ABOUT THE PRESENTER : Peter Kissagizlis was from East Yorkshire in the north of the UK. He worked as a motor mechanic for many years and, an avid boater himself, also worked as a marina lock keeper for British Waterways in Hull until 2000. Peter passed away November 8, 2009. Before his death, Peter devoted a lot of time to voluntary work. He was chair of consumer issues for the International Cluttering Association and secretary of the Hull & East Yorkshire Stammerers self help group which was associated with the British Stammering Association. Peter was a founder member of the local support group and built and maintained the web site: www.speakingout.org.uk He also wrote their regular newsletter. |
Peter Kissagizlis consented to share some of his personal story along with a short movie of his speaking and samples of his handwriting and "unguarded" typing. Originally part of the 2008 International Stuttering Awareness Day online conference, it is included here as an example of cluttering, and as a tribute to Peter's unselfish commitment to help others understand cluttering. (Judy Kuster)
A sample of Peter's speaking An interview with Peter, videotaped by Tom Kuster in Razlog, Bulgaria, May 2007.
A sample of Peter's handwriting:
A sample of Peter's "unguarded" typing, telling some of his personal story:
I have had problems for many years, which started when I was at schol as far as I can remember, reading out in calss was one ot the problems, teacxhers would riducoue me for speaking funy, one wuol,d ay to me "speak ip bioy don't mumble", felow puoils woueld taunt me, no one understod me properly, I msde freinds but don't nkwo how myana.
I woked hard, I was quiet, and fiound it hadr to tlak to people about some thisnhgs, adn this has hapend al my life and has held up my ecducation and employemnt. Even wehn I statred work people used to taunt me becasue I taklekd funny! I wa sbulied at scgol and at work, no one seemded to care. Life was so frustrating and intimidating, I had no idea that I had a porblem tlike \I know today, if I as awatre of tnis and the teacjhers ot my partent had adddressed this, i could myabwe had some help, hmmm, maybe not, no one knwe about clutering in those days, but it oculd have ben found that I had a comunication pronb;lem.
I have treid al my life to please peole, I was told thaty I would never do any god in life and I tried to probve evrybody worng, I ewnt into busines in the 1970's and I struggeld to hold run a business sucsesfuly, I was not harfd enought to condunt a bisusiness proplery, nad fater mnay eyars I had to amdnit defeat, I packed it al up and went back to working fro zomseone else. At least I got pasid on a Friday every week.
Whne working in the garages I was a motoer vehicle techniician and was god at my job, it would have been goukd ofr promotion, but each time I apliead for poromotion I was told dthat my spech was not suiyatbale for speaing to customomers and for teh many aplications I made in fiddefernt companies thaye gave me the sdame story.
After years of feeling insecure, differnt, isolated and excluded, I know Kknow the comndition I have, which is clutteroimng, although it is not cured and nebver can be as fra as I am aware, at lwast I am aware of the conditini aadn people wil learn from tihs, and poepke who sufer as I do wil be able t undrestand what they ahve, the amin thinsg is, peiopokle worlkd wide awil be able to reecognise the condition and maybe the ptofessionals can impement a suitable treainhg/teacjhing athen evebntaualy a treatment regime.
Ok, nuffs. enough! eh? the above sentences were typed as I type, I have made no attempt to delibertaly slow down or edit the text, this sentence is deliberately typed slow (waht a difficult job!) and aslo I have edited some of it, as even when typing slowly, I make mistakes.
SUBMITTED: January 14, 2010
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