2001 BSA National Conference
by Bob Adams

The BSA conferences give people the opportunity to speak openly about stammering, sometimes for the first time, providing hope and confidence for the future.

An estimated 250 delegates made this probably the best-attended stammering national conference in the UK. Were you there? If not - read on and make a promise to yourself to attend the next one. If you were there - read on and make a promise to yourself to attend the next one! Was it good? No! Was it very good? No! What was it then? It was excellent!! Lots of exciting workshops, lots of old friends, lots of new friends, lots of new experiences.

How about being filmed whilst making a 999 call to a police officer? This was only one of the exciting new challenges that the local organising committee had arranged, along with the chance to be put in a real employment interview situation, a chance to make a 5 minute video on the topic of your choice, the chance to be part of a filmed scenario involving the police (no one was actually arrested, although some of the dancing on the Saturday night nearly proved too extreme for some!). All the previous exercises (with the exception of the dancing) - and more (you could even have a 1:1 with a speech & language therapist) - were arranged by booking an appointment (a wonderful idea) at the source of all information and wisdom over the weekend - the reception desk (apparently massages were also available but I must have missed them). This was staffed almost permanently by members of the organising committee. This was where all the delegates were greeted, signed in, issued with an excellent programme, given their room key and were then asked to spend as much as possible on raffle tickets. As a person who stammers I couldn't say "No". Even before reaching the desk one was welcomed with some wonderful guitar work by the 6th Beatle (I kid you not) Brendan McCormack.

The Lord Major of Liverpool, Councillor Gerard P. Scott and his wife visited the conference and met with BSA director Norbert Lieckfeldt.

Before expanding further on the event let's just have a gentle stroll and see what the organising committee had been up to prior to the Conference. As well as arranging the accommodation (what a bargain price - only £85/£65 for the whole weekend), booking all the workshop leaders (apparently one of them had the audacity to request a flagon of chilled spring water for his workshop!...Mmmm...wonder who that was?!), programming the workshop times (including a parallel programme on the Sunday for parents and children), obtaining sponsorship, arranging the raffle and charity auction, designing and printing the wonderful programme, designing and printing the wonderful (free) conference T-shirts and all the other 1001 things that need doing to ensure the smooth running of the flagship event of the year for the one and only British Stammering Association, the organising committee (and friends) had the audacity to take time out for a jolly in Wales. I mean, how could they find time to go for a stroll up Mount Snowdon? In fact stammering obviously played a major part in this as some even repeated the journey - walking up it 3 times in 12 hours! Well done to those who took part in this fund raising/awareness raising personal challenge. (Personally I'd rather lay on a bed of 6 inch rusty nails!).

People have asked if it was the best conference to date. I do not think that any of these conferences should be compared - each one having its own unique individual character. Each conference is a personal journey for all involved - whether as delegate or organiser. All I can say is that you should have been there - it was fantastic! It was great to see so many new faces, some of whom had only just heard of the BSA. There has been lots of publicity over the years, but there is still a lot more needed. (Keep your eyes open for a unique publicity/fund raising stunt which will involve two of your favourite people - Bob and Zippy - who will do a bungee jump while tied together. This will take place in East London, date to be confirmed). So, if you are thinking of organising a Conference then Do It! There is a lot of help and support available from the BSA and other experienced members of the Association. Just be prepared for LOTS of hard work (like life, the more you put in to it, the more you get out of it!) Just ask the Liverpool Organising Committee! And don't expect to necessarily be able to attend any of the workshops!

More than technique: an important aim of speech therapy is to work with the whole person, not just their speech. Vivian Sheehan (right) from the Joseph Sheehan Suttering Centre with BSA Chair Rachel Everard, herself a speech and language therapist with the City Lit in London.

The opening ceremony set the scene for the whole weekend, with a warm welcome by committee chair Stuart Ford, a rib tickling tale by Terry from last year's "Expect The Unexpected" conference, and a more than rib tickling, spine piercing demonstration of how we can all do more than we think. Yes, this was the 'Bed of Death' - and flat on his back was Dr. Simon Zipperlen with Stephanie Barton standing on his chest (for those of you concerned - Steph was not hurt), this was followed by Big Bad Bob once again defying the laws of nature and the laws of common sense by laying chest down on the nails! Young Tom then volunteered to expand his comfort zone by taking the test. Throughout the weekend many showed their confidence and trust (and money, as each one gave a donation to the BSA - although they didn't realise that they would have to pay extra to be prised off them!) by laying on the nails! Well done to all. Yes, it is a truly empowering experience.

The key note speaker was Vivian Sheehan who has carried on the work of Joseph Sheehan. Vivian found time in her busy schedule to attend the conference, travelling from Santa Monica, USA, where she is the Director of the Sheehan Stuttering Centre.

Her words of wisdom from over 50 years of experience in working with people who stammer were very well received, and re-enforced and supported the ways in which many speech and language therapists work.

Looking through the programme, the diversity of workshops and events, the shear choice, was amazing. There was even a screening of the film 'Liam' - a dramatic and moving story of a young boy who stammers. This was followed with questions being fired at the playwright Jimmy McGovern. So, if you are lucky enough to be planning the next national conference and are thinking: "How do we follow that??" Simple - in your own style!

I'll leave you with one quote from Vivian Sheehan's handout 'for stutterers: operating principles'. "Stuttering is a false role disorder. You remain a stutterer as long as you pretend not to be one". Now that's one we can all do with working on. Yes, we become what we resist.

From the Autumn 2001 edition of Speaking Out