An ELSA Seminar - Stuttering Awareness in Strasbourg

ELSA will be hosting a stuttering awareness seminar in Strasbourg 17-19 October 2003 (to be confirmed) to coincide with International Stuttering Awareness Day. The seminar will be part funded by the European Commission within the framework of EYPD. We are planning for presentations by people and organisations active in the field of raising awareness of stuttering. More details will follow in a later newsletter.

News from the Netherlands

Dutch stuttering commercial
The NFS has produced a stuttering commercial with the message: "There are lots of things parents start too early with, stuttering prevention should be one of them"

You can download the commercial by visiting the website www.stotteren.nl click on "media" on the left side", scroll down and choose your option by RIGHT clicking your mouse on the text "Download". After downloading, you can open the file. If you don't want to download the commercial, you can see some pictures from the clip a bit further down on the same site.

Dutch campaign to take away awkwardness towards people with a disability
How do you talk to somebody with a stutter or another disability? Should you help a blind person cross the street? How do you introduce yourself to someone who is spastic or paralysed? These situations make people feel very uncomfortable.

In the Netherlands, a national multimedia campaign called "The challenge for Holland" was launched. The aim of the campaign was to make non-disabled aware of their awkwardness in social contacts with people with a disability or a chronic illness.

The Challenge for Holland shows a new, different approach to issues of representation of people with disabilities, through the media of radio, TV, newspapers and the Internet.

Research has shown that about half of the Dutch population does not know persons with disabilities. It means that they do not feel comfortable when they meet someone with a disability. That is why they try to keep away, thus maintaining the stereotypes and prejudices towards people with a disability. The Challenge for Holland wants to break this vicious circle.

The campaign's website can be visited on: www.deuitdagingvoor.nl (in dutch)

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