Alanah Brown

My advice is to be patient with yourself, whether with your voice or learning to love yourself for who you are. I know Apraxia is hard to live with because you are forced to display it anytime you try to talk to anyone, and I know that can make you want to separate yourself from people to protect yourself, but don’t.

You should work hard in speech therapy to improve but also accept your voice as just a part of you; it is just a small part that doesn’t define you in any way. Keep talking to people and sharing your interests and your true self, and you will find people who don’t care about your disability and barely even notice it. Those people will be your friends because they like the real you. They like your hobbies, your sense of style, and your humor. They like you. I know it can be challenging to see past other people’s perceptions of you, but just be confident in yourself, and you will find people who accept you.

-Alanah Brown