Being Chris: My stutter connects people and can even close a gap

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Being social can release a pressure valve in some people because a nice chat invites relaxation. However, ask yourself: what would it be like if you had to work hard just to get your words out?

For Chris Schuyler, Senior Staff Attorney with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest’s (NYLPI) Disability Justice Program, it’s a little complicated. Chris has a stutter, a neurological condition that the National Institute of Health (NIH) describes as a “speech disorder characterized by repetition of sounds, syllables, or words; prolongation of sounds; and interruptions in speech known as blocks.” Despite his difficulty getting the words out, Chris knows exactly what he’d like to say. But the stutter causes the very specific tools in the brain, which are responsible for getting thoughts into verbalized words, to misfire.

His stutter may help Chris infer what his clients' lives are like. I was eager to learn more about this as we sat down to chat at a seriously loud Joe and the Juice in Midtown Manhattan!

Even though a stutter does not have a mobility-based limitation in tow, Chris is deeply familiar with barriers that come from disability.

Chris, a white man with brown hair, speaks from behind a podium that’s decorated in a sign that reads “Fund Streets Plan.” Behind Chris stands a group of 20 or so New Yorkers; many of whom hold seemingly homemade signs of support.

In an attempt to understand Chris’s barriers, I asked if he preferred to text or email in lieu of communication that requires audible speech. His response made me realize I was sharing lunch with someone truly unique. 

Chris clarified that a text-based conversation would be easier so that’s why for much of his life he’d send an email when a phone call would be better. Yet, relying on text is not his preference. Nowadays when he detects he’s relying on an email thread to avoid a stuttering situation, he pushes himself to make the call or meet with the person. “Avoidance is a trap anyone can slip into,” Chris said.

During our chat, Chris explained the term "advertising" in his community to mean publicizing one’s own stutter. He has amassed a lifetime of evidence to prove advertising is worth it to him. 

Despite having proven the benefit of advertising, Chris does not necessarily advertise with ease and joyousness. Here’s an example: in time, Chris learned that if he doesn’t advertise on a call with a new team, an insidious withdrawal may occur where his participation slowly diminishes. To avoid this withdrawal, Chris needs to advertise early on so he can set expectations. This results in more effective communication because he can speak comfortably knowing the new team members will actually expect him to stutter. This will reduce the likelihood of Chris being misunderstood and minimize interruptions so that he can express his complete thoughts.

In addition to advertising being effective for him in life and career, Chris also wants to be as effective as possible with his work as an attorney on behalf of people with disabilities. He cares about being a strong advocate. “I’m always learning things about stuttering and changing how I think about it myself,” Chris shared. “With it so central to my identity, it's absolutely crucial that I take pride in my stutter,” he continued. 

His stutter influenced his career path which I was so eager to ask about. Chris has many friends who are people who stutter. Something he hears often within his community and experiences first-hand: “stuttering affects every part of a person’s life.” The way a person looks at the world ultimately shapes their future. A young person who aspires to be a journalist may take a less lucrative reporting job if it means they’ll get to spend most of their time writing alone. They’re avoiding investigative interviews and the verbal demand of on-the-ground reporting; disregarding their own charisma and talent at research. This young person would be making an extreme sacrifice by tempering their ideal future with one that won’t require them to advertise as much. The idea that a person will “settle” when it comes to their future is upsetting.

Chris found his community through the National Stuttering Association when he moved to New York City. He also mentioned the Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY) which teaches young people to feel confident with their voice, often through programs that introduce them to acting and other performing arts. From the SAY website: “Young people who stutter often face daily ridicule, teasing, and bullying. Many will silence themselves out of fear and embarrassment, and withdraw from peers, teachers, and society, leaving them feeling isolated and alone.”

Stigma follows people who stutter due partly to misinformation about the cause. Much of the misunderstanding takes on a theme that nervousness causes a stutter. Chris explained some people have even misinterpreted a person stuttering as an attempt to be deceptive. 

Scientists and speech pathologists understand the disorder as neurological and not behavioral, yet targeting what exactly is going on in the brain and nervous system of a person who stutters largely remains a mystery. Without targeting the exact cause, it has been difficult to create medicine to treat it.

When we spoke of the notion of a “cure” for a stutter, Chris quickly let me know that he and many among his community are not in favor of a medical model to “cure” stuttering. “We see stuttering as a massive part of our identity. It’s not something we want to get rid of. We want the world to be more accepting of what it sounds like,” he told me. 

Pain and disappointment can occur when Chris realizes later that he was not understood. Frustration could set in if introspection points Chris to the revelation that he avoided speaking. He has used the pain and frustration to motivate a solution: advertise. The world isn’t fully accepting yet, and fighting for his clients’ rights always motivates Chris to push through his discomfort. If you’ve seen crime shows, you know lawyers speak a lot!

Chris, a white man with brown hair, smiles widely in a white shirt and golden tie against a background of blue sky.

The commitment Chris has made to himself to advertise has revealed a window into the human experience that we can see through only by spending time with people who stutter. “Some really great people I know talk about the vulnerability you open yourself up to as a person who stutters. While it can be challenging, it is a really good connector of people,” Chris shared. “Whenever I open my mouth, somebody can see that I’m working to get the words out. That’s showing an effort that I think is uncommon. My hope is that it means something to the person I’m talking to. That vulnerability is my offering to the conversation,” he continued. It became clear during our chat that the vulnerability Chris displays is a gift that connects people.

Chris’s choice to meet me and converse so openly truly meant so much to me. I am happy to share this update about the class action lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) thanks to a willingness from Chris to be vulnerable with a stranger like me.  

Chris works as a disability rights attorney for NYLPI and focuses on improving mass transit. In October, Chris and his partners filed a class action lawsuit against NYC’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) representing riders with disabilities. According to an article in THE CITY: “the suit accuses the MTA of violating the city’s human rights law by not eliminating vertical and horizontal gaps of several inches and seeks to compel the agency to find fixes.”

He and his colleagues heard from folks with disabilities that the gaps, for many, render the system inaccessible. In many stations there’s a high vertical gap or a wide horizontal gap so a person with a wheelchair can’t get over the step, or a blind person could trip. And for the folks who, with difficulty, continue to use the subway system, they are forced to meticulously plan their route to avoid stations without elevators, steer clear of large gaps, and skip the stations where they’ve previously faced potential injury and embarrassment following a mobility challenge brought on by the structure of the MTA itself.

This behavior - excessive planning and worrying – characterizes and humanizes what the inaccessibility of the subway system truly means to riders. 

Chris, a white man with brown hair, poses in a gray suit and blue tie for a professional headshot.

It gets even worse. Since NYC teems with busy people rushing on and off the subway, the gaps in most stations could challenge anyone, disability or not. If a person gets snagged in a stampede-like exodus they could be seriously injured. My earlier post highlights the experience of Rebecca Lamorte, Emmy-nominated New Yorker with a disability and former NYC City Council candidate advocating for labor and disability justice, whose accident on the NYC subway changed the course of her life in a single second. 

“So many cities around the world have done more in terms of making their subway systems accessible. The MTA needs to meet this demand for basic accessibility,” Chris stated.

Since the group filed the suit, Chris has heard from various folks within the disability community about how much the case means to them. This reinforces the decision to do this.

I had many questions and appreciated the enlightenment from Chris, who explained the timeline for this case is not clear at this juncture. Its duration and outcome both depend on what each party can agree to. I was thankful that Chris reminded me that most litigations never go to trial.

As this became more clear, I wondered if a victory for a legal case only amounted to winning in court. Chris let me know a trial is not the only way for this to end victoriously.

“We win when the subway system becomes more accessible.”