In ASHA’s 2007 Governance Restructure Plan (LC 1-2007), ASHA’s leadership was reconfigured and its Legislative Council (per its own vote) was ended. ASHA established its Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council and its Audiology Advisory Council to serve in an advisory capacity to the ASHA Board of Directors (BOD). The BOD has 15 members and is the single governing body of ASHA. The two advisory councils, each composed of 53 elected members, were created to identify and discuss the critical and/or emergent issues of concern to Association members and to the two professions. The information and/or recommendations provided by the Advisory Councils are used by the BOD to help inform decisions regarding the programs and services that should be provided for members and supported by Association resources. ASHA’s Advisory Councils may be thought of as standing focus groups. ASHA’s Advisory Councils provide valuable information on how groups of people think or feel about a particular topic, provide a way to evaluate existing Association programs, and help improve the planning and design of new programs. (For more information, read the Advisory Council FAQS, ASHA, 2009.)
On March 18-21, 2010, ASHA Advisory Councils met in Rockville, Maryland. Prior to Advisory Council meetings, councilors attended a Capitol Hill Briefing and Advocacy Training before their scheduled Capitol Hill visits with their states’ legislators and senators on March 19. Capitol Hill was brimming with activity, since the House vote on health care reform was eminent. Jeanne Wilcox, Ph.D. and ASHA VP for Accreditation in SLP, and Laurene Flitner, ASHA Advisory Council representative, attended meetings with staff of Arizona’s legislators. During their legislative visits, councilors advocated and requested support for a number of bills important to Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists, including:
- Repeal of the Medicare Outpatient Therapy Caps;
- Recognition under Medicare law of the full scope of services provided by Audiologists (diagnostic and rehabilitative services);
- Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit;
- Inclusion of Speech-Language Pathologists in the Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) act;
- Re-authorization of funding for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program; and
- Medicare Telehealth Coverage for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology services.
Advisory Councils: Thinking Strategically and Creatively! ASHA Responds!
During the Advisory Council meeting in March, councilors provided feedback to ASHA on a wide variety of topics. Council discussions, and some forthcoming BOD actions, included the following:
- Feedback on ASHA’s financial issues and budget
- BOD Action: Retained current dues structure for 2011 with no dues increase
- Increase members’ awareness of the requirements for Certification Maintenance and ASHA web-based infrastructure supports
- BOD Action: Placed link for certification maintenance on each ASHA member’s ‘my account’ and explored an automatic pass through for members meeting continuing education requirements, as recorded in the CE registry
- Input on eligibility criteria for ASHA associate membership for Support Personnel in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (approved August, 2009)
- BOD Action: Ongoing. (AZ Note: Arizona is one of 26 states that recognize SLP Assistants and one of 11 states offering training programs for them.)
- Increasing voter participation in ASHA elections
- BOD Action: A variety of efforts resulting in a 57% increase in 2010, over 2009
- Support of ASHA practitioners whose impairments (e.g. substance abuse) affect their provision of services;
- BOD Action: Incorporated the issue of ‘practitioners with impairments' into ethics education as part of a convention presentation in Philadelphia, as well as proceeded with other ideas related to balancing professional support and consumer protection.
- Restructuring of ASHA’s special interest divisions
- Work-setting issues regarding encroachment & role-ambiguity for SLPs
Being proactive … the future is on its way!
Since the spring meeting, the 2010 ASHA Advisory Councils have provided feedback and recommendations on 15 relevant strategic planning trends for our professions, as first identified by the 2009 Advisory Councils from a document entitled: Designing Your Future: Key Trends, Challenges, and Choices Facing Association and Nonprofit Leaders ( American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership, 2008).
- Baby Boomer retirement and unretirement; talent shortages
- Generation Y (Millennials): digital, “civic,” and connected
- Redefining work–life balance
- Education falling behind employers’ expectations
- Increasing political and economic impact of diversity—minorities now one third of the U.S. population—and future U.S. growth fueled by rising immigration
- Rising life expectancy, aging global populations
- Funding and chronic diseases shaping health care challenges
- Growing popularity of online education relative to that of classroom-based courses
- Internet continues transforming government, governance, and business
- Social media explosion creating new approaches for engagement, communication, publishing and marketing
- Growing financial market risks and uncertainty
- Rising U.S personal and federal indebtedness; Changing patterns of U.S. income, wealth and savings
- Global talent shortages increasing with economic growth; Uneven economic growth
- Diminishing U.S. political influence internationally; Changing patterns of global governance; Growing influence of non-state actors
- Global consumption patterns challenge earth's resource capacity
Thank you!
ASHA’s Board of Directors (BOD) encourages feedback and direct contact with the BOD regarding issues impacting the professions. Access the BOD by using “In Touch” at: www.asha.org/about/governance/membersintouch.htm
Arizona ASHA Advisory Council members are Laurene Flitner, SLP (flitner@cox.net) and Lylis Olsen, Audiology (lylisolsen@msn.com). Thank you for giving us the privilege of participating at this level of our professional association.
Respectfully submitted,
Laurene Flitner, CCC-SLP
Lylis Olsen, CCC-A
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