WKU News

NBA veteran, University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Champion, and Change & Impact Founder, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will visit the Western Kentucky University Communications Sciences & Disorders Department on Tuesday, April 16 as a part of the Change & Impact Stuttering Advocacy Tour.  Kidd-Gilchrist will meet with faculty and students at 3:15 in the Downing Student Union Nite Class to present his personal experiences as a person who stutters.

“Kentucky is my second home and I am excited to visit another area in the state to meet more Kentuckians who are part of the stuttering community,” said Kidd-Gilchrist. “Western Kentucky is doing great things in the community and I am looking forward to learning more about their efforts and meeting faculty, students and community me.”

Michael has stuttered since childhood.  His first speech therapy session was at the age of 17 at the University of Kentucky (UK). After winning a men’s national basketball championship at UK in 2012, Michael went on to play in the NBA for 9 years. While spending time in the NBA ‘bubble’ in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, he began reflecting on his own personal journey as a person who stutters and how he could help others who stutter.  In 2021, he founded Change & Impact, Inc., a non-profit organization with a mission to improve access to healthcare and expand services and resources for those who stutter. 

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.  He 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.  Change & Impact has also hosted career fairs for adults who stutter, continuing education programs for established SLP’s, and special events for children who stutter and their families, SLPs, and educators.

About Change & Impact, Inc.
Founded in 2021 by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Change & Impact, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to improve access to healthcare and expand services and resources for those who stutter.  As a person who stutters, Kidd-Gilchrist started Change & Impact to advocate, educate, and raise awareness about stuttering.  To learn more, visit www.changeandimpactinc.org

For inquiries about Change & Impact or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist interview requests please contact: Kristen Peifer│703.626.0032 │kmpeifer@gmail.com

The Communication Sciences and Disorders department at WKU prepares students to be knowledgeable, productive and engaged leaders in professional practice. Our program provides a dynamic academic foundation to students across the globe through opportunities for lifelong learning, service and research.  For more information, visit here.