Challenging society’s perception of “normal” speech

The Path to Acceptance and Redemption.

How can individuals find their voices in a world that seeks to silence or misrepresent them? 

Stuttering intersects with almost every aspect of life, transcending age, culture, language, ability, and socioeconomic status. Stuttering is a universal experience that exists across all cultures, yet stereotypes and harmful phrases about stuttering still persist. Much of our understanding of stuttering has been built on negative narratives and clichéd portrayals in film, TV, and media, which often misrepresent the speech disability and cause trauma. 

This film project is a feature-length documentary about two Black men who stutter, Jay Jordan and Issac Bailely, – one who grew up in an affluent neighborhood in Northern California and the other in deep poverty in South Carolina. Both have been impacted by the carceral system. Their stories intersect to tell a story of both of their journeys coming to terms with their speech disabilities, compounded with race, and how it impacted them growing up.

As the disability pride movement gains momentum, this film is important to challenge misconceptions and celebrate stuttering. True awareness demands advocacy from both individuals who stutter and their fluent counterparts to dispel damaging assumptions and foster genuine acceptance.