OSHA Convenes for Legislative Updates, Continuing Education, and Technology Awareness

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Over 350 speech-language pathologists and audiologists from all over the state of Oklahoma convened at the Moore Norman Technology Center in Oklahoma City on October 6 and 7 to explore their convention theme of “Technology & Therapeutic Advances in Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology.” Sponsored by the Oklahoma Speech-Language-Hearing Association (OSHA), the annual convention opened with keynote speaker Dr. Janet Barresi, Superintendent of Public Instruction , Oklahoma State Department of Education.  A former speech-language pathologist, Dr. Barresi reviewed her three R’s of education: rethink, restructure, and reform, stressing that speech-language pathologists have an active role in the foundation of the educational success of Oklahoma’s students.

Invited speaker, Janet Deppe, Director of State Advocacy for the American Speech-Language Hearing
Association (ASHA), shared national-level information on the training, use, and supervision of speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs).. She reported that ASHA recommends SLPAs receive direct supervision by their supervising speech-language pathologists (SLPs) for 10% weekly and 20% indirect supervision weekly , and that SLPs have two years of experience of the job prior to being assigned an SLPA. 

Oklahoma has begun a training program for SLPAs at Oklahoma City Community College. The two-year training program results in an associate’s degree with clinical experience.  Mona Ryan, OSHA Chair for Governmental Regulations, reported that the program has 22 enrolled students and that Dr. Kathy Wheat is the Program Director.

OSHA met for its annual business meeting on Friday morning recognizing Ms. Mona Ryan and Mr. Zane LaCroix who will be receiving ASHA’s Fellowship of the Association awards at the upcoming November national convention in San Diego. Ms. Sarah Baker was awarded the Gwen Casey Award for her excellence in clinical practice. Ms. Tracy Grammer was awarded OSHA’s Honors of the Association for her contributions both to OSHA and to her profession as a medical SLP. Ms. Susan Garrett, University of Tulsa, and Ms. Ashley Jain, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, were awarded OSHA scholarships to continue their graduate studies. Business presented included the continuing efforts of the Governmental Regulations Committee and Schools Issues Committee to meet with state officials on behalf of school-based clinicians in the obtaining of the bonuses which were not fully funded recently due to monetary shortfalls. Dr. Susan Benson, OSHA president, stressed that membership in the organization affords officers and committee members the ability to travel the state, attend conferences, and meet with legislators to lobby for professional concerns.

The convention featured seminars in all areas of communication disorders including the use of computer applications in speech therapy, collaboration with other medical or educational professionals, new approaches to management of disorders from articulation to traumatic brain injury.  Audiology issues included marketing audiologists in private practice and the profession as a whole, and discussions surrounding best practice protocols for fitting hearing aids.
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The mission of OSHA is to support audiologists and speech-language pathologists by providing resources, information, and professional development opportunities, and by advocating for the highest professional standards, legislation and regulation necessary for members to provide quality care for individuals with communication, hearing, balance, and swallowing disorders. Information regarding OSHA membership is available at www.oslha.org.

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