Inaugural Poet, Amanda Gorman, Overcame Her Own Speech Difficulties

Amanda Gorman reciting her inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb”. Photo from PBS.Org

On January 20th, 2021, Amanda Gorman moved the nation with her Inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb”. As she recited her verses of unity, inspiration, healing and growth, Amanda made a name for herself. Even though she was already a Harvard graduate and America’s first national youth poet laureate, Amanda is now a household name because of her extraordinary talent. However, Amanda had her own hill to climb.

At a young age, Amanda was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder and articulation weaknesses. An auditory processing disorder, also referred to as central auditory processing disorder, is when the brain and hearing mechanism cannot coordinate properly to process speech sounds. This can be especially challenging in noisy environments or when words or speech sounds are very similar. An auditory processing disorder can impact spoken language comprehension and ultimately academic success. Amanda also reported a lifelong struggle with correctly producing the /r/ and /sh/ sounds when speaking.

Amanda most likely received speech/language therapy since her diagnoses; she reported that even as an adult, she continued to do her own work to strengthen her articulation. Amanda’s story is an example of the amazing talents people possess, whether they have a speech/language difficulty or other type of challenge. Speech therapy was one support system in Amanda’s life that helped her unlock her potential and “soar” to the heights she reached at president Biden’s inauguration.