Self-Help and the International Scene
Jaan Pill
International Stuttering Association, Toronto
Summary
During 15 years of volunteer work, the author has been involved in the founding of the Stuttering Association of Toronto (1988), the Canadian Association for People Who Stutter (1991), the Estonian Association for People Who Stutter (1993), and the International Stuttering Association (1995). Key concepts in this paper include collaboration, development of a sense of ownership, leadership succession, data- orientation, impartiality, clarity in definition of terms, and growth and renewal. The paper defines terms related to self-help, and describes how research on the sociology of self-help offers a framework for analysis of stages of growth in stuttering self-help associations.