Keynote Address

Comparing the needs of consumers in developing and developed countries

Suzana Jelcic Jaksic

Stuttering is a universal disorder that occurs in all languages and cultures. There have always been societies and individuals unwilling to admit problems with fluency. Nowadays, many countries recognise stuttering as a possible barrier to quality living for PWS and therefore have proclaimed stuttering a disability. In spite of this, there is still a common feeling amongst PWS of being valued not for what they are, but for how they speak. While in a young, small country like Croatia, with a young association for PWS, the government proclaimed October 22nd as The Stuttering Awareness Day in Croatia within a couple of months, there is still a big country with a large population and a long established culture and medical tradition, where PWS have a long-standing problem with their association being recognised by the government. There are also countries with no professional help at all, in contrast in others PWS fight against discrimination by asking for more audibly stuttering Members of Parliament. So the needs of PWS are different depending on the way in which they are viewed in different countries/cultures.