The President's Young Heros with Jonathan Costello, Brayden Harrington and Elazar Abrahams (LIVE #29)
JONATHAN, BRAYDEN, ELAZAR = EXTRAORDINARY YOUNG MEN
Not only do they share the trait of stuttering...
They share the fortune of having personal connections with Joe Biden.
Scroll down for host and guest bio, additional resources, links, notes and more.
TOPICS INCLUDE:
What has it been like, talking with Joe Biden, getting calls from Joe Biden...
What does this moment mean to you, as a young person who stutters... seeing a person who stutters achieve the position of President?
NOTES
02:58US: Before he was elected president, what were your interactions, and what were your thoughts about Joe Biden?
03:18BH: I met him at a rally. When he first came out, I was really happy to see him. I was really happy to see that somebody who stutters like me made it this far in life. He was the former vice president and now he is the president-elect.
04:24JC: So, the first time I really heard about him was probably when he was leaving office in 2016. Because there were rumors that he was going to run for president and someone told me, ‘he has a stutter like us’ and I was like, that's cool. I didn't really think anything of it until he announced his campaign back in august of last year. I was like, wow, this could be a really big thing, a person who stutters. And when I made a video about stuttering, it turns out he saw it. He invited me up to a rally in Manchester. That was really cool to see, meet him and see that someone who stutters can really have a big role in this world and talk every day.
06:00EA: I definitely remember going on Google and typing: famous people who stutter. He obviously was the first person shown and it was just cool to know that. In the past year, I think I've learned more about his speaking and more about his stutter, which has been really cool to see, but I always knew that he was there.
12:23US: How did you feel connected with Joe Biden?
12:38 BH: I felt a lot of connection with him, because that was the first person I really got to talk to who stutters. He was the nicest guy. I felt a connection with him but not on some other topics.
13:36EA: I think that growing up with a stutter makes you more sensitive to other things. I think definitely people who stutter when they watch him speaking, you can tell when he’s changing the sentence. I definitely think that’s very relatable.
29:22US: What would you guys say maybe for people that don't know stuttering, as well as you guys, what would you hope the world would understand?
29:57JC: I'd say that it's a little bit sad sometimes when people don't understand because some people accused Joe Biden of being not there mentally like he's passed out. People would say he sometimes fumbles his words, doesn't say the right things, and switches words mid-sentence. And I think it's sad to see that people don't know that he's just stuttering and that's sometimes how it's going to be.
34:00BH: An hour and a half before this meeting, I watched Johnathan's video and his tips were really on point on how to talk to somebody who stutters and how to approach them. It’s just terrible how people think that Joe Biden is mentally ill. He’s neither of them, just stutters, that’s it.
36:59EA: I definitely think the narrative that, you guys just, spoke about is frustrating to know that stuff is out there and has been pretty prevalent in the last year or so. And at the same time what makes me feel better is that he won. I think we could also really make the case that he won because of the empathy and the kindness that he gets from stuttering.
At Schneider Speech, we spend hours each week offering hope... helping people strengthen their confidence, their courage and their ability to pursue the life they wish to live.
But much greater than anything we could "say," is the lived-example, the real-world evidence.
"What seems impossible, is really possible."
Don't just LISTEN to me.
Look. See.
Look at him... Look at her...
Now, LOOK AT YOU!!!
We are thrilled to bring together some extraordinary young people.
We think of them as friends and heroes, for who they are and who they are becoming!
RESOURCES AND LINKS
Scroll down to see videos including Jonathan, Brayden and Joe Biden’s letter to his younger self.
Jonathan Costello with Joe Biden
Jonathan created this viral video in 2019. He teaches people about stuttering and what helps. See more here.
Brayden Harrington with Joe Biden
"Without Joe Biden I wouldn't be talking to you today.” Brayden Harrington’s speech at Democratic National Convention 2020.
Elazar Abrahams, College Student, Writer and Blogger
Joe Biden reflects on his life journey, including growing up with stuttering, faith and tragic losses in his family.
HOST BIO
Uri Schneider, M.A. CCC -SLP passionately explores and develops practical ways for us to create our own success story. Delivering personalized experiences of communication care informed by leading professionals and influencers, Uri is re-imagining the next-level of speech-language therapy for people to benefit in real life.
Uri Schneider, M.A. CCC -SLP is co-founder and leader at Schneider Speech Pathology and faculty at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.