A Short History of ELSA - Continued

ELSA Needs To Do More

The scope of ELSA's role is enormous. Some of its initial priorities are:

• to develop and build a database on stuttering to broaden the knowledge and experience of stuttering.
  
• to improve the services that the National Self-Help Organisations provide.
  
• to raise public awareness of stuttering to ensure a true recognition of this neglected problem.
  
• to encourage an integrated approach to stuttering therapy.
  
• to promote research and exchange of ideas ensuring that models of good therapy practice can be successfully repeated while failed initiatives and bad practices are not.
  
• to support the training of professionals and volunteers .

The self-help activities described represent a cost effective and easily accessible method of helping people who stutter.

There are now many people throughout Europe giving their time freely to help ease the situation for people who stutter. But money is needed to build on the developments to date and to ensure the provision of an efficient infrastructure geared to helping the stutterer. With little finance available from local or central government or European funds, resources are currently stretched to the limit. Additional support is urgently needed if progress is to be made.

ELSA hopes that this introduction will convince you of the commitment already shown to tackling this problem throughout Europe.

ELSA was a founding member of the European Disability Forum and has already participated in programmes, for people who stutter, with the European Commission and the Council of Europe. ELSA has links with many other European and International Non-Governmental organisations.