I wanted to become a print journalist because of my ‘heavy tongue’
Senior investigative and current affairs senior NTV reporter Seth Olale has opened up about his struggles with Dysarthria (a motor speech disorder).
Speaking exclusively to Nairobi News, Seth revealed that while in campus, he majored in print journalism because of his heavy tongue.
He knew he would not survive on TV or radio with his speech challenge.
“When I came for an interview I wanted to be a writer, but I was surprised when I was told there is an opportunity in TV. I knew TV wouldn’t work for me because of my heavy tongue,” he said.
Over the years, Seth has turned out to be among the best TV reporters in the country with a vast knowledge in his area of interest.
“This is a disability but remember disability of any form is not in ability. You can actually be the best regardless of your disability so go out there and conquer,” he added.
Dysarthria refers to a speech disorder characterized by poor articulation, phonation, and sometimes respiration. Those afflicted with the condition have speech that is slurred, slow, and difficult.
Dysarthrias are characterized by weakness and often, the abnormal muscle tone of the speech musculature, which moves the lips and tongue.
Dysarthria is caused by damage to brain areas important for the more motor aspects of speech, as opposed to the linguistic aspects. It may also be caused by many different medications, sometimes after only one exposure.