In spite of COVID regulations, ACU’s National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association, or NSSLHA, chapter announced its plans to safely participate in ASHA National Student Advocacy Day. 

The goal of the Student Advocacy Day is to allow CSD students and professionals to advocate for themselves and their careers to the state and national government.

NSSLHA’S vice president Natalie Neill, senior communication sciences and disorders major from Abilene, said that students will receive a link on Thursday and fill out a form. These forms will be collected and sent to congress members. This form can also be found on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s website. 

Students and clinicians across the country will send in these forms, joining forces in a COVID-19 compliant way. Every person can know that they are making a difference. 

“It’s to let them know about laws or bills that are important to us as communication disorders students,” Neill said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to begin to advocate for themselves and their careers.” 

According to NSSLHA’s president Celeste Olivares, senior communication sciences and disorders major from Flatonia, NSSLHA representatives will also be spending a couple of minutes in several CSD classes Thursday.

“ACU’s chapter will be asking that each CSD professor allot 10 minutes of their lecture so that students have the opportunity to fill out the form,” Olivares said. “Doing this will allow our chapter to work towards receiving Gold Honors.”

ACU’s NSSLHA chapter was recently awarded the 2020 Gold Chapter Honors. Neill says that participating in the Student Advocacy Day and other NSSLHA programs allow students to get involved and connect to other communication sciences and disorders majors. 

“It is easy to join and a great way to learn about and get advice about being a speech pathologist or audiologist while you’re in college,” Neill said. 

For more information on the event or NSSLHA, follow the ACU Speech Pathology on Instagram.