Projektart: Gefördertes Projekt
Stottern und Beruf

Initial situation: About 1% of the population stutters, an estimated 800,000 people in Germany. Many people who stutter describe their job as a kind of "driving with the handbrake on". Even when choosing a profession, there is great uncertainty as to which direction one can go. There is still the prejudice that jobs with high communicative demands are out of the question. At the same time, experience has shown that people who stutter can be found in (almost) all jobs and that many things are or become possible that seemed unthinkable. Nevertheless, the job is often more difficult or at least perceived that way. For example, the job application situation after vocational training or studies is perceived as a big hurdle. But even if the career entry is successful, questions, uncertainties and unused possibilities remain. The need to deal with this topic is great, because the majority of people who stutter is in some way involved in the work process or would like to be involved. But so far the systematic approach and partly the knowhow to really tackle this topic is missing. With this project, BVSS wants to give the impetus to deal with the topic courageously, realistically and self-confidently. Project structure and implementation: The project "Stuttering and Job" was started by the Bundesvereinigung Stottern & Selbsthilfe e.V. (BVSS) in 2012, supported by a corporate foundation. After a first successful phase, it was extended in 2015 for another three years until 2018. With the project, BVSS essentially pursues three goals: - Strengthening and supporting people who stutter in professional issues through self-help - Strengthening stuttering self-help groups in their competence in the field of "stuttering and job" - Removing barriers for people who stutter in working life by reducing ignorance and prejudice about stuttering Together with the state associations and the self-help groups, BVSS involves all levels of stuttering self-help in Germany. It realizes its goals through a series of project modules: (1) Multipliers and local events. In weekend seminars held once a year, volunteers sent by the state associations are trained as multipliers who are then available, for example, to the self-help groups for local or regional events (information evenings, workshops). The topic "Stuttering and Application" was the focus of the first phase. In addition to content-related skills, methodological skills were also taught in the seminars. (2) Mentoring. Here, BVSS arranges direct contacts between people who stutter - mostly young people - seeking advice and professionally experienced people affected by stuttering, in order to clarify professionally specific questions. For this purpose, a data pool of potential "companions" was created. (3) Vocational orientation seminar. In 2016, BVSS conducted a career orientation seminar for the first time as a weekend seminar for young people who stutter between the ages of 16 and 25. Whereas classic career counseling often recommends a blanket low-talking job and thus disregards the personal wishes of the young people, BVSS supports the participants in arriving at a realistic and self-confident assessment of their career options with stuttering. In addition to the expert speaker, professionally experienced stutterers from self-help are available to exchange experiences. In 2017, another vocational orientation seminar is planned. (4) Advice and information. The employees of the BVSS office answer inquiries from directly or indirectly affected persons on the phone and by e-mail. They provide concrete advice and recommendations for action, suggest literature for further research, or refer people to contacts. (5) Public relations. The flyer "Stuttering in Working Life" and the newly designed web pages at www.bvss.de/beruf offer target group specific information about "Stuttering and Jobs" for people who stutter and employers. With the expansion of public relations, BVSS leads over to the second phase of the project. In this phase, the focus is on education and information of the "employer side" (personnel managers, supervisors, chambers, employment agencies, etc.). These agents are targeted to provide information about stuttering. This is done by visiting job-related trade fairs, but also by training courses in which people who stutter report on their experiences as speakers. More information on the project "Stuttering and Job" at https://www.bvss.de