Everyone Deserves a Voice. by Jackie

Everyone Deserves a Voice. by Jackie - August 2018 Scholarship Essay

If I had an education podcast, it would revolve around the topic of communication sciences and disorders. As a graduate student in the Speech-Language Pathology master’s program at Western Michigan University, I feel strongly about advocating and educating the public on behalf of communication-vulnerable individuals. What many people don’t know is that this field in which our scope of practice includes more than just “speech therapy,” and our clientele is not just made up of kids. It is a very broad field in today’s world, and professionals in this field serve individuals across nine domains, including speech and language, cognition, social aspects, alternative communication modalities, hearing, voice, swallowing, and fluency. Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) services are provided to individuals of all ages, including newborn infants in the NICU who have feeding disorders, middle-aged adults who have suffered a stroke, and elderly patients with Dementia or other degenerative diseases.

My podcast would include episodes with various subtopics, including the history of how speech therapy, as it was historically known, has evolved into speech-language pathology, as well as episodes on each one of the “big nine” domains. Episodes would include rich descriptions of how speech-language pathologists provide services to individuals in different populations, including assessment, intervention, and how to work with clients and their families. SLPs are often considered “home base” to their clients because they follow their patients throughout an entire disease process, as is often seen when working with older adults. Counseling is a big aspect of this profession, especially when working with patients who need end-of-life care after battling with a progressive disease such as Parkinson’s disease or Dementia.

There are many aspects to this field that a common lay person does not know about. My podcast would seek to educate the public on the various domains in this profession and to advocate on behalf of communication-vulnerable individuals. It is so important that family members and caregivers understand how to take care of their loved ones who are suffering from a communication disorder of any kind. Everyone deserves a voice.