Basketball Champion Turned Stuttering Advocate Visits UofM
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Meets with School of Communication Sciences and Disorders
October 11, 2024 — The School of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at the University of Memphis welcomed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to campus Wednesday, Oct. 9, giving the NBA and college basketball great an opportunity to share his stuttering story and advocacy efforts.
Kidd-Gilchrist, best known for his successful NBA career and University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Championship, is also the founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Change & Impact, which advocates for improved access to healthcare and expanded resources and services for those who stutter.
During his stop at the CSD, Kidd-Gilchrist shared his personal experiences as a person who stutters to students and faculty and met with children who stutter.
Kidd-Gilchrist was the second overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets (Charlotte Bobcats) and went on to also play for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2020, while spending time in the NBA bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic he reflected on his own personal journey as a person who stutters and learned that speech therapy for stuttering is not always covered by insurance.
In 2021, Kidd-Gilchrist launched Change & Impact with a mission to improve access to healthcare and expand services and resources for those who stutter.
“I got into this not knowing about politics or how to navigate the system,” said Kidd-Gilchrist. “I've since learned a lot and want to bring more awareness and improve access to healthcare.”
Since Change & Impact’s inception, Kidd-Gilchrist has been on a national speaking circuit visiting more than 60 universities, hospitals, stuttering camps and support groups to talk about the importance of speech therapy, the trusted relationship between a person who stutters and their Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and how both changed his life.
Change & Impact has also hosted career fairs for adults who stutter, free continuing education programs for established SLP’s and special events for children who stutter and their families, SLPs and educators.
Kidd-Gilchrist personally advocates at the federal and state level to raise awareness about gaps in the healthcare system for those who stutter, and the medical need to improve speech therapy insurance coverage for stuttering.
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