ASHA Exhibits at the Planet Word Museum

The Planet Word Museum in Washington, D.C., and ASHA collaborated on two digital exhibits—one spotlighting word-finding problems and aphasia, and a second spotlighting stuttering. The two touch- and voice-activated “beacons” are located in the museum’s Words Matter gallery on the first floor.

Planet Word prides itself on being the only museum in the country “dedicated to renewing and inspiring a love of words and language.” Visitors and reviewers alike have lauded the museum ever since it opened in 2020.

The Planet Word Museum founder, Ann Friedman, received ASHA’s Annie Glenn award at the ASHA 2025 Convention in recognition of her support for the celebration of language and for championing the creation of exhibits that increase the understanding of communication disorders.

Museum visitors will learn that stuttering is a way of talking for millions of people. The beacon emphasizes that it is more important to focus on what someone says than to judge how they say it.

The beacon explains stuttering and its impact and covers these topics and facts:

• the number of people who stutter
• varying viewpoints of people who stutter
• the causes of stuttering
• ways to reduce stigma and to correct any misrepresentations of stuttering
• the speech-language pathologist’s role with respect to stuttering
• steps that the public can take to be supportive communication partners for people who stutter

The beacon communicates these important messages through illustrative photos, videos, interactive experiences, and graphics designed for people of all ages.

References

Chang, S.-E., Below, J. E., Chow, H. M., Guenther, F. H., Hampton Wray, A. M., Jackson, E. S., Max, L., Neef, N. E., SheikhBahaei, S., Shekim, L., Tichenor, S. E., Walsh, B., Watkins, K. E., Yaruss, J. S., & Bernstein Ratner, N. (2025). Stuttering: Our current knowledge, research opportunities, and ways to address critical gaps. Neurobiology of Language, 6, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1162/nol_a_00162

Neef, N. E., & Chang, S.-E. (2024). Knowns and unknowns about the neurobiology of stuttering. PLoS Biology, 22(2), Article e3002492. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002492

Museum visitors learn how and why word-finding challenges occur, ranging from the “tip of the tongue” phenomenon that many people experience occasionally to more frequent word-finding problems experienced by people with aphasia.

Besides explaining aphasia and its impact, the beacon covers a variety of other ways people struggle to find words, how speech-language pathologists support people with their communication, and ways that the public can help friends and loved ones experiencing difficulties. The beacon communicates through illustrative photos, videos, interactive experiences, and graphics designed for people of all ages.