'At Least 68 Million Votes' for The King's Speech

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jane Fraser, president, The Stuttering Foundation (www.stutteringhelp.org), issued the following reaction to the upcoming Oscar awards:

"One in 20 children stutter at some point; one in 100 go on to a lifetime of stuttering. Sixty-eight million people around the world stutter. If you ask the stuttering community what movie has helped them the most, The King's Speech would surely receive at least 68 million votes."

"Since its debut, The King's Speech has provided context for understanding the plight of those who stutter. For a few months now, people have been talking openly and honestly about stuttering. Therapists are seeing an upturn in referrals and inquiries. More families are discussing treatment options. Myths are being debunked. Valuable and accurate information is being traded across email, Facebook and Twitter. Hope and healing is displacing ridicule and snickering. For people who stutter, The King's Speech brings understanding and acceptance, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for so many to talk about stuttering in an atmosphere that is supportive, to sympathetic ears patiently waiting for each complete thought to end. People who stutter can hold their heads high. This is the movie's greatest accomplishment."  

About the Foundation

Malcolm Fraser felt the same dread of speaking in public that King George VI experienced in the 1940s. Inspired by the plight of "Bertie," Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, went on to establish and endow the 64-year-old nonprofit Foundation in 1947. The Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources on its Website, www.stutteringhelp.org, including services, referrals and support to people who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering. Please visit us at www.stutteringhelp.org.

SOURCE The Stuttering Foundation