What Exactly Does ‘ Access to the Curriculum ’ Mean?

Editor’s note: This post is the response to a question posed to Marie Ireland about her recent ASHA Leader feature on how audiologists and speech-language pathologists can and should advocate for their professions. Question from Kathleen Reagan, MA, CCC-SLP: I just read your article in the ASHA Leader titled “Our Voices are Powerful.” I am curious about one thing you mentioned. In the paragraph after SLP shortages, you say, “students must have a documented impairment, as well as a lack of access to the curriculum.” What would that lack of access look like? How do we know a student has a lack of access to a curriculum? How do we know who does and who doesn’t have access? Let me tell you why I am asking. I’m sure my reason will not be unfamiliar to you. Caseloads must be managed. I want to learn more about dismissal criteria, as well as hone my understanding of various service models. Gaining access to the curriculum could be a factor in dismissal of students on my caseload. I am sure, if you have worked in public schools, you already understand why this is such an important topic for SLPs. However—in my opinion—it receives short shrift from most quarters. It seems like a “nuclear topic” that people speak about in hushed tones, as if we should not want to bring caseloads into reasonable levels. Thank you for any clarification. I enjoyed the article. Answer from Marie Ireland, MEd, CCC-SLP, specialist for speech-language pat...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Advocacy Speech-Language Pathology Schools Source Type: blogs