Teen With Stutter Shares What Joe Biden’s Win Means to Him
Harrington met Biden in February when Biden was on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. Owen Harrington, Brayden Harrington’s dad, told Biden about his son’s stutter, and Biden has stayed in touch with the teen and the Harrington family ever since.
Biden has had a stutter since he was young, so he can relate to Harrington’s struggle. In a letter to the Stuttering Foundation of America, Biden wrote, “I personally understand the terrible fear and frustration of a stutter. My stutter embarrassed me and made me question myself and my abilities daily.”
Biden shared advice with Harrington about how to beat his stutter. For example, he told him to practice reading poems by William Butler Yeats out loud, and if he has to give a speech, mark it up ahead of time to make it easier to read.
Harrington says that Biden’s advice has changed his life. He shared with Good Morning America, “Before, my No. 1 fear was my stutter, and that was close to the scariest thing in my life, and now… I’ve seen that as a gift. I have seen that as a way to improve myself mentally and physically, and I feel like I’ve really grown from meeting him.”
Harrington was excited to know that someone with a stutter could become president. He told Good Morning Amercia, “I was really happy for him.”
Watch the video below to learn more about how president-elect Biden has had a positive influence on Harrington and his stutter.
Viewers have pointed out that Joe Biden isn’t the only person in power who has had a stutter. The king of England had a stutter too, and that has given them confidence that it’s okay to have a stutter.
One viewer wrote, “I. Have a Stutter that isn’t that bad & only really when I’m tired, upset or ill & I hated that I had it, then my grandmother told me the queens farther had a stutter & not to be ashamed of it because the old king of England had one too so I was special so I looked it up & heard recordings & it was the truth then when I got teased I would tell the kids I didn’t care because I belonged to the same club that a king belonged to.”
Do you know anyone with a stutter?
