On June 23–26, 1999, the 16th Annual Convention of the National Stuttering Project was held in Tacoma, WA. Nearly 500 people who stutter, their families, and a growing number of speech-language pathologists gathered together to learn about stuttering and to share their experiences living with stuttering. I had heard from my friends and colleagues about their wonderful experiences at previous NSP conventions, so I was looking forward to attending my first NSP convention.

The program included both educational and motivational presentations aimed at helping people who stutter and their families deal with stuttering in their daily lives. The number of program highlights is simply too great to mention all of them. Examples include: reviews of different theories about stuttering and various treatment philosophies; tutorials about how people who stutter can reduce their negative feelings about speaking, eliminate avoidance of speaking situations, and increase their participation in life; and discussions of how people can combine participation in the National Stuttering Project with treatment. One presentation that stands out in particular was the moving and entertaining keynote address by motivational speaker Lee Bussard, a person with cerebral palsy whose message is that people are “more alike than different.” We can all learn and benefit from this message.