PRLog - May 5, 2015 - SAN FRANCISCO -- The National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association proudly announces that Dilbert creator Scott Adams will deliver the keynote address at the 2015 NSDA symposium on May 16, 2015 in San Francisco. Having struggled with spasmodic dysphonia since 2005, the popular cartoonist is now helping to spread the word about SD and to support others who are living with the challenge of this neurological voice disorder.
NSDA President Charlie Reavis expresses appreciation to Adams for his participation in the conference. “As keynote speaker for our annual patient symposium, Scott will inspire people suffering from SD with his own story of perseverance, determination and success in spite of the communication barriers caused by spasmodic dysphonia.”
The NSDA Symposium will feature panels of physicians, researchers and speech pathologists who are expert in the diagnosis, treatment and etiology of spasmodic dysphonia. SD causes involuntary breaks in speech, making the voice sound strained and shaky in the more common adductor form or breathy, fading away to a whisper in the rarer abductor form. Affecting over 50,000 in the United States, the search for a diagnosis can be a long and frustrating road.
Adams speaks to the importance of resilience in his recently published book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life. While addressing how to embrace and learn from failure in order to achieve success, Adams discusses his struggle with spasmodic dysphonia as a central theme in a lifetime of experience in overcoming adversity.
Spasmodic dysphonia impairs communication and can make it a constant struggle to get sentences out. This can affect relationships, causing people to feel isolated or to withdraw. As Adams has stated, “You don’t feel connected to the world just because you are listening. You feel connected when you know you have been heard.”
About the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association
Founded in 1989, the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association (NSDA) is dedicated to advancing medical research into the causes of and treatments for spasmodic dysphonia (SD), promoting physician and public awareness of the disorder, and providing support to those affected by SD and their families. It is the only organization dedicated solely to the SD community. Together, we continue to grow through awareness, advocacy, and outreach; help to improve the lives of people dealing with SD; and work to support research in order to bring understanding to this disorder. The NSDA is a tax-exempt 501(c) (3) organization. For more information log on to http://www.dysphonia.org.
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Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Delivers Keynote Address at Spasmodic Dysphonia Symposium
May 05, 2015 at 12:13 PM EDT
