European League of Stuttering Associations

About ELSA

The EUROPEAN LEAGUE OF STUTTERING ASSOCIATIONS (ELSA) was set up in 1990 by 12 countries to promote a greater knowledge and understanding of stuttering and to bring together, as a top umbrella Organisation, the National Stuttering Self-Help Organisations of Europe. The Current executive board consists of Edwin Farr MBE (Chair), Anita Blom (Vice-Chair), Konrad Schäfers, and Gina Waggott (Youth).

ELSA is a trans-national, cross-cultural Organisation. It seeks resources only open to multi-national groups, extends the exchange-of-information network, and lobbies for stutterers at a prominent international level.

Its main roles are:

* to link together and further the co-operation of Europe's national organisations.

* to provide a forum for exchange of concepts and experiences in stuttering therapy and self-help.

* to help represent the interests of stutterers to European and international bodies.

* to put stuttering onto the European agenda to ensure that the needs and challenges faced by people who stutter are considered in a European context.

ELSA's work has been recognised by the International Labour Office in Geneva, the World Health Organisation in Geneva and the United Nations Office in Vienna. ELSA is also a founding member of the European Disability Forum, an umbrella disability organisation based in Brussels.

External links

* [http://www.stuttering.ws ELSA's Official Site]
* [http://www.edf-feph.org The European Disability Forum]