Re: Disability on course - BMQ, QL, Trades, ect...[MERGED]

[vida]

Hey

I am new here and have been thinking about joining the army for some time now. I have had a stutter my hole life and  I am wondering if this will be a problem in the army? If I do encounter some prejudice, will something be done?  Stuttering seems to be the only disability that it still OK to make fun of. Will I be protected by army law/rule the same way racism and other prejudices are taken care of?

Thanks

 

[kincanucks]

CANADIAN FORCES POLICY ON DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT

The Canadian Forces are committed to the principle of equality of all people and the dignity and worth of every human being without discrimination on any prohibited grounds including race.  Canadian Forces members must always be guided by this principle in their relationship with each other, with members of the public and with all those with whom they come in contact in Canada and overseas.  Racist attitudes are totally incompatible with the military ethos and with effective military service, and any behaviour or conduct which reflects such attitudes cannot be tolerated.  The Canadian Forces also have specific policies which prohibit discrimination, personal or sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and abuse of authority.  This includes improper behaviour by a Canadian Forces member that is directed to another individual based on personal characteristics including race, colour, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, physical characteristic or mannerisms.

 

[vida]

Great thanks for the info.  

 

[Pieman]

I ran into this article a while ago, and is somewhat related to the topic of this thread so I thought it would be interesting to post.  It was written by a British Army applicant back in 1996, and he had a bad time because of his speech problems:

http://www.stammering.org/army.html

Interesting contrast in attitude compared to the Canadian Forces.

 

[Gunner98]

Many superb leaders, senior officers (BGens), CWO and all ranks below them have had great careers while dealing with a stutter.  Your skills and abilities will speak for themselves.

 

[Gunner]

senior officers (BGens),

You and I know of whom you speak!  

 

[kincanucks]

You and I know of who you speak!  

Superb?, hmmmmmmmmm.

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

That's what I was thinking too...!

Superb?  I seem to remember potted plants and a ruler...  ;D

 

[paracowboy]

I have a speech impediment (unrelated to the fact that I always have a huge dip in my mouth - Stop it! I said DIP.) I stuttered as a child, and to this day I have to work against it. Despite that, I still rose to the giddy heights of MCpl. Oh, the power that is mine.

 

[Gunner98]

The most recent ex-Bde Comd of 2 CMBG (Peter D) is not who I was thinking of, perhaps you were thinking of the former Inspector Gen (Jim C).  I would hardly call Peter D a "potted plant".

 

[043]

There is a Sapper in my unit that stutters and when he came to the troop, for some reason he thought that it was necessary to inform his superiors that he had a speech impediment.............Recce Sgt = So, can you sharpen a shovel? Can you polish your boots?? Get down below and join the rest of the troop.

Stutter, shmutter.

Chimo!

 

[c4th]

If you consider the language and dialect diversity of Canada, a stutter should be no big thing.  It was said before, actions speak louder.

You may get a bit of ribbing from your peers every now and then, but in my experience the worst offenders are also worst soldiers.

Best of luck.

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

The most recent ex-Bde Comd of 2 CMBG (Peter D) is not who I was thinking of, perhaps you were thinking of the former Inspector Gen (Jim C).   I would hardly call Peter D a "potted plant".

Both Gunner and I were thinking about the former Inspector Gen.  There's a famous (true) story about an "inspection" he performed at NDHQ that involved using potted plants at the entry way as cover.

I know BGen D from his time out west here (he was G3 1 CMBG once upon a time) - no comparison!

 

[Gunner98]

The former Inspector General of Socks and Underwear is legendary, we all have our memorable stories.

 

[vida]

Thanks guys/gals, you all just helped me in my final reslove to join. 

 

[ThatsLife]

You're not alone man! I thought I was the only one with a speech impediment.

I stutter sometimes on some words that start with a certain letter, but it's not really a stutter, it's more of a "pause" because I can't say that word normally, I gotta emphasize the M or N or whatever. And I also suffer from a problem where I talk some-what fast and I end up slurring my words. I've been trying to fix these problems by talking alot slower and it's helped abunch, I have probably reduced the stuttering and slurring down to 14%. Take my advice, this will help you FOR SURE. Speak alot slower, and think about the word before you say it, visualize it, write it down, and then say it VERY slowly to yourself. Do this for about 10 minutes a day and I gurantee you my friend, your problem will be NO MORE 

Also, read out loud to yourself very slowly. Just grab a book, and read out loud for about half an hour a day.

:skull:

 

[Gunnar]

And now a word from a civvy....

The Who's "My Generation" is sung the way it is because the lead singer had a stammering problem.  He took therapy and got over it.  But he still has to sing the song that way because it's popular.  But he makes millions doing it.

I have to say I would agree with the Brits...if your stammering is sufficient to cause a serious communication problem, then you might want to get help ahead of time to eliminate it.  I've also heard that it is related to self-esteem, something the army has a tendency to rebuild in their image...this could actually be a benefit for you.  And, as others have pointed out, a number of famous generals & such all had stuttering problems at some point....which they eventually overcame.

Don't let a correctible problem like this overcome your ambition.  Stuttering can be eliminated with proper training and self-discipline...And self-discipline is what the army is all about, no?  If you can make it through the training, then a little setback like this should be a piece of cake.

Hope this helps.

 

[shaboing]

i know a mcpl that stutters really bad, but that hasn't stopped him from having a sucessful career thus far with 3 tours under his belt. he is a great guy so who cares if it takes a minute for him to say some stuff. i dont see anyone making fun of it, and if they do who cares, they are assholes and others will see that also

 

[pronto]

And now a word from a civvy....

The Who's "My Generation" is sung the way it is because the lead singer had a stammering problem.  He took therapy and got over it.  But he still has to sing the song that way because it's popular.  But he makes millions doing it.

Like Randy Bachman - he does not have a real stutter/stammer. Randy was making fun of his brother, and Daltrey was trying to affect a speed-freak's stutter.

Sorry.

 

[kincanucks]

Like Randy Bachman - he does not have a real stutter/stammer. Randy was making fun of his brother, and Daltrey was trying to affect a speed-freak's stutter.

Sorry.

pronto you rock!

All right, so we all agree that having a stutter is nothing to be ashamed of and it is against the Harassment Policy to give someone a hard time about it, so for other news..................