As someone with a speech impediment, this was empowering to read!
Just last week I was in a work meeting where a male leader said that the women presenting had to learn to speak up. I gently suggested it was a gendered and abelist comment and we need to provide people with microphones, not expect them to change their voice entirely to suit one person's preference. Oooh, I could keep going on my soap box!
Thanks also for featuring my voice, ahem, writing here!
Amen! Please do keep going on that soap box, lol. Thank you for, well, speaking up, to push back against the mindset of "people just need to speak up" (and change entirely, like you said) to be heard. It's so...everywhere. Appreciate you!
I love this. (And as a Jeannie, the cartoon really resonates!) At my church, people in the congregation sign up each week to give a short reflection on the assigned Bible passage. The guy who spoke on Sunday has a stutter. Sometimes his speech flows smoothly, other times it's halting. I appreciate so much that our church makes LITERAL space for all voices – and figurative space too. Interestingly, the very same guy objected to a particular financial decision the church board was contemplating; the board listened and changed course. We need communities where all voices are valued.
As someone with a speech impediment, this was empowering to read!
Just last week I was in a work meeting where a male leader said that the women presenting had to learn to speak up. I gently suggested it was a gendered and abelist comment and we need to provide people with microphones, not expect them to change their voice entirely to suit one person's preference. Oooh, I could keep going on my soap box!
Thanks also for featuring my voice, ahem, writing here!
Amen! Please do keep going on that soap box, lol. Thank you for, well, speaking up, to push back against the mindset of "people just need to speak up" (and change entirely, like you said) to be heard. It's so...everywhere. Appreciate you!
I love this. (And as a Jeannie, the cartoon really resonates!) At my church, people in the congregation sign up each week to give a short reflection on the assigned Bible passage. The guy who spoke on Sunday has a stutter. Sometimes his speech flows smoothly, other times it's halting. I appreciate so much that our church makes LITERAL space for all voices – and figurative space too. Interestingly, the very same guy objected to a particular financial decision the church board was contemplating; the board listened and changed course. We need communities where all voices are valued.
Lol, great to hear from a Jeannie!!
Thank you so much for sharing that story - that's beautiful and so encouraging.
Great piece! I have a comic of a man and woman at dinner and the man says, "Let me interrupt your expertise with my confidence." It's a classic! <3
That's a good one!! ❤️