PWS) and how we can create an inclusive environment in the Ghanaian society.
According to the President of the Ghana Stammering Association, there is only one certified Speech Therapists specialized in stuttering and one Speech Therapy Center in Ghana. Resources aren’t available outside the city, Accra. Most teachers do not know how to engage students with a speech disability in the classroom. The upcoming conference will seek to address some of these questions by focusing on topics such as Speech Disability and Public Education, Leadership and Employment and the Future of Ghanaian Society and Inclusiveness. For more information, please follow link to the preliminary conference website www.stammeringconferencegh.com .
I am kindly asking for your support to make this event a success. This is a free event open to the general public. There isn’t any specific amount - please donate whatever you can. Thank you for your support in advance.
-Venue and Logistics
-Media and Publicity
-Air Fare and Accommodation for two US Speech Therapists
-Honorarium for Speakers
-Scholarship Fund to assist one child with therapy
-Operating Expenses
Born a stutterer, I faced some challenges growing up in Ghana. At the time, my community had little understanding of the topic and there were no resources available to manage my speech impediment. In school, my teachers would punish or beat me for not answering questions quickly. To them I was faking my stuttering because I didn't know the answer to the question. For a very long time I had very low self-confidence and hated public speaking. Though I have overcome my fear of stuttering in public and now feel confident with my voice, I hope to bring together people with speech impediments, government leaders, parents, business leaders, educators to share experiences and discuss the challenges facing people who stammer (PWS) and how we can create an inclusive environment in the Ghanaian society.
According to the President of the Ghana Stammering Association, there is only one certified Speech Therapists specialized in stuttering and one Speech Therapy Center in Ghana. Resources aren’t available outside the city, Accra. Most teachers do not know how to engage students with a speech disability in the classroom. The upcoming conference will seek to address some of these questions by focusing on topics such as Speech Disability and Public Education, Leadership and Employment and the Future of Ghanaian Society and Inclusiveness. For more information, please follow link to the preliminary conference website www.stammeringconferencegh.com .
I am kindly asking for your support to make this event a success. This is a free event open to the general public. There isn’t any specific amount - please donate whatever you can. Thank you for your support in advance.
Organizer
John Ampiah-Addison
Organizer
Gaithersburg, MD
