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Talks and Workshops: Reflecting, Representing, and Creating Together

8-11 @ 9:00 am2:45 pm

9:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
📍 Carrefour des arts et des sciences, Université de Montréal
Room C-3061, Lionel-Groulx Pavilion
3150 Jean-Brillant Street, Montreal (QC) H3T 1N8
Free and open to the public

🎧 Bilingual accessibility provided by the team
Content will be presented in English and/or French, with translations offered by speakers or the team (summaries, paraphrasing, subtitles). There will be no simultaneous interpretation or sign language interpretation, but special care will be taken to ensure linguistic inclusion throughout the day.

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9:30–10:00 AM: Welcome and coffee

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10:00–10:15 AM: Opening remarks for the day

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10:15–11:00 AM
What if your favorite character stuttered? Representation according to those who live it
Geneviève Lamoureux, M.Sc., PhD candidate in speech-language therapy and person who stutters

More information

About the Presentation

This presentation reflects on a qualitative research project exploring media representations of stuttering. Five group interviews were conducted with 24 participants: primarily adults who stutter, but also clinicians and family members. These conversations created a space for reflection on lived experiences, desires, and discomforts related to how stuttering is portrayed in the media.

Participants were invited to imagine what fair and meaningful media representations of stuttering could look like—to reflect on the social and relational dynamics surrounding a character who stutters, and the impact such a portrayal might have on their own experiences or public perception. Throughout the discussions, tensions emerged between visibility and stigma, realism and dramatization, highlighting the complexity of representing dysfluency in a way that is both authentic and liberating.

The goal of this project is to generate concrete ideas for more just, sensitive, and nuanced portrayals of stuttering—grounded in the perspectives and lived experiences of those directly concerned. The research findings will inform awareness tools developed as part of Geneviève Lamoureux’s doctoral work.

About the Presenter

Geneviève Lamoureux is a PhD candidate in Speech-Language Therapy and Audiology at the Université de Montréal, where she is a member of both the Laboratoire d’innovations en orthophonie and the Labo CinéMédias. Also a person who stutters, she centers her research on reducing the stigma associated with stuttering and communication differences. Her interests focus on the intersections of representation, power, and inclusion. As part of her work, she initiated the creation of new media representations of stuttering, notably by producing “We Are the Audience” (set to be released in November 2025) — a collaborative short film developed with several partner organizations. The Voice and Media Festival is a continuation of her doctoral project, conceived as a space for creation, dissemination, and collective reflection.

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11:00 AM–12:00 PM
Video Project: Youth Perspectives on Representation

Association des jeunes bègues du Québec (AJBQ), Amélie Fournier, MBA, MPO, Executive Director of AJBQ, Geneviève Lamoureux, M.Sc.

More information

About the Presentation

During the 2025 summer camp of the Association des jeunes bègues du Québec (AJBQ), youth aged 8 to 17 participated in creating short video clips exploring representation.
How do they perceive the way stuttering is (or isn’t) portrayed in the media? What would they like to say to the public? What kinds of characters would they like to see on screen?

This co-creation project, developed in partnership between AJBQ and Geneviève Lamoureux (speech-language therapist and doctoral candidate), aimed to offer a space for expression and action within a camp already deeply rooted in the community.

The screening of the videos will be followed by a panel discussion featuring AJBQ and several youth participants who took part in the project. They will reflect on their experience and share their thoughts with the audience.

About the Presenters

A speech-language therapist for twenty years, Amélie Fournier has also served as Executive Director of the Association des jeunes bègues du Québec (AJBQ) since 2024. Deeply attuned to the experiences of young people who stutter and their families, she is actively involved in developing projects that foster confidence, self-expression, and a sense of belonging. Among these, the AJBQ summer camp stands out as a unique experience in Quebec for youth aged 8 to 17 who stutter—one of the rare opportunities for them to come together with peers in a supportive, caring community.

The Association des jeunes bègues du Québec (AJBQ) is a community-based organization that supports young people who stutter, from ages 0 to 17, along with their families. Founded on values of empathy, inclusion, mutual support, expertise, and trust, the AJBQ accompanies youth on their journey by promoting a compassionate and inclusive approach to stuttering. Through activities, workshops, an annual summer camp, educational resources, and shared spaces, the organization creates opportunities for connection, learning, and growth. The AJBQ helps amplify the voices of young people who stutter while fostering their confidence and empowerment.

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12:001:15 PM: Lunch break

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Co-creation workshops: Aphasia (in French) & Stuttering (in English)
Choose between two simultaneous workshops.

1:15–2:30 PM
Experiencing Theatrical Co-Creation with Théâtre Aphasique (in French only)

Isabelle Côté, Executive Director of Théâtre Aphasique, with the troupe

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Dive into the creative process of Théâtre Aphasique by experiencing firsthand what actors with aphasia encounter during rehearsals. Here, aphasia becomes a source of artistic creation — a driver of expressiveness and inventiveness.

Through physical and vocal warm-up exercises, as well as activities focused on concentration, memory, listening, and expressiveness, participants will be invited to explore communication and theatre through movement, voice, body, and imagination.

About the Presenters

A graduate of the École supérieure de théâtre at UQAM, with specializations in Acting and Drama Education, Isabelle Côté taught drama for two years before becoming the Executive and Artistic Director of Théâtre Aphasique in 1996. She leads drama workshops, creates, directs, and promotes theatrical productions, all while managing the organization.




Since 1995, Théâtre Aphasique has been co-creating and producing plays with people living with aphasia. These productions—often developed over several months or even years—are then presented at festivals and major cultural venues across Québec. Over the years, the troupe has reached a wide range of audiences, including performances at Théâtre Périscope, the Monument-National, and the Gesù.

In 2025–2026, to mark its 30th anniversary, Théâtre Aphasique launched Le silence qui parle, a travelling exhibition that blends cultural mediation, scientific talks, theatre, and public awareness about aphasia. The exhibition has been hosted in several cities throughout Québec, including Québec City and Montréal, notably at the Musée de la civilisation and the Écomusée du Fier-Monde.

13h15-14h30
Creating SPACE for stuttering (in English only)

Aidan Sank, co-Founder and Executive Director of SPACE

More information

The description of this workshop will be added shortly.

About the facilitators

Aidan is the co-Founder and Executive Director of SPACE, a nonprofit creating more space for stuttering (spacetostutter.org). He has been collaborating with the stuttering community as an ally for almost 15 years, and worked for over a decade in New York City as a theater maker and arts educator. Aidan is grateful to the many, many people who stutter who have taught him how to truly listen and communicate. He lives in Vancouver, BC.

 


SPACE (Stuttering, People, Arts, Community, Education) is a nonprofit advancing disability justice through inclusive communication, arts, and advocacy. Founded in 2023 by Aidan Sank and a committed team of volunteers, SPACE is the only organization created on the belief that when we improve conditions for people who stutter, we make the world better for everyone.

Through collective advocacy, listening equity and creative expression, SPACE models what inclusive communication can look like and offers tangible pathways for building it.

Their offerings include public advocacy to challenge stigma, listening workshops to shift communication norms, and Community and Arts programs for youth and young adults who stutter.

SPACE is building a world that listens better to people who stutter, and everyone else.

Details

Date:
8-11
Time:
9:00 am – 2:45 pm