ASHA Voices

Hear two conversations about working and studying outside the United States in communication sciences and disorders.

Audiologist/SLP Mershen Pillay from Massey University in New Zealand and audiologist Ishara Ramkissoon from Gallaudet University join the podcast. They discuss a service-learning trip they designed for students from the U.S. traveling to South Africa, and share what the experience revealed about the differences between the community and medical models of health care.

Plus, Chisomo Selemani’s life and work straddle the U.S. and Zambia. The Baldwin Wallace University CSD faculty member shares insights from managing a study-abroad program, and offers questions you might want to ask yourself before working or studying internationally.

This episode was produced in collaboration with ASHA’s International Issues Board and Special Interest Group 17, Global Issues in Communication Sciences and Related Disorders.

Researchers are still learning about the effects and path to recovery for those with “long COVID”—a lingering, often-grueling condition following COVID-19 infection, with symptoms that can include fatigue, loss of taste and smell, lingering fevers, and brain fog.

SLP Julie Sullivan is the first point of contact for long COVID patients at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital COVID Recovery Center. She joins the podcast to share what she’s learning about this stubborn fallout from COVID-19.

And people with the condition discuss the baffling symptoms affecting their lives.

This conversation was originally published in April 2022.

From University of Pittsburgh, audiologist Elaine Mormer and pharmacist Lucas Berenbrok say over-the-counter hearing aids could create new opportunities for both professions. They say it’s important for pharmacists to be able to spot hearing health “red flags.” Find out why, and how that help spurs more referrals to audiologists.

Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids are now available for purchase without a prescription, but the implications of this change for audiologists and the public is just beginning to play out.

Audiologist and researcher Marcia Hay-McCutcheon is asking questions about what these devices might mean for people living in rural areas with no audiology services, and she’s taking those questions on the road. She’ll be conducting her research from a 40-foot long, 33,000-pound mobile clinic, part of the Hear Here Alabama Project.

Read the transcript at on.asha.org/podcast

Meet two audiologists who use their clinics on wheels to reach people who have unaddressed hearing loss. From designing their space to finding their clients, these audiologists tell us what it’s like to run a business and serve patients on the road.

Look for the transcript for this episode online at on.asha.org/podcast

People with disabilities affecting speech, language, and voice are at higher risk for avoidable health care errors and negative health care outcomes, says SLP Megan Morris, a faculty member at the University of Colorado. Her work addresses health care disparities experienced by people with disabilities and disabilities related to communication.

She discusses the role that CSD professionals play in reducing barriers associated with health care disparities for people with disabilities—particularly disabilities affecting communication.

Look for the transcript for this episode online at on.asha.org/podcast

We all speak in different dialects. Today’s guest, John Baugh, provides history and context for those differences in the way we speak in the U.S., and explores their effects.

Baugh, president of the Linguistic Society of America, shares how dialect can be used to discriminate against people, which he refers to as linguistic profiling. Baugh explains how linguistic profiling can affect all facets of people's lives, from apartment leasing to legal proceedings. He also describes his experiences acting as an expert witness in court.

SLP Emily Kornman discusses her work as a part of Team Gleason, a nonprofit supporting people with ALS. When ALS erodes someone’s ability to speak, many turn to augmentative and alternative communication, or AAC, to find their voice. Kornman discusses her work with AAC devices and voice and message banking.

Plus, we’ll hear a first-hand account from a family Kornman assisted with message banking in her work for Team Gleason.

This episode was produced in anticipation of the 2022 ASHA Convention, where Team Gleason founders Steve Gleason and his wife, Michel, will be honored with the Annie Glenn Award.

Audiologist Laura Coco and otologist Carrie Nieman join the podcast to preview their talks at the Research Symposium on Hearing, part of the 2022 ASHA Convention in November.

The two focus on health care disparities and access issues, sharing innovative ways to meet hearing care needs—including the use of community health workers. Both researchers look at how these trusted community members can help clinicians close the hearing health gap.

If you’ve ever looked at someone else and thought, “How do I get that job?”—this episode is for you. ASHA Voices is bringing you three SLPs' accounts of moving from something familiar to something new.

These SLPs took a risk or made a move, and their careers haven't been the same since. They tell how they’re applying their CSD skills and knowledge to entirely new challenges.