Gathering for a group photo at the American Speech and Hearing Association convention are (from left): Alexandria Visconte, Shirley Smit and Amanda Keppel.
Three students majoring in Communication Disorders and Sciences gained a valuable professional development experience at the 2023 American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) convention.
Amanda Keppel, a senior, from Clarence, NY; Shirley Smit, junior, from Hopewell, NY; and Alexandria Visconte, junior, from Penfield, NY, networked with speech-language pathologists, participated in National Student Speech, Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA) student programming and served as volunteers at the convention held Nov. 16-18 in Boston, MA.
Students were given the opportunity to administer – some for their first time – a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) that’s used to assess how well someone is able to swallow. In this procedure, an endoscope – a thin, flexible tube equipped with a tiny camera and light – is passed through the nose so parts of the throat can be viewed when swallowing.
“This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the students truly felt inspired to ignite innovation in our field of speech-language pathology, beginning even as students.” - Shirley Smit
A FEES procedure can help assess if there are problems when food and liquid pass through the throat.
Students also met Nyle Dimarco, a celebrity, actor and an advocate for the deaf who has broken down barriers.
“It was a great professional development experience and I was able to network with professionals and learn from them,” Ms. Keppel said. “I was able to try things out such as an eye gaze Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) device and perform an endoscopic exam, two things that I wouldn't have been able to experience without going to the convention.”
Ms. Visconte indicated the conference provided a great experience by placing attendees into the professional world of speech-language pathology as undergraduate students and allowing them to see what’s available in the field. “I made connections with professionals and other students around the country, including one from my hometown,” she noted.
Smit attended a session that addressed access and advocacy for deaf and hard of hearing students that allowed her to listen to perspectives of professionals and students on the current dynamic of the deaf community and public education.
“This connected perfectly with Nyle Dimarco's speech about his experience as a deaf student. I was thrilled to hear about the positive changes that are happening within the education and speech-language pathology fields for the deaf community, and I am excited to be part of that change," Smit said.
“This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Smit added, “and the students truly felt inspired to ignite innovation in our field of speech-language pathology, beginning even as students.”
Smit was also awarded the $500 NSSLHA Undergraduate Scholarship.
Travel funding for the conference was provided by the campus Office of Student Creativity and Research (OSCAR).
The SUNY Fredonia trio are members of the NSSLHA Fredonia chapter.
