A graduate student in communicative disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has published an essay in a national newsletter of the largest self-help group in the country.

Nicole Kapellen of Plymouth is the author of "A Stutterer�s Journal," written as an assignment for a course about stuttering taught by UWSP Assistant Professor Rodney Gabel and submitted by "Gabel to Letting Go," a newsletter of the National Stuttering Association (NSA). A 30-year-old organization founded in San Francisco, Calif., the association has numerous affiliate self-help groups for people who stutter throughout the country.

In his introduction to Kapellen�s article, Gabel says, "I spent the first two weeks of my course talking about stuttering from the person�s point of view . . . I then assigned the students an open-ended assignment in which they were asked to share their experiences and feelings toward the class information. The following is a remarkable piece written by a student in the form of a fictional diary. It is especially notable for the degree of empathy since the writer doesn�t stutter."

Kapellen says she chose to write a series of journal entries "because stuttering is a multi-faceted disorder that changes every day. Stuttering is not only what you hear and see, but also what lies below the surface."

Sitting in the back of the classroom and hoping the teacher won�t call on you, experiencing overwhelming embarrassment when asked to speak in front of the class, enduring useless advice from others on how to stop stuttering and being put in the "slow" reading group because of speech problems are some of the daily negative situations Kapellen explores in her fictional journal.

She says she was drawn to the field of communicative disorders because of a family member�s hearing impairment and the accompanying social isolation a hearing impaired person experiences. She believes studying with Professor Gabel has increased her awareness of communication problems and her sensitivity when counseling clients.

Her first published article, emphasizing the importance of student involvement in the state professional organization, appeared in "Communication Connection," a quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Speech and Hearing Association which she now serves as assistant editor.

She has served as president of UWSP�s chapter of the Speech and Hearing Association, volunteered for three years at Crossroads Mental Health Institute, served as a proctor for students with disabilities, facilitated a children�s group at the Family Crisis Center and substituted at Jackson Elementary School as a speech language therapist. She also has been a speech and language camp counselor and a student custodial supervisor.

Kapellen is the daughter of Dan and Edith Kapellen. She anticipates receiving a master�s degree in speech and language pathology from UWSP next spring.

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