Cody Dew, Binghamton University – The Hidden Bias Behind Career Choices and Stuttering

On Binghamton University Week: Stuttering shouldn’t hold someone back, but people who stutter can face biases.Cody Dew, assistant professor in the division of speech and language pathology at the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences, fights against the stereotypes.Cody Dew is a licensed speech-language pathologist and assistant professor in the Division of Speech and Language Pathology at Binghamton University’s Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences. He joined Decker College in August 2021.Dew graduated from the University of Toledo with a Master of Arts degree in May 2020 and also received a certification in advanced intervention in fluency disorders. In 2025, he earned a PhD in Community Research and Action at Binghamton University.Dew has experience serving people who stutter and helps run the Binghamton University Stuttering Clinic. He has published multiple research articles related to the experiences of people who stutter in the workforce and continues to conduct community-engaged research to improve the lives of people who stutter.His teaching and research interests include stuttering, therapeutic interventions, counseling, and social and emotional impacts of disability.Stuttering is often misunderstood to indicate someone is nervous, stressed, or even less-intelligent. But that’s simply not true. Research shows stuttering stems from a neurophysiological difference in the brain that disrupts the motor movements needed for speech.In a recent study, Dr. Rodney Gabel and I asked people to rate how much communication they thought was required for different popular careers, then asked if they would encourage someone who stutters to pursue those careers.Participants were less likely to recommend careers viewed as “high communication,” such as those in law or medicine, and more likely to recommend careers thought to require less talking, like engineering or computer programming.Here’s what surprised us most—even people who personally knew someone who stutters gave the same biased advice. So even close relationships didn’t erase those stereotypes.These beliefs can be really harmful. People who stutter aren’t more anxious, shy, or less intelligent—we just talk differently. Choosing a quieter career is perfectly fine if that’s what someone wants. The issue is being told you shouldn’t go after certain jobs simply because you stutter.My hope is that this research helps people see stuttering for what it is—a different way of speaking—and treat stuttered voices with the same respect as any voice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org