Stuttering & Disability in Film, Tech, Education, and MediaSXSW 2026 – Austin, Texas On Tuesday, March 17, during SXSW, Proud Stutter and partners gathered at the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research at UT Austin for a morning of panels, conversation, and connection centered on stuttering, disability, and storytelling across film, media, education, and technology.
From the moment doors opened, the room filled with filmmakers, educators, technologists, advocates, and community members coming together to listen, reflect, and imagine new possibilities for how stuttering and disability are represented and understood.
The morning began with remarks from Maya Chupkov, founder of Proud Stutter, who grounded the gathering in a shared purpose: to reshape how disability and stuttering are represented, understood, and lived.
Moderator Dom Kelly, founder and CEO of New Disabled South, guided the conversation throughout the morning, inviting panelists and audience members alike to engage deeply with the ideas being shared.  The first panel brought together Tessa Andrade, Mitch Guerra (Survivor 48 contestant), and Phillip Solomon (Deal or No Deal Island contestant) to explore how stuttering shows up in television, podcasting, and documentary storytelling.
The conversation centered on moving beyond the “overcoming” narrative that has historically defined stuttering in media. Panelists reflected on what it means to tell stories that hold complexity, humanity, and individuality.
Midway through the panel, attendees watched a clip from the Untitled St. Stephen documentary following Issac Bailey, a professor and writer navigating family history, generational healing, and his stutter in the American South.
The discussion raised questions about what it means to make stuttering visible on screen, and what responsibility storytellers carry in shaping those narratives.  The next panel featured speech-language pathologist at the Arthur M. Blank Center, Jack Rodriguez and Shaomei Wu, founder and CEO of AImpower.org. These experts in education and technology brought together a thoughtful mix of perspectives on how learning and innovation can better support people who stutter and the broader disability community. The conversation focused on both the challenges people face in classrooms and workplaces, and the exciting ways technology—especially AI—is starting to open new doors.  A featured interlude highlighted THE ASCENT, with climber Mandy Horvath sharing reflections from the film's SXSW premiere for which she was the main participant in, expanding the conversation to disability, resilience, and storytelling across experiences.
THE ASCENT tells the extraordinary true story of Mandy, a bilateral amputee attempting to crawl to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on her hands and follows an investigation surrounding the night she tragically lost her legs. The film won the audience award in the documentary category at SXSW.  The final panel featured Vanessa Dumont, Nicolas Davenel, and Amber Galloway-Gallego in a conversation about THE WAY WE MOVE, which also premiered at SXSW 2026.
Through a film clip and discussion, panelists explored Deaf culture, music, and accessibility in storytelling. Amber reflected on what it meant to see her lived experience translated into film, while the filmmakers shared insights into the creative process and the decisions that shape what audiences ultimately see.
The panel connected stuttering to broader disability experiences and reinforced the role of film in opening up new ways of understanding communication and access.
THE WAY WE MOVE follows Amber, a star ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter who specializes in live music. Using her teaching skills, she guides new recruits through a one-of-a-kind journey as they prepare to interpret at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. This gathering is part of a larger effort to build connections across storytelling, education, technology, and advocacy.
As we continue this work, we carry forward a simple reminder from the day: communication takes many forms, and when we create space for different voices, we open the door to new stories and futures.
Make a donation today so we can bring the next event to life, maybe even in a city near you. Other ways to support - Share this newsletter recap with your friends, family, and peers.
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A huge thank you to the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research for your partnership and for the ongoing work you do to advance education, research, and community around stuttering.
Special thanks to our partners, crew, and volunteers: Dom Kelly, Tessa Andrade, Enjoli Richardson, Steven Tallas, Dr. Courtney Byrd, Jack Rodriguez and Liam Alteneder.
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