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University of Texas creates stuttering center thanks to $20M grant

The grant will be paid over 10 years from the family foundation of Atlanta Falcons owner and Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, who also has a stutter.

AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: The video published above is a KVUE report about UT naming Jay Hartzell the university president.

The University of Texas announced Monday that it would be expanding stuttering research, training and treatment due to a $20 million legacy grant given to the Moody College of Communication

The grant, which would establish the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research, will be paid over 10 years from the family foundation of Atlanta Falcons owner and Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank, who also is a person who stutters.

The stuttering research center will house and expand the work and vision of Dr. Courtney Byrd, who founded and directs the Michael and Tami Lang Stuttering Institute, the Dr. Jennifer and Emanuel Bodner Developmental Stuttering Laboratory and the Dealey Family Foundation Stuttering Clinic, according to UT's announcement. 

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“The moment I met Dr. Byrd, I was immediately struck by her intellect and her life-long commitment to advancing the field of stuttering, which she translated into extraordinary proposals that captured her vision to meaningfully impact the stuttering community in the United States and beyond,” Blank said. “Through her impressive research and dedicated practice towards stuttering, I know she will change the world in this area and help as many human beings as she possibly can.” 

According to UT, the work of Byrd and her team of undergraduate- and graduate-level researchers has benefitted more than 1,500 children, teenagers and adults who stutter.

“This example is one that speaks to the power of what it means to be a top research university,” UT Austin President Jay Hartzell said. “And just hearing Dr. Byrd’s own story about the kinds of interventions and treatments she was exposed to and doing as a student, grad student and then now how the thinking has changed, it gives you a sense of the power of research, the power of using data, the power of learning what the best practices should be in a difficult field like stuttering.”

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Byrd's work focuses on targeting and teaching vital communication skills, such as maintaining eye contact, using voice and gestures to emphasize meaning and listening with a positive attitude.

“What makes Dr. Byrd’s work so special is the holistic approach. The focus is not on the stuttering, but on the whole person and how they fit and feel in their families, communities and schools,” said Jay Bernhardt, dean of Moody College. 

“Our focus is on the person, not on the stuttering,” Byrd said. “We’re teaching people as young as 3 years of age to adults over the age of 90 you can communicate effectively, and you can do so even if you continue to stutter.”

UT said that over the next 10 years of the grant, Byrd’s signature intensive treatment program "Camp Dream. Speak. Live." will be launched in 10 new countries.

For more information on Byrd's work and UT's new stuttering center research, visit the university website here.

On Monday night, UT will light the tower orange to celebrate this grant.

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