STUTTERING can be debilitating and frustrating. This is something Dr Dane Isaacs knows all too well. As a person who stutters, he had to overcome many barriers and had to deal with oppression and discrimination all his life. “Growing up with a stutter has not been the easiest experience. I have been bullied, discriminated against and endured various social and psychological challenges,” says Isaacs.

“My stutter has also had a negative impact on my masculine identity. As a man who stutters, I have often felt weak, emasculated and not being able to live up to society’s expectation of what it means to be a man. These experiences have always left me wondering about the disabling and masculinity experience of people who stutter.”

Despite these challenges, Isaacs, who is a researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council, has managed to reach the pinnacle of academic success when he recently obtained his doctorate in psychology at Stellenbosch University. His study explored the disabling and masculinity experiences of young adult men who stutter.

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