How a stutterer found a voice: Rashad Nimr at TEDxGreensFarmsAcademy

Rashad Nimr has been half-Palestinian since he was born, stuttering since he was three, and openly gay since he was thirteen. He has traveled to Jordan every summer since the age of six to visit family, where he has had the opportunity to work with Save the Children in both Palestinian and Iraqi refugee camps. At Greens Farms Academy, Rashad has been the pitch of the all-male a cappella group, the Beachside Express. He also helped to found and lead an online, safe, supportive, social network for the LGBTQIA high schoolers of the greater Fairfield county area. He graduated from GFA in June 2013.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[@sjasct]

This guy is simply amazing. I only have a mild stutter but I can't even start a conversation with my own family. To speak in front of a whole audience would just kill me. I have so much respect for you, Rashad! :D

[@1permil.comremovestutteron427]

He took the right steps. It's scary, but confronting the problem will help. Avoiding and hiding would only make it worse, especially on the long run.

[@asmeromamaha979]

make friends am sure that will help you.

[@stirlingmoss9637]

Asm Song

[@antordas3954]

Hay I'm have stammering problem...and i also have a WhatsApp group if anyone want to join then welcome 😊

[@kiminspidashes9190]

This made me cry...People don't understand how hard it is for us to even utter a single letter...Admire his courage!

[@nathanseymour299]

teresa ,gangte ikr it's like giving birth

[@fabregasst7362]

Kim Inspidashes I fully agree with you!

[@sandeepp6834]

I am stammerer and I can very well understand that how bloody painful it is and what amount of courage it takes to do something like that. Respect brother!

[@prajitpant3132]

I loved the fact that he repeated the part on which he stuttered until he made sure it was stutter-free. Way to go!

[@Pulsonar]

God, this is painful, I am right there with him in a way that non-stutterers can never understand.

[@alberttrevino19]

fuck yea, regular people will never understand the way we feel.

[@ravirajyaguru5905]

They just cannot imagine the degree of mental and emotional struggle we go through, every single day!

[@abdullahalwakil8571]

its like we cannot do anything we want.. although we can do it .. but stuttering always gets in the way

[@heatherbloom5426]

Pulsonar while stuttering I forget what I have to say and feela like I make no sense n mute.....

[@Pulsonar]

...Probably, because the stress, anxiety and nervous effort you put into articulating and vocalising your thoughts far outweighs the thoughts that you try to convey in your message. It is extreme but not unusual.

[@rashidabid6816]

To all who stammers. Don't force or be in a hurry to say a particular word which you feel you are gonna stutter.☺️ Just pause and begin the word slow and pronouncing it differently. This will help you a lot.

[@manyakhullar7719]

Yes I agree!

[@Abe-Lau]

yeah it really does

[@westy762]

Tryed everything,I even have to have 4 or 5 back up words in case I stutter on the first attempt of the world I've selected in my head,that can sometimes make it worse! Its hampered me all my life,affected my friendships and relationships in every way..seeing this video,I wish I could be like him,to get up on stage and just speak your mind. I could not get up and do a speech at my sister's wedding,my best mates wedding,I so wanted to,I felt I let them down but I knew I would crumble at the first hurdle no matter what,I couldn't even speak at my mothers funeral,I had so much to say but just couldn't say it! It's almost like a prison,and u cannot escape this prison! I'm 45 now,and it's got no better,so I avoid social situations most of the time,and to be honest at times it can be lonely,incredibly lonely..anyway life goes on,to all the stutterers out there,no give up,keep trying,have confidence in yourself,what hasn't worked for me doesn't mean it wont work for you,good luck..

[@DhruvGandhi2005]

It does help but I still get stuck in certain syllables and also while beginning a sentence or a word!

[@SoldierofJesus_John316]

​@@westy762I hope everything works out for you. As a stutter myself, I can understand the pain. You're trying to talk but your chest and throat contract, mouth convulses on certain words and you stutter. I get that too and I feel so frustrated that I can't talk like others. So, may God continue to bless you and heal you of this stutter. I dont know if you're a Christian or not but remember, Moses had a stutter and he led the Israelites out of Egypt.

[@Fizzka]

One word: Courageous!

[@supersaiyangoodmanii.2295]

Mohammed El Hafiz Yahya yeah he has a strong voice.

[@maiphu3360]

How absolutely brave of Rashad to do this! I'm a covert stutterer and although my stutter is on the mild side, I let it hinder me a lot in life. I hope Rashad's courage rubs off on me.

[@nurhayat81]

What your saying is so true. I let it hinder me when I did not have to. Constantly thinking about what others would think about me.

[@bigsam550]

God bless you for not being afraid to talk to the masses and show other stutterers the courage to do it to!

[@parampreetsingh4524]

goddd...i stutter too and i am feeling so badd , i cant control my tears, god bless u brother

[@iammeforealvlogs5188]

My father has a stutter and so do I. Now I'm older now and I have a son daughter...I'll love them no matter what. God made us people in different way , shape , and form. I thank my high almighty for giving me a great life and a life to my kids. I couldn't ask for more!

[@Thewarrior26]

Unbelievable courage, truly inspiring!

[@johnjayluyao4768]

Been frequently stuttering for 25 years now. It kills me so much. It makes me afraid to talk and I never opened my mouth unless it is a necessity. It makes me feel less. It makes me feel I'm not normal. It makes me feel different from normal people to the point that I don't even understand myself. The thought is clear in my mind but I'm struggling to express it verbally. I hate being laughed at when stuttering tries to interrupt me from expressing myself. I feel helpless. I feel hopeless. Sometimes, I question myself why am I like this. I have never opened this to anyone (I know that they know that I stutter) and I've been thinking for therapy but it never came to realization. But in all of this, Lord I will praise you and worship you for everything. No disorder nor impairment can refrain me not to be grateful everyday of my life. To those who stutter out there, change the way you see yourself. You're God's masterpiece.

[@LMorning]

I respect you, my brother. You're courage is out of this world.

[@dr.smbhargav2502]

Respect to you brother.. I have stutter issues too..even since I was a child...even when I'm in my 3rd year of medicine, I had to deal with a lot of low self-esteem moments..I knew answers to many questions which my teachers ask..but hardly few slipped out of my mouth,but by then the time used to over...at 1 point I gave up on my self...but once I Start to connect all the points that's obstructing the voice ,I realized 1 thing..I shut my self up mentally...that's when I realized that I have to let me self go...slowly ,step by step I made my mind more strong just by thinking that I'm a professor who is giving a great lecture...all of this is being done in mind ,just before going to bed...I worked miracles...today I do stutter but 80% less compared to past...as I doctor, I'm determined to find a way by which, I can make every stammered person a great speaker...

[@mr.nobody2825]

only a stammerer or stutterer can understand how inspiring this actually is

[@mxolisimagubane3204]

I felt those blocks...what a courageous man...I have let stuttering control my life for 28 years but no more! Thanks!

[@nghibao6897]

I really respect this guy and all the audiences in that room. This is so insprative

[@Prospect.033]

This is what I experience every day💔its really painfull we just wish we could be normal💔

[@attractivecraft6326]

I want to just say that this guy is brave. He kill all fear and he finished his words in frount of audiance..... I even can not buy any things from shops... Because of my stuttering problum. After watching dozen of video's I learned to face the problem

[@abdullahalwakil8571]

what if there is another dimension of earth .. where all the normal people stutters and the non stutterers are like different like us in this dimension?!! i'm gonna open a portal to it if there is ..

[@quartzcrystal713]

abdullah alwakil I've always thought of that

[@abdullahalwakil8571]

yup

[@quartzcrystal713]

abdullah alwakil but you know stuttering isn't an issue as long as you do what you want without considering it a weakness and it's easier if we let others know about it

[@abdullahalwakil8571]

Quartz Crystal right but.. its so hard.. sometimes i pretend like i forgot the thing or what i was going to say ..

[@daniyalqureshi9026]

I've always thought of that too

[@NareshKumar-dw9xp]

Bow down he is not lesser than a hero with a lot of courage. Respect man :)

[@EmilyHummingbird]

I applaud you for doing this.

[@anil319]

How u overcome your stuttering?

[@ankit_908]

Hats off to the guts the guy has for speaking in front of the such a great audience.

[@juanantonio488]

Great TedTalk, Im stutter and the courage that this guy has is amazing.

[@rabhoyar]

This is amazing... I am a stutterer myself.. however not a major stutterer.. but still facing common issues that stutterer faces in day today lives..

[@JadeMicheleGriffin]

God bless you all. Rashad has so much courage in front of all those people. I don't thinkI could do it.

[@43shrestha]

He got all the courage he needs.Kudos. I hope to get same courage as him.

[@fabregasst7362]

I have so much respect for you! I know what you going through... I have a masters degree and about to pursue a PhD. I'm academically gifted but I fear public speaking and this is a challenge for me, especially since I want to become a lecturer

[@nayzmin]

That's amazing what you are doing. I have gotten so much better at speaking- I know, it sounds weird. I do a few things. Instead of forcing it out when you know you are about to stutter, try stopping. Don't even try to get it out. Just stop and breath. Sometimes the word comes out. Other times it doesn't. And other times, try using a different word, a synonym or change the syntax. It sucks because you are not expressing yourself the way you want to, but it is fine. It is better than not speaking at all. I don't know about you, but my stutter gets worse when I get nervous or excited or emotionally stimulated in one way or another, so I tried meditation to calm myself down and it works although not 100%. Regardless, I have gotten so much better that 97% of the time, people don't notice. In sum, meditation or other calming techniques, stopping instead of forcing it out, and using different word (change word or whole sentence completely). I hope my technique works for you :).

[@MDiyum]

this reminded me of my project presentation during my final year of Diploma course. i couldn't even wish "Good Morning" standing in front of my classmates and lecturers.

[@tuhindas6745]

Well done brother...I have a mild stuttering but i fear when speaking in public. You are a ray of hope that i will now follow. All the best for future. :)

[@carramboardlover938]

বাঙালি😅

[@tuhindas6745]

@@carramboardlover938 Ya so ?

[@joselynemartinez8142]

I just want to say that if you are a person who stutters there is nothing wrong with you! There is nothing that needs to be fixed or "unlearned". Yes therapy can facilitate fluent speech utilizing many strategies that may or may not work on a patient because every person is different and not everything is "one size fits all". Therapy is NOT meant to "fix" or "condition" someone. So please just ignore the ignorance of others and focus on the positive people that support you and will never judge you.

[@geelonglolly]

Joselyne Martinez b

[@BeerGogglesReviews]

I stutter too. I devised my own way of beating it, but it is always there like a monster in the cupboard. If you've never stuttered imagine this. DON'T BLINK!.. I bet most of you reading this blinked almost immediately before you had time to think. Stuttering and twitching are not a conscious decision, and the conscious decision to fight them is as easy as not blinking with sand in your eye.

[@cmolly7310]

very brave of you. I also stutter

[@ayushmohanty0255]

Extremely clear and brave speaker. Really very inspiring.

[@SiamShahriar]

I cried watching this. God Bless you

[@xXDOMINAT8RXx]

I'm very relatable to this ,that was extremely courageous of him for me i can understand what he's going through as i once gave a presentation Infront of my class it went a bit like this but with less stuttering.I can't express how proud I am of him although I never met him❤❤❤

[@aphm6143]

So inspirational. A true testament to strength and courage.

[@matts275]

Wow, that was cool man! Your stutter is bad, but that transformation is unbelievable! Keep on trying and using whatever you can to help you become more fluent! You are inspirational!! 😄

[@firebowl1]

Hello guys, I am 30 years old stutterer since childhood. I found out that talking to group of people makes my speech better. As much as i speak to people my speach becomes more fluent. Maybe we can create a group and we can make video conferences and by that way everyone can talk to group of people. Maybe this can help to make our speeches better.

[@abbesyassine1061]

Hi , i would like to participate with a group but i can't find any way to do this , please if you can add me in facebook to talk about this issue :) (I'm stutterer too)

[@AhmedKhan-ch4xk]

firebowl1 if you do so, please add me too. (i also stutter)

[@zeeshan_92]

im in. please share the info for joining.

[@slaadam2448]

I understand you... Its so hard to live with it... I ve always problem with speaking but i must and developted in my childhood to supress it but inside me there was a pain and fear always.... I developted to change some words that was hard to pronounced by saying others words instead... I pretended that i did not have any problem... But stuttering was always by me... Til now i have problem to express myself in company....

[@rubyabraham1433]

Salute you sir.... For your courage.... May God bless you...

[@MORAYSHOPCOM]

You are great.. Proud of you. I M also a stutterer. U give me inspiration.

[@ptparmar1942]

Nice effort... I m 37 and I am persone who stemmer.. I recover my stammering up to 75 % using my subconscious mind power and affermation..

[@supersaiyangoodmanii.2295]

He's very out spoken about his condition I like that great job!! Man!! Keep it up 👏 👏 👏 ♥.

[@1CoolZone1]

God bless you ! :) I admire you so much, I'm a stutterer like you and I find public speaking one of my biggest fears in life.

[@Radaep1]

Well done Rashad, what amazing courage you have, I am a stutterer also, sometimes !

[@briannaperkes3875]

this is so amazing a beautiful and moving

[@janmlakar7524]

Amazing courage, God bless him.

[@1976Jonesy]

Absolutely stunning. As a PWS myself, I award him a 5* rating for his courage.

[@petergianakopoulos4926]

Congrats good sure. Like it or not we are brothers that can share a bond that no other can understand.

[@AntixSCustomz]

My stutter is not nearly as bad as this mans and i dont have the heart to stand in front of people and speak like his did. His extremely amazing

[@otooemmanule5484]

Rashad, you are indeed a leader

[@shaheenthakur2319]

truly inspirational..!

[@MrPram321]

Salute you Rashad! What guts , what a spirit required to do this , I can completely relate to it being a stutterer myself for 40+ years though mild but the fear of public speaking never really goes away for me , God bless you!

[@pratiksharma5087]

Brother what a courage!! You inspire us.

[@tarunpreetkaur1115]

Just so overwhelming 🙌

[@MrGERiarza]

Waw, he's a great dude! I like people like him, who are willing to step out there and make their voices heard. :D

[@haroldspawacs4315]

When I speak along with a record of my voice works works🤕,the sad part is that I Sutter when I speak to people who have heard me stuttering before but if u haven't heard me I can't Sutter at all

[@bereal11]

brother i can feel your pain but what u should do is take deep breathes that helps a lot

[@NigerianBaller]

God bless you brother. 👍 You are very courageous

[@naomiazul.]

such a gosh darn cute guy, so proud of him, fellow stutter as well, u rock dude =)

[@kovidsonawane]

well. you inspire me Rashad. Well done! and its quite interesting that recorded tape thing you did.

[@vipulgarg1532]

Brilliant excellent superbbbb......he is totally crazy that he have guts to speak with speech disorder..... I can feel pain of him in my throat... Because i am also stammerer that's why i have negative confidence till today, and i am 24...for doing this one have to be very very very very strong by mentally as well aa by physically....his movement is so wired but he also helpless its natural while stammering....i am not that much stammerer still i have no guts for speaking even in among three people....hats off to that guy...👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

[@andrewoakey311]

I have a stutter and I know how hard that must have been Respect from wales

[@khsf1234]

My utmost respect to you!!! You are GREAT!!

[@ryanmorgan5662]

you are super cute. How about we just sing to each other and speak poetry to each other our entire life? A warm embrace watching the sunset or holding hands with a knowing looks speaks more than any word anyway.

[@kapil312]

I understand this pain.

[@neeladke9557]

So much courage

[@sinanmese6960]

I love this guy and I do feel sad for hi 😰he is suffering so much. When I was young I use to see stuff like this and laugh a little bit but now I feel like tearing up. Im a man, not to be rude but not gay, I don't know if I should say raise awareness for stuttering because it could just make it worse. Love all stutterers!

[@abhaysharma3374]

My fear of public speaking is very strange and unique. I am a stutterer too, but I don't feel any fear on stage while talking on a mic. Fear comes only when i talk in between a group. One way communication is not a problem for me,

[@Julian0M]

Holy crap, what a great lad! I don't know what the hell to say, I'm goddamn speechless.

[@thusharac99]

Personally I know the pain as I’m one of them who is suffering for more than 18 years now. I just can say that you’re a really really breve person.

[@siddharthadas2620]

Huge respect man ❤️

[@otooemmanule5484]

stuttering is one thing i really hate. because it has took alot from me. now am managing to let it go little by little and it is the matter of time

[@lucifer751]

Respect...

[@HalfsmileEU]

I have a speech disorder too - It's pretty restricting in day to day life with socialising in terms of "freedom" to speak to people you don't yet know. it's like a barrier blocking you off from making new friends at times. It isn't so bad around friends / family and people I know but people I don't? Yeah, I may be a while trying to convey a message. I think it has a lot to do with nerves and especially in public speaking like this guy just did, is extremely hard for someone with a speech problem

[@Tanuj163]

I do stutter so I respect the courage of this guy 😊

[@szabipinter841]

HUGE RESPECT🙇

[@ashwinrkumar7740]

God bless you brother...

[@IrfanKhan-xq6nf]

I can't introduce myself to everyone to myself for stuttering. Being a University student, It is hard for me to give public speaking and presentation. Struggle continues.

[@atulsoam5855]

This guy is awesome

[@kevinbuckley4337]

I think you are a beautiful and very brave boy. It's such a pity that you can't control your twitching as I'm sure that would help your stammering a lot. However I wish you well and lots of love.

[@vikasboricha5254]

Respect you brother 😢😇😇

[@yengthao9207]

God bless this men truly inspiring.

[@juanantonio488]

Amazing, I respect that guy.

[@SoldierofJesus_John316]

Stutterers....UNITE!!✊️

[@yogesh.sakpal]

A lot of respect to u brother ❤️

[@ShakeelAhmed-nh5ed]

you did it great dude ...like ur por is gonna help u in near future as u wll be interacting more with people ..ur stammering will go away in near future

[@neroysc]

Your physical reaction is something else. you certainly are a man now, you should be able to control those jerkings. Well i know ever stutter is different and unique in his/her own way but when I was a kid I used my hands to slap my body just to talk or make some awkward mouth gestures, but as I grew older, I just had to slow down, pause, take a deep breath and continue talking, and that helped me a lot. Now I'm nearly stutter free. Only stutter on some few words when I get really really nervous.

[@julescalisthenics74]

Of people who stutter as children, only like 2% (i cant remember the stat) remain stutterers. He is a man indeed, but this is not something that will stop simply from slowing down. You can wait for 1 minute without speaking if u want, and still stutter without getting ur first sound out and having awkward body movement. Hope this helped :)

[@nspector]

+CsyoREN "you certainly are a man now, you should be able to control those jerking." Did you really say that? THIS is proof that even people who supposedly have experienced the same thing or similar are not always more understanding or compassionate. Your path has been different. You think it was a matter of will that you stutter less now? That's an illusion, an illusion that you are using here to tell another person that he is just not "trying hard enough." Shame on you.

[@naafifathar]

It's a very inspiring video. 😿

[@tanakaree4606]

He is great !

[@binayakgshankar9188]

:( Even I stammer and I know why God hasn`t given me a fluent voice. Because he was sure that if I will start speaking fluently I will replace God. I am highly optimistic and I would have ruled the world. I am just under control because of Stammering.

[@haru5621]

You are my hero。 in japan

[@antordas3954]

respect bro❤️

[@carlgodfrey4482]

my stutter is exactly like him, now is bad because am stay quite all the time my friends be talking

[@ravirajyaguru5905]

I feel you man. I too have severe speech impediment . You know, just speak, however you speak, but JUST SPEAK. The more you speak, the less the anxiety and fear related to it will become. I have been practising it since 6 months, and results are amazing. It won't cure stutter, but will give tremendous confidence with time.

[@DD-ws8jc]

At least you have friends.

[@partharora16]

I am a stutterer too , and I believe every stutter do find some ways to improve his/her speech , at this age he should be at least better and at some time it felt like he is faking His stutter

[@thelocust64]

+Parth Arora hes definitely not faking

[@nspector]

No, he's not faking.....Good Grief.

[@JPTradess]

Inspiring from a fellow stutterer.

[@MjoInir]

I'm also a stammerer and i know the pain that a stammerer faced....

[@manishkhurana3672]

Same bro

[@maulikbhalala6028]

Same bro.

[@enweresussan7982]

Yes you are right and the pain can be exhausting.