ArSHA is proud to advocate for individuals with complex communication needs. In August, we sent a letter expressing concern regarding how the state is handling the AAC crisis. You can read more about that by searching ArSHA’s blog. Click on the link below to see the official response ArSHA received from DDD. We will continue
We are not so different. The proof is in the pudding. As a school-based SLP, I have worked for over 23 years to promote student success through communication skills. I have been perhaps one of many who tended to think, “I am not a medical SLP.” But then ArSHA happened to me. Membership and involvement
Last summer, I had the opportunity to spend 6 weeks in Quito, Ecuador, participating in a graduate program for Speech-Language Pathologists and graduate students that focused on cultural and linguistic diversity in the field of speech-language pathology. Before we left and throughout our stay, we completed journal entries and responded to discussion prompts. I hadn’t
A Quiet Crisis: Quarter Two AAC Update- by the ArSHA AAC Committee If you read the previous AAC Update from February, found here, then you know that just as the rest of the world was beginning to horde toilet paper and self-quarantine due to COVID-19, hundreds of special needs individuals and families in Arizona were
The senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery and the numerous other unjust Black killings have left us all grieving, but none more than the Black community. The Arizona Speech-Language-Hearing Association stands in solidarity with our Black colleagues, clients, patients, students and Black community at large. It is devastating that it took
Have you recovered? I have not. And I hope I don’t. This period of social distance and veritable shut down has provided an opportunity to reflect on how and why we connect as people, one to another. Thankfully our human communication skills include basic literacy which is easier to send and receive than ever before.
Please enjoy this rousing tune while you read, from your ArSHA family. COVID-19 has certainly led to tremendous changes to life as we know it. Whether you have some unexpected vacation time or are navigating the unchartered territory of working from home, the career you’ve grown accustomed to suddenly looks quite different. Whatever your
Dear Arizona SLPs and Audiologists: The following is the collected effort of our Committee Chairs. At ArSHA we are closely following the growing buzz around services provided to our clients, patients, and students during this unprecedented time of challenge. We wish to caution you as we offer the following, that we are not a policy
On February 26th 2020, Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest (ACLPI) sent a follow up letter to AHCCCS to cite continued concerns over changes in policy and procedures in Arizona’s Department of Economic Security/ Department of Developmental Disabilities (DES/DDD) Augmentative Communication Unit. ACLPI’s most prominent concerns included failure to comply with federal and
The following information is brought to us by our ArSHA AAC Committee. On January 16th, the Arizona Center for Disability Law (ACDL) and Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest (ACLPI), sent communication to the Department of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) and AHCCCS citing their concerns about Arizona’s AAC evaluation and training program funded through
