National Stutter Association Mission Statement

A review of the National Stuttering Association has been conducted using the official website for the association. The National Stuttering Association (NSA) was founded in 1977 by Bob Goldman and Michael Sugarman ("About the NSA", 2014, para. 10). The NSA is the accumulation of 125 local chapters nationwide. It used to be called the National Stuttering Project and the main focus was community outreach. Efforts for stuttering awareness were made through technology: public service announcements, local newspaper advertisements, and local radio and television appearances. Through dedication and advocacy effort, in 1988 "...the President of the United States signed a proclamation, which declared the second week of May as National Stuttering

The tagline used by the NSA is "changing the lives of people who stutter" (National Stuttering Association, 2014). Although this statement seems to target people who stutter, the NSA wants to reach out to everyone who is affected by stuttering, even those who have daily interactions with people who stutter. The mission statement encompasses all audiences; "The National Stuttering Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing hope and empowerment to children and adults who stutter, their families, and professionals through support, education, advocacy, and research" ("About the NSA", 2014, para. 1). The NSA takes pride in the ability to provide education and support for

Anyone has the opportunity to join; in fact, the association encourages everyone experiences stuttering or works with someone who stutters to join the association. For potential members, there is a monetary donation that the association requires. The money that the association receives goes towards many beneficial services, such as printing brochures, sponsoring people to attend events, and educating speech-language pathologists about stuttering. Members can decide if they want to make a recurring donation or a one-time donation when joining. There are many benefits for members of the NSA. The local chapters provide information to those who stutter and those interested in stuttering through self-help, support and education. The groups are peer facilitated, which makes these groups comfortable for people to join. The group component is one benefit that joining NSA provides, another is events. There are regional workshops, youth and family events, and continuing education seminars for speech-language pathologists. The NSA has also published a quarterly newsletter called Family Voices and Letting Go. This publication is available