So here's something you likely don't know about me. I couldn't speak properly as a child, my speech disability was severe.

/1 https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1296864641491116032

My parents didn't cope well with it. They decided I was broken and wouldn't amount to much.

/2

Growing up it was hard to learn normal social skills. Trying to express emotions let alone words was nearly impossible.

/3

Turns out I wasn't an idiot. Turns out I just couldn't say the words that demonstrate learning and intellect in the classroom setting.

/4

My stutter was so bad that even at the age of 18 I couldn't talk to strangers.

/5

I was kicked out home at 18. It was a violent and coercive environment anyway, and once I was away from the toxic elements in my life I was able to begin the work to learn to speak.

/6

It took about a decade to see real change. It's a slow process. You have to learn new skills and you have to rewire your brain. It's not unlike recovering from a stroke.

/7

Every decade since I've faced new challenges. When you overcome a obstacle you get stronger. Not so much when you fail.

/8

Every single day it's a challenge that's with me. Most days I cope pretty good, much better than when I was a kid. Some days I do not and within seconds I'm back to being a broken teenager who's parents have up on.

/9

Joe Biden faces this every day too. You don't stop having a speech disability, you just get better at dealing with it. Joe is working overtime to keep fluent, like a duck paddling against the current.

/10

Speech impediments and stuttering is a weird obstacle to grow up with. You normal to the world, until you start taking. Or trying to. Then suddenly there's a wall between you and the world.

/11

I never imagined that "someone like me" could be President of the United States. You discount your own potential from a very early age. You count yourself out.

/12

There a reason Joe Biden has so much compassion. He knows what it's like to be treated differently, to be discounted, to be sidelined.

That's pretty rare for a white dude.

/13

As a side note, let me also say how powerful the internet is for people with a speech disability.

These little packets of words flung into Twitter allow me to have a voice. In ways that a 15 year old me did not. You can't imagine how that makes me feel.

/14

For all the things that are fkd up on social media, giving a voice to those who do not have one is just remarkable. A chance to engage, connect, learn, share and grow.

/15

This becomes even more important when you lack parents who are capable of being parents. Twitter is not just people screaming, it's people connecting and caring. It really really is.

/16

I've seen first hand here what it looks like to be a good parent. I see so many great parents who struggle and push and work so hard to help their kids overcome whatever challenges stand in their way. It's wonderful to see.

/17

I wonder how many kids out there with a speech disability today are getting a chance to see themselves as full of potential. Seeing that they could have a future. Maybe even to be President.

That's pretty amazing. Thanks @JoeBiden.

/18

One more tweet for this thread, another thread with a lot of interesting reading. Thanks to @latifnasser for this link: https://twitter.com/Barry_Yeoman/status/1296752861649526787?s=19