David Seidler @ NSA Conference 2011
If I'm stuck with Stuttering...
On July 2011 I attended my first conference of the National Stuttering Association. It was without a doubt one of the most influential weekends of my life. The keynote speaker was David Seidler, just months after his OSCAR win for Best Original Screenplay for "The King's Speech." The movie also won three more Academy Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role to Colin Firth, Best Achievement in Directing to Tom Hopper, and Best Motion Picture of the Year.
The King's Speech was a groundbreaking movie for the stuttering community, as it was (to my knowledge) the first movie where a person with a stutter was not used for comedy relief, but as the main character and hero of the movie.
David's speech at the NSA conference inspired me to not only tolerate my stutter, but wear it with pride and not let it stop me from telling my story to the world.
Below is a recording of David Seidler's keynote speech. I hope you find it as inspiring as I did that day, and for many years since.
May you rest in peace, sir, and you were absolutely right: WE HAVE A VOICE, WE HAVE BEEN HEARD.