Health Sciences and Human Performance

Helping Us Communicate: Speech and Hearing Clinic in Action

In May 1993, 38-year-old Dale L. was involved in a motor vehicle accident. He suffered traumatic brain injury and physical impairments that included blindness and paralysis. Three days later, he had a stroke. His doctors did not believe he would live.

Fortunately, Dale survived. But after eight months of therapy his insurance coverage ran out. That’s when he began coming to the Sir Alexander Ewing–Ithaca College Speech and Hearing Clinic for speech and language therapy.

Through his hard work and dedication, Dale has been able to redevelop functional communication skills. He is among the clients of the clinic who actively use assistive technology — which includes a variety of devices such as portable computers with voice output — to enhance their ability to communicate when there are physical obstacles to speech. As Dale says, "Speaking is hard. Therapy is great. Thank you!" His mother, Carol, adds, "The progress he’s made has been overwhelming when you think back from when he started in spring 1995."

Dale is one of many clients who regularly attend therapy sessions at the Ewing Clinic. The clinic offers complete diagnostic and therapy services for communication disorders to the Ithaca College community for free, and to the general public for a reasonable fee. Clients might seek intervention for problems resulting from stroke or neurological damage, or for difficulties with language, articulation (speech sound production), or stuttering. Accent modification is another common goal for clients.

In addition to speech-language diagnostics and related therapy, the clinic — which has been operating in some form since 1921 — offers comprehensive audiological services. The audiology clinic continues to be a prime referral site for regional physicians, hospitals, long-term-care facilities, and planned-living facilities. Services offered include hearing evaluations, hearing aid repair, industrial screenings, aural rehabilitation, and hearing conservation.

Each semester 40 to 50 students — juniors, seniors, and graduate students — are engaged in clinical practicum experiences. They get a wide range of clinical experiences, which gives them an edge in what is still considered a "hot job" in today’s professional markets. Clinical assistant professor and clinic director Chris Cecconi points out, "It’s unusual in the field for undergraduates to get such practicum experience. IC students have a real advantage by working with clients in a clinical setting — our programs are positive and comprehensive. We really reflect the mission of the College, doing community-based, collaborative work. We’re just living examples of that."

The Ewing Clinic and the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology take their programs off campus, as well. Current community outreach programs sponsored by the clinic include programs at Oak Hill Manor Skilled Nursing Facility, the Refugee Assistance Program, Kendal at Ithaca, Coddington Day Care, Ithaca Area Child Care, and the Tompkins County Head Start programs in Lansing and McLean. Emily Morin ’99, a first-year graduate student, says, "My clinical experiences at IC have been very rewarding. I worked in an off-campus program at the Dryden Head Start program with four-year-old children. I learned so much and loved it."

Recently the audiology clinic, in collaboration with the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute, equipped a treatment-assessment room at Longview to assist the facility’s hearing-impaired population. Specialized in-house services and outreach clinics are offered at other sites within the community and are considered a key component of the Ewing Clinic’s mission.

Community-based programs provide opportunities for students and faculty to work closely with individuals who represent culturally and economically diverse backgrounds and a range of ages. These programs often focus on prevention of communication disorders or enhancement of existing skills. Sharon Sinn, head teacher of the Rainbow Room at IACC, says, "I really enjoy having the support of others who are so knowledgeable about speech and language. We often have children with needs in those areas, and it is helpful to have input right from the start in working with the children and their parents. Besides, the children really enjoy the program!"

The SLPA department estimates that its student clinicians work with more than 1,350 individuals each year, on campus and off. Whether in one of the regularly scheduled programs or through outreach programs such as hearing health fairs held in local counties, the services provided by the department are making a positive, real difference. Just ask Dale.

Photos by George Sapio