Stammering, affects approximately 1% of the population, meaning that over 50,000 people in Ireland live with this speech difference. The Irish Stammering Association (ISA) plays a vital role in supporting these individuals and their families, raising awareness, and advocating for greater understanding and inclusion across Irish society. Through a range of services, events, workplace and educational initiatives, the ISA works to empower people who stammer, helping them to find their voice and participate fully in their communities.
- Can you provide some background about the Irish Stammering Association (ISA), what’s its history, mission and values as an organisation?
The ISA acts as the primary source of information and support of the stammering community in Ireland raising greater awareness and working towards an understanding and acceptance of stammering in Irish society. The ISA is the only national organisation representing people who stammer, their families and supporting professionals working in the field.
We advise people on the resources that may be available locally in their areas and nationally (such as the ISA support groups covering a range of demographics nationally).
The ISA serves as a model for accurate, unbiased, evidence based information for those who need it most.
ISA has consistently delivered national support and events for people who stammer. We do this through delivery of support groups for children, adolescents and adults, creative and youth projects, employment and education support. We also create a model for individual information and national advocacy and building national and international collaborations and relationships.
Our Vision is to be the focus and voice of the Stammering community and we are both inclusive and understanding. We promote the understanding of stammering and value stammering in society. We are underpinned by our key values of being Inclusive, Person-centred and practise with Integrity.
- What’s the size of the organisation and how many people in Ireland do you support?
The ISA acts as the primary source of information and support for the stammering community in Ireland, raising awareness and working towards an understanding and acceptance of stammering in Irish society.
Due to the nature of the condition, many people who stammer find it difficult to seek help and it can take a lot of courage to do so. In this regard, the ISA plays a vital role as the first point of contact. We advise people on the resources that may be available locally in their area and nationally (such as ISA support groups).
Approximately 1% of the adult population stammers (5% of children), representing a small but significant population of 50,000 people spread throughout the country.
ISA manages with a team of 5 professionals, Dr. Jonathon Linklater our Development Manager, our Employment Support Officer, Youth Development Officer and Research Officer as well as a part time administrator.
We also work with the support of the Board of ISA and a team of active volunteers.
- How do you go about supporting stammers in Ireland? (*people who stammer)
Our website www.stammeringireland.ie is often the first point of contact for us and people can utilise many of the resources we have available as well as seeing the details of our upcoming events.
We pride ourselves in having a wide selection of services to support people throughout their life span.
We have a number of support services and groups available, a regular Adult Support Group, Teen Support and Kids Club (8-12) as well as our very popular Minecraft Club. We offer individual and group support for families of children who stammer
We also arrange a number of international speakers through our Speaker Series event and host Stammering Pride events throughout the year.
We have a dedicated and innovative Employment Support Service. This unique service supports people who stammer while they are looking for work and supports them through making the transition of a job. This can be a very challenging time for people who stammer, so to have this one to one dedicated support really allows us to meet the individual where they are and support them in realising their full potential.
We support students in Higher Education and advocate with Employers on how to best support people who stammer in the workplace. We do a number of outreach sessions with Employers and also Higher Level education services.
We also run courses on Public Speaking Skills for people who stammer and host guest advocacy speakers throughout the year; we empower people who stammer to see beyond their communication challenges and support them to progress in their careers.
We are lucky to have a creative Youth Service for our young people. We run a Summer camp each year which is a long activity camp for people who stammer. As noted above we have our innovative Minecraft Club as well as Kids Club which connect children who stammer in a fun environment. Our Transition Support programme for students moving from Primary into Secondary education bridges the gap for many students who can find this a challenging step. We also run themed support sessions throughout the year addressing challenges such as Oral Exams for students.
We have done a lot of work advocating for students who stammer in this process and recently worked to address changes in the guidelines for the Oral Exams and potential changes to the Leaving Certificate which would impact students who stammer.
As well as all of this activity, we organise and host a week long celebration of events every year in October for International Stammering Awareness Day culminating with a day long event in the Hilton Hotel in Dublin. This year’s event will take place on Saturday 18th October 2025and details will be released on our website in the next few weeks.
- How does the ISA work to dispel the myths around stuttering and how to help those who stutter?
ISA prides itself in being a trusted, non biased and research led source of information for people who stammer in Ireland.
We believe that there is no ‘cure’ for stammering because stammering doesn’t need a cure! We encourage a nature of acceptance individually and in society through education, community and support.
- What types of support groups does the ISA offer for people who stammer?
We offer support groups throughout the lifespan. We have groups suitable for children age 8+, parents and families of young people who stammer, teens who stammer, book clubs, Minecraft Clubs, Education and Employment support through all stages, Adult Support groups, Walk and Talk Events and our annual national celebration in October.
- What employment support services does the ISA provide for people who stammer? What resources does the ISA offer to employers to promote inclusivity for people who stammer in the workplace?
ISA have a dedicated Employment Support Service now since 2019. That service has grown and matured into a dedicated person centred service that stays with the individual for as long as they need. We create one to one support for the person to support them into or progress through employment.
We also offer regular support around CV’s, interview skills as well as work as an advocacy service with employers and employer groups.
We have also developed a very successful Public Speaking programme for people who stammer with our guest facilitator and public speaking specialist Fiona O’Meara. We have been working with Fiona for a number of years now and have fine tuned a successful 6 week programme for people who stammer.
We have a successful outreach and information service that we have delivered with a number of employers and education services to date. Anyone can make contact with us for this service and we can identify with our team of professionals how best to support any organisation. We can offer organisation and team information sessions as well as advice and support to individuals.
- How does the ISA collaborate with speech and language therapists to support people who stammer?
The Irish Stammering Association does not currently deliver specific speech and language therapy programmes, however, we are the trusted source for information for many speech and language therapists and we are the point of contact and referral point for many SLT’s who recommend our services. While ISA does not offer direct therapy, our groups and supports can have a therapeutic effect and can benefit those who attend.
- How do you collaborate with other organisations, such as associations or partner organisation to increase awareness of the organisation?
We have been working very hard to keep up with the demand on our services, especially since 2020. We have witnessed exponential growth in this time with a significant demand on our services.
We as an organisation are supported by the SSNO fund, without which we simply would not exist in our current form and with our level of services.
We have extended and developed our services with the support of the SSNO.
We are constantly sharing our information on line and at various conferences nationally and internationally to change perceptions of stammering and to offer supports..
- How does the ISA work to raise awareness about stammering in educational settings?
We have recently created a number of worksheets to be used in an educational context to support students who stammer
Information Sheets For Schools · Irish Stammering Association
As mentioned, we also worked hard to ensure that students who stammer are accommodated for in State Exams. This significant piece of work ensures that the voice of students who stammer can be heard, and can help to reduce the burden of anxiety for our community.
Oral Exams and Accommodations · Irish Stammering Association
- Are there any other people, companies or programmes in the DEI area that the ISA are big fans of in Ireland or abroad?
We are always looking at what is happening around us, nationally and internationally and we would welcome any future collaborations.