Disorders of consciousness, often associated with brain injuries, vary in severity and can include patients who are unresponsive or experiencing confusion. What comes next for these patients and their families and care partners can be a long, emotionally difficult journey through uncertainty.

SLP Emily Silverberg of Spaulding Rehabilitation shares her insights from treating patients all along the disorders of consciousness spectrum. She explains how SLPs look for subtle signs of responsiveness. And she shares one unusual story that demonstrates the role families and care partners can play in this treatment.

Learn More:

• ASHA Evidence Map: Disorders of Consciousness
• ASHA Voices: Isolation, Frustration, and What Follows a Brain Injury
• How TBI Presents Differently in Children Under Age 4

Transcript

Two SLPs share how they arrived where they are today and what they learned along the way.

First, Kelly Peña (Rutgers University/former president of ASHA’s Hispanic Caucus) shares a story of the people who brought her into the profession and what she’s passing on to the next generation of multilingual practitioners.

Later in the episode, hear from Anusha Sundarrajan (San Francisco State University/president of the South Asian Caucus of ASHA). When her colleague suggested Anusha open a gender-affirming voice clinic, it sparked a change that’s been a part of Anusha’s career for more than half a decade.

Learn More:

• ASHA Voices: Career Origin Stories – Multilingual Service Providers
• ASHA Voices: What Role Can Supervisors Play in Addressing Microaggressions?
• ASHA Voices: Three SLPs Step Off the Beaten Career Path into New Ventures

In our second episode recognizing Disability Pride Month and the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Eileen Nordmeyer shares a personal story about the influence of disability on her career.

Nordmeyer has worked in many different settings and practiced as a speech-language pathologist for more than 30 years. When her son was born with a genetic disorder, it changed the way she viewed service delivery. She shares her insights.

Learn More:

• ASHA Voices: Recognizing ADA at 35 With Personal Stories of Disability Advocacy
• Speech-Language Pathology in Schools: Medical, Educational, or Both?
• Establishing Rapport With Clients … With a Disability

Transcript

In recognition of Disability Pride Month and the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, two CSD professionals share personal stories of disability advocacy.

Angela Evenich—who has previously written about the influence of cerebral palsy on her career as a speech-language pathologist—discusses the people and ideas that have changed her perspective on disability.

Then, audiologist Jasmine Simmons tells us about her book series on Usher syndrome. Simmons herself has Usher syndrome. And like Simmons, the protagonist of her first book, “Extraordinary Jordyn and Her Bionic Ears,” has a cochlear implant.

Learn More:

• ASHA Voices: Creating ‘Ramps’ to Communication Access in Health Care
• Imagine True Inclusion: Defining the Social Model of Disability
• An SLP Starts a Nonprofit to Provide Disability Support Internationally
• From My Perspective/Opinion: SLP Views Ableism and Accessibility, Not Her Cerebral Palsy, as Real Career Barriers

Transcript

SLPs Meg Lico and Kaitlin Hanley from NYU Langone Health share their story of working with Aaron James, the recipient of what’s being called as the first ever full-eye and partial-face transplant. They describe how they worked with James to reach his goals, such as eating solid foods with his family.

Central to the story is their collaboration and the interdepartmental communication that made success possible. The SLPs provide details about approaching this unique case, as well as their victories, memorable moments, and the emotions they had along the way.

At the end of the conversation, hear from James and his wife Meagan.

(This conversation was originally published in February 2024.)

Learn More:

• Swallowing Function After Pioneering Partial Face and Whole Eye Transplant: Clinical Insights
• Facing the Unknown: An SLP treated a patient before and after his facial transplant surgery.
• Changes in Articulatory Control Pre– and Post–Facial Transplant: A Case Report
• The Effects of Lip-Closure Exercise on Lip Strength and Function Following Full Facial Transplantation: A Case Report

Transcript

When people with cancer are treated with ototoxic drugs and interventions, they may experience hearing loss and tinnitus. The audiologist's role in addressing the needs of cancer patients can be critical to fostering awareness and preventing hearing loss.

On this podcast, a panel of three audiologists discuss the services they deliver, the interprofessional collaboration at the heart of their care, and what counseling can offer at a time of uncertainty for a patient.

Plus, one of our guests shares a personal story of cancer survival and hearing loss.

Learn more:

• ASHA Voices: Audiologists Take on Ototoxicity  
• A Communication Lifeline for Hospitalized Children
• ASHA Voices: What to Know About Opioids and Hearing Loss
• What's New in Ototoxicity Management?

Transcript

As we approach graduation season, we’re turning our attention to speech-language pathologists’ role in helping students move from high school to the next phase of their lives.

Twyla Perryman-Brownlow (University of West Georgia) shares ways SLPs can equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to navigate a meaningful transition to whatever comes next—such as employment, trade school, or college.

Learn More:

• Postsecondary Transition Planning
• Charting Paths: Supporting the Journey Beyond High School
• ASHA Voices: Embracing Your Students’ Strengths—and Your Own
• School-based SLPs: Here’s a Virtual “Backpack” of School Resources
• The Road Ahead: Postsecondary Transition Planning for Adolescents - ASHA Stream

Transcript

SLP Derek Daniels says stigmatizing actions, like imitating stuttering, can lead people who stutter to remove themselves from opportunities and create a diminished quality of life. Daniels unpacks an example from his own life to give a glimpse into three different ways people can experience stigma. He shares how SLPs can address stigma in their work, and later in the episode, discusses his research into the intersectional ways people experience stigma.

(This conversation was originally published in May 2024.)

Learn More:

• Toward Stutter-Affirming Therapy
• Raising Stuttering Awareness and Reducing Stigma: A Collection
• ASHA Practice Portal: Stuttering, Cluttering, and Fluency
• ASHA Special Interest Group 4: Fluency and Fluency Disorders
• ASHA Condemns Public Mockery of Stuttering

Transcript

As a podcast host, husband, and occasional stand-up comedian, Jules Rodriquez uses his voice in many ways. But as a person with ALS, Rodriquez knew intonation was going to be a challenge until he tapped into the use of artificial intelligence.

On this episode of the podcast, a panel of guests—including Rodriquez—discusses how AI and voice-cloning technology are changing the way AAC users communicate. Hear how the technology replicates his voice and accounts for control over prosody and inflection, allowing him to demonstrate his individuality and personality.

Guests share how this technology affects Rodriquez’s life and relationships. Plus, he shares what he wants speech-language pathologists to know about voice cloning.

Learn More:

•              ASHA Voices: What Message-Banking Offers People With ALS

•              ASHA Voices: Why Some Autistic People Choose AAC and Oral Speech

•              From My Perspective/Opinion: Beyond Words: How Code-Switching in AAC Reflects Social and Cultural Nuance

Transcript

Support for this episode of ASHA Voices comes from Zanda.

AAC users and their families stand to benefit from preparing for natural disasters—like a hurricane, or the recent fires that spread through parts of Los Angeles.

On the podcast, two SLPs discuss disaster preparedness, specifically what this means for people who use AAC devices and their care partners. They discuss how SLPs can help AAC users be ready to navigate the unexpected.

And hear a personal story from the mother of an AAC user. She has a message to share about her experience preparing for a potential evacuation during the LA fires.

Learn More:

• Resources for Members Affected by the LA Fires—And Other Disasters
• Hurricane Preparedness: Tips for People Who Use Hearing Aids, Assistive Communication Devices
• Helping People With Aphasia Prepare for an Emergency
• USSAAC: Disaster Relief