Every Voice Matters
Dream. Speak. Live.
Eleven years ago, on a September afternoon, a distinct institute devoted exclusively to stuttering education, research and treatment was established at The University of Texas at Austin. Helmed by Dr. Courtney Byrd, the institute has seen exponential growth and international recognition for its work promoting awareness for the emotional, social and vocational consequences that people who stutter face. Dr. Byrd and her team provide evidence-based treatment and resources at no cost for the people who need it most at our University and around the world.
Stuttering is a complex communication difference marked by disruption in the forward flow of speech. An estimated 79 million people in the world stutter, and services designed to help are often prohibitively expensive and not covered by health insurance. Over the last two decades, Dr. Byrd has developed an approach that amplifies the voices of those who stutter. Her innovative model, which targets Communication, Advocacy, Resiliency and Education (CARE™), empowers participants of all ages to stutter openly, speak confidently, communicate effectively and advocate meaningfully.
Building the Foundation of CARE
Michael Lang, BBA ’67, J.D. ’70, has led a life rich in professional achievement. His distinguished career in law and finance spans time as an attorney in the Department of Justice Appellate Division, Federal Power Commission and Federal Price Commission. He was also a founding partner of Norte Capitol, as well as seven other companies that he led in public offerings on the New York Stock Exchange.
He has thrived in roles that prize eloquence while being a person who stutters. Through his own personal experiences, he recognized a tremendous gap in the research, resources and services available to the stuttering community worldwide. He met Dr. Byrd in 2013, and after in-depth discussions and many opportunities to directly observe the impact of her work, he developed a deep passion and determination to bring her vision to life.
In 2014 the Michael and Tami Lang Stuttering Institute was established through a direct investment that helped to bridge the gap. The Langs’ gift will sustain the institute beyond their lifetimes, leaving a legacy of lives changed through their generosity.
“This is the best investment I have ever made, and the return is immeasurable in terms of the lives that have been changed.”
Michael Lang
Expanding Access to Potential
During a visit to the UT campus in the fall of 2019, Arthur M. Blank observed the life-changing impact of Dr. Byrd’s approach as he reviewed her research and heard testimonies directly from participants of the program. Blank, a co-founder of The Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, is a person who stutters, and saw an opportunity to expand the reach of the institute’s advancements.
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation awarded Dr. Byrd and the Moody College of Communication a $20 million legacy grant in 2020 to establish the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research, with an additional grant in 2021 to establish a satellite center in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Each one of us has an opportunity and a responsibility to make a difference,” Blank says of his decision to make the grants. “This is a service to humanity. In some ways, it’s a form of saving somebody’s life — making sure their life has all the potential it possibly can. The opportunity to support a program like this is an honor.”
The center houses the Michael and Tami Lang Stuttering Institute, the Dealey Family Foundation Stuttering Clinic, the Dr. Jennifer and Emanuel Bodner Developmental Stuttering Lab and the Dale and Tina Holder Endowed Chair in Stuttering Leadership, held by Dr. Byrd.
The center has developed resources for speech-language pathologists and others who interact with people who stutter, including the award-winning “When I Talk, I Stutter” series of animated short films, all of which have been translated into 15 languages and counting. More than 200 UT students receive specialized training in the CARE Model annually and apply their hands-on experiences in their own practices after graduation.
In five short, productive years the Blank Center has experienced rapid growth and success in all areas of its mission, including Camp Dream. Speak. Live. — a week-long, intensive dosage of the CARE Model for children and teens — that operates annually in more than 45 locations, of which more than 30 are international.
“Every day at the Blank Center is a humbling, overwhelming and extraordinary opportunity to positively impact another life,” says Dr. Byrd. “Thanks to the inspirational advocacy of our dedicated students, professionals and partners, and countless children, teens and adults who stutter, we have been able to develop and replicate the CARE Model worldwide. Through our collective determination, each day brings us one step closer to ending the global stigmatization of stuttering.”
Changing Lives Through CARE
Laura Buford and Michael McCartor grew up in the same neighborhood and later married. “Michael’s and my experience was kind of the same,” says Laura of their first encounter with a person who stutters. “I would say that mine was maybe a little bit more emotional because my brother, Johnny, is the person who stuttered. He was known in the neighborhood as ‘the stutterer.’ He had a really negative experience. Kids were mean, parents were mean, people at school — teachers, the principal — were really cruel. He was just a little boy.”
When it became clear that Laura and Michael’s daughter Sophia had a stutter, Laura’s brother was the first person she went to for advice. “Johnny’s first thought was ‘don’t take her to speech therapy’ because that would call more attention to it and probably make her stuttering worse,” she says. “My thought was to hurry and get her in somewhere because I just wanted to fix it. I’m a physician; I deal with cures all the time.”
They didn’t want their daughter to face the same bullying they saw in their community. They started Sophia in speech therapy early, but the clinician focused only on fluency. Within four months it became clear that the approach of curing their daughter wasn’t working. Michael found his family’s way to the Blank Center through online research, “I saw Dr. Byrd’s information and thought this looks like a pretty renowned institution, and it’s in our backyard,” he says.
“The Blank Center CARE model has impacted our family because it allowed Sophia to get in front of it before negative feelings about stuttering could even develop. And for us, it has shown us that there’s nothing wrong with it … or that something needs to be fixed. With this we have the tools to educate people.”
Laura Buford
As far as Laura and Michael are concerned, their experience with the Blank Center is just the beginning. When asked about Sophia’s progress, Laura adds, “I can’t wait to see where she goes with it. She is a smart, passionate little girl, and just in the time she’s been here, it has already changed her life.”
Texas Leader Magazine
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