EPISODE 255 ÒMD: Okay, so continuing this gratitude journey, I will be completely honest. I am encountering a professional frustration that you canÕt see me but itÕs got my IRA up and my eyebrow, despite getting Botox refreshed this week but I am grateful for this frustration because it allows me to reach out to my council of elders, my mentors, the individuals that will help guide me through this to come to peace on the other side and yaÕll, thatÕs what todayÕs episode is about. There are frustrations that we will encounter professionally, racism, sexism, ableism, to name a few, and there is hope in this world for improvement. So I hope you enjoy todayÕs episode. Feel free to put a prayer on working through our trials so that we can maybe not walk in a valley but find you a mountaintop, all right?Ó [INTRODUCTION] [0:01:19.6] MD: Hi folks and welcome to First Bite, Fed, Fun, and Functional, a speech therapy podcast sponsored by Speechtherapypd.com. I am your host on this nerd venture, Michelle Dawson MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, the all-things PEDs SLP. I am a colleague in the trenches of home health and early intervention right there with you. I run my own private practice, HeartWood Speech Therapy, here in Cola Town, South Carolina and I guest lecture nationwide on best practices for early intervention for the medically complex infant and children. First BiteÕs mission is short and sweet, to bring light, hope, knowledge, and joy to the pediatric clinician, parent, or advocate. [0:02:06.7] EF: By way of a nerdy conversation, so thereÕs plenty of laughter too. In this podcast, we cover everything from AAC to breastfeeding. [0:02:15.7] MD: Ethics on how to run a private practice. Pediatric dysphasia to clinical supervision. [0:02:21.2] EF: And all other topics in the world of pediatric speech pathology. Our goal is to bring evidence-based practice straight to you by interviewing subject matter experts. [0:02:30.9] MD: To break down the communication barriers so that we can access the knowledge of their fields. [0:02:36.1] EF: Or as a close friend says, to build the bridge. [0:02:39.6] MD: By bringing other professionals and experts in our field together, we hope to spark advocacy, joy, and passion for continuing to grow and advance care for our little ones. [0:02:50.7] EF: Every fourth episode, I join in. IÕm Erin Forward, MSP, CCC-SLP. The Yankee by way of Rochester, New York transplant who actually inspired this journey. I bring a different perspective that of a new-ish clinician with experience in early intervention, pediatric acute care, and non-profit pediatric outpatient settings. [0:03:11.7] MD: So sit back, relax, and watch out for all hearthÕs growth, and enjoy this geeky gig brought to you by speechtherapypd.com. [DISCLAIMER] [0:03:25.9] MD: Hey, this is Michelle Dawson and I need to update my disclosure statements. So my nonfinancial disclosures, I actively volunteer with Feeding Matters, National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders, NFOSD, Dysphasia Outreach Project, DOP. I am a former treasurer with the Council Estate Association Presidency, CESAP. A past president of the South Carolina Speech Language and Hearing Association, SCSHA, a current board of trustee member with the Communication Disorders Foundation of Virginia, and I am a current member of ASHA, ASHA SIG 13, SCSHA, The Speech Language Hearing Association of Virginia, SHAV, a member of The National Black Speech Language Hearing Association, NBASLHA, and Dysphasia Research Society, DRS. Additionally, I volunteer with ASHA as the topic chair for the Pediatric Feeding Disorder Planning Committee for the ASHA 2023 Convention in Boston and I hope you make it out there. My financial disclosures include receiving compensation for First Bite Podcast from speechtherapypd.com, as well as from additional webinars, and for webinars associated with understanding dysphasia, which is also a podcast with speechtherapypd.com. And I currently receive a salary from the University of South Carolina in my work as adjunct professor and Student Services Coordinator and I receive royalties from the sale of my book, Chasing the Swallow: Truth, Science, and Hope for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders, as well as compensation for the CEUs associated with it from speechtherapypd.com. So those are my current disclosure statements. Thanks, guys. The views and opinions expressed in todayÕs podcast do not reflect the organizationÕs associated with the speakers and are their views and opinions solely. [INTERVIEW] [0:05:31.7] MD: All right, everybody, I have a special episode. I know, this month of September is the Erin and Karen takeover for Ð interprofessional education for interprofessional practice but I was so excited about our guest today that I squeezed her into the lineup, so huzzah for that. So todayÕs guest, I am hoping that you have read this article. If you havenÕt, IÕm going to go ahead and it will be hyperlinked into the show notes. I think thatÕs the way that we use hyper link, I donÕt know, UNI will make me cool. But I have none other than Dr. Dani Scott, who recently wrote, Pathway to Dismantling Systemic Racism in CSD. She is with the Minnesota State University. You can find her article within the ASHA later and IÕve kind of like, fangirled her for a while on social media, and then I said hi and you know those kind of things through social media, and then when I saw her out in NBASLH, I was like, ÒMichelle, donÕt be awkwardÓ but like I do. I have social anxiety and so, I am a little awkward like a turtle and I like, you know, got my courage up and I went up and I went up and I said, ÒHi.Ó So huzzah, she said hello back, and here she is. So Dr. Scott, thank you so much for coming on. [0:06:52.1] DS: Of course, and I thank you for, you know, speaking to me out in NBASLH because I just loved your energy and then I got to learn about this podcast. I didnÕt know about it before but I think itÕs absolutely incredible. So IÕm so grateful to be here. Thank you for connecting. [0:07:07.2] MD: Thank you, yes, and folks, this woman is Ð she is a powerhouse in the world of DEI and in changing our profession and moving it forward. So I am incredibly humbled to be able to hold this conversation with her, and this is Ð weÕre going to talk about hard things, and I am aware that some of you that are listening find this uncomfortable. Trust me, I have been there. I go there but we have to sit in the uncomfortable to grow and move forward because our profession needs to be a reflection of the beautiful tapestry that is the world. So there is my opener to go there with us but Dr. Dani, as with all things, I like to get the backstory on all of our guests. So how did you hear about the world of speech pathology and how did you get into it and then what did you study for your Ph.D.? I know thatÕs like a string of questions [inaudible 0:08:18.5] but I love all of these things. [0:08:19.2] DS: Yes, okay. So IÕll start. I started as a psychology major, an undergrad so I went to Spellman College, which is a historically black college for women, the number one HBCU, BTW, if you didnÕt know and so I had a wonderful experience there and I was a psychology major because itÕs a liberal arts institution. So there is no speech-language pathology. I was double majoring in psychology in comparative women studies and so during my time there, I was like, ÒI think I want to be a womenÕs counselor.Ó But then I kept really getting interested in like, education and thatÕs kind of Ð I always thought I would be a teacher but then I like changed my mind when I realized teachers donÕt get paid that much and so I was like, ÒHow much does a psychologist make? Okay, IÕll do thatÓ and so IÕm in the psychology major, which I love because I love just learning about how we think, how we move, right? And I was doing research in psychology and I was so bored because the research was on a motor development but I was really interested in language development. I didnÕt even know it was a thing and my adviser, I could tell she would get a little frustrated with me and my lack of interest in her study and she was like, ÒYou should just be a speech-language pathologistÓ and I was like, ÒI donÕt know what that isÓ and then as soon as she said it, I remember that my freshman year, we had a speech therapist come in and talk to my psychology class. Put it in my back pocket I was like, ÒYeah, IÕm not going to do thatÓ and so I really seriously thought about it. In the research study where weÕre doing our motor development, there was a little girl who Ð it was like a longitudinal study for toddlers and there was a little girl, and she was like one but she was using three-word sentences and I was obsessed with her. Try and tell her mom was a speech therapist also. I said, ÒI don't know what youÕre doing with your child but IÕm mesmerized and I want to learn more about this.Ó So that was really kind of my opening. I didnÕt even apply, I didnÕt even know that I was going to be applying to these programs like, I was applying to Ph.D. programs in psychology, completely put a hold on that and started applying to SLP programs. I took an intro course at Georgia State because we didnÕt have an intro course and I took that, I was like, Ò100% this is what I want to do.Ó Had no idea the demographics of our profession, had no idea of kind of like, the technical part. I just knew I wanted to help people and I was so interested in language and thatÕs really kind of what brought me here but I think the profession chose me. I didnÕt choose it because for it to be such a perfect fit, I know that was like, divinely ordained. [0:11:11.9] MD: Okay. So I was talking to Gerald yesterday, which folks, thatÕs really technically not coming out Ôtill November so just like, pretend you didnÕt hear me say that like I recorded him and he told me, ÒI have an idea for a caucus, what if we had an SLPs of faith caucus, right? Where we had different fatesÉÓ Ð I get excited and a cold chill. Like, what if we had, all these different fates come together for the purpose of learning from one another so that we can learn about their holidays? How they honor these, how they celebrate these? The foods, the customs because those are our patients, our students, our clients, and our colleagues, and not for Òone is better than anotherÓ because theyÕre not. [0:11:57.6] DS: Yeah, itÕs not comparison. [0:11:59.2] MD: Yes but I just Ð because you know what? We Ð I have sat for 250 episodes, we have recorded and almost every single guest speaker has said the exact same thing. They felt a calling and that itÕs just how freaking cool is that? I do love that, yes. [0:12:21.3] DS: Yeah. [0:12:21.8] MD: Yes, okay. So, where did you go to grad school then? [0:12:25.6] DS: So got Ð so because I started applying late, I just didnÕt know that this was going to be a thing. I was like, you know, Phi Beta Cappa, I was class president, I had a really high GPA and I was just like, ÒOf course, IÕm going to get in wherever I want because IÕm fabulous.Ó Yeah, so no. So I got denied Ôtill I applied to six schools, got denied to four, and the two that I did get into there, it happened very late in the game and so knowing what I know admissions now, IÕm not surprised but that happened to me and so that is another reason why IÕm so passionate about holistic admissions and DEI but you know, anyway I Ð [0:13:04.6] MD: WeÕll get there, I promise. [0:13:06.6] DS: Yeah, so I didnÕt know all of that but I was literally getting denied left and right. I decided to teach abroad in China for a year because I was like, ÒWell if I donÕt get into grad school, I just need to buy some timeÓ and then it turned out that as soon as I committed to teaching abroad, I got into grad school and so I ended up going to Indiana University Bloomington, they let me defer for a year and I got my masters there. Worked for a while in Atlanta, moved to Houston, and worked, and then I started my Ph.D. program back in psychology where it all started. So my Ph.D. is actually in Ð on psychology with the emphasis in cognition and instruction. [0:13:45.1] MD: Oh my gosh. So what was your dissertation on then? [0:13:49.9] DS: So my dissertation is on therapeutic relationships. So how weÕre building relationships at school-based SLPs working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. [0:14:00.5] MD: You need to meet Erin, my cohost, because oh my God, ErinÕs Ð okay, Erin, this is for you, honey, her undergrad is psych from University of Pit. She got her masters from University of South Carolina, she was my student, this is the whole reason we have the podcast, thatÕs what she said, ÒLetÕs do a podcast where early intervention SLPsÓ blah-blah-blah expedite research practice, here we are. But her primary focus is on relationship building and she focuses on therapeutic use of self and has all of the advanced trainings for DEI floor time, trauma-sensitive and informed Ð I always butcher it, IÕm sorry Erin, you think I would know this by now but she wants to go back and get a Ph.D. in psychology to study Ð [0:14:48.4] DS: Yes. Well, we have to connect, that was so Ð itÕs shocking that Ð well, you know, I think that we are required to take that one psychology class but I was just so Ð I loved getting my Ph.D. in psychology because I feel like speech is very clinical and I needed something to give me more foundation to the meaning of what we do and so I felt like, I was very hyper-focused on skills, skills, skills, and not Ð But you know, if you donÕt have this relationship, if you donÕt build that rapport, if you donÕt have a strong emotional bond, youÕre not going to accomplish any fields. [0:15:26.3] MD: Yes, but is that taught within the framework of the Big Nine? No. [0:15:32.5] DS: No. [0:15:34.2] MD: Okay, so then wearing my professor hat, wearing my director of clinic hat, this is the piece that it is absolutely critical. Yes, we have to teach dynamic assessments, we have to teach data collection. However, you will have no data to study and analyze if you donÕt first engage therapeutic use of self, which is honestly, in my opinion, predicated on where are you within yourself and how are you straight, right? Like, how are you aligned to be ready to help another person on their journey? [0:16:12.9] DS: Yeah, I know and I get to teach a whole class on that here at MSU on Mankato. So I teach a graduate elective, so this is a second-year graduate course. ItÕs on, itÕs called DEI seminar. So the focus is still diversity, equity, and inclusion but weÕre focusing really on how to build therapeutic relationships and you use culture humility to facilitate those relationships because the research is showing that stronger culture humility, stronger therapeutic relationships. So how do you really build those relationships, especially with your diverse clients, especially when it is more common to have a cultural disconnect between the client and the therapist than not? How do you get through that experience? How do you maintain and build a relationship so that you can have the therapeutic outcomes that you want to have? So we have a whole class on that. ItÕs like, I say that to my favor but all my classes are my favorite but it is one of my favorites. [0:17:11.0] MD: I am making a note to give you a call after the recording because I havenÕt made Ð [0:17:16.8] DS: Yeah. Yes, I teach it in the fall. ItÕs wonderful. [0:17:22.1] MD: ThatÕs amazing, kind of wondering if I can audit that from the distance. Okay. [0:17:28.3] DS: You can do it. You can be a guest in our class if you like to. [0:17:33.0] MD: Oh my goodness, thank you. This is Ð yeah, okay, I have a few ideas, IÕm going to hold them. Okay, so youÕre doing this within the framework of your school and youÕre reaching out to colleagues through journal writing, which is profound but letÕs take it back to the core. How do you define diversity, equity, and inclusion as it relates to you and your work? But also, what about and you all, this is not a political statement, this is a statement effect. I truly feel that DEI is under attack, especially in certain states of our union. Not all states but certain states and it should not be. So no, it should not be, is my opinion but itÕs a very strong-held soap box of an opinion but Ð [0:18:30.3] DS: It is a hundred percent on attack and I would venture to say, has always been under attack in this country and throughout the world. So one of the things, I posted about this because I was like, ÒYou know, weÕre saying DEI is under attack but the terminology is newer terminologyÓ like Ð you know, Fannie Lou Hamer wasnÕt saying, ÒIÕm a DEI activistÓ right? She was a civil rights activist and so DEI has been a movement where the name has changed. But this movement towards justice has always been going on and it has always been under attack. The thing about DEI, I feel like, in order for me to engage in the work, I have to constantly define what that means because, I think the foundation of the attack is under the premise that people donÕt know what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean. They think it means propaganda. They think it means brainwashing. They think it means anger. Like, I have no idea, the things IÕve heard, it all comes from a lack of understanding of what it is and also just a resistance to talking about things that make you uncomfortable. So IÕm constantly thinking about, ÒWell, what does this mean and how does that directly apply to the work that I do?Ó and I think that as speech-language pathologists, itÕs something that we have to constantly reflect on because we work with people. We work with people, we may work on skills but we work with people. So that diversity piece is kind of the most glaring, which is we want lots of differences and you know, being able to celebrate across lines of difference but itÕs also from an intersectional place. So knowing that you arenÕt just your race, you arenÕt just your sexuality, you arenÕt just your religion, but there is an intersection and you stand there and you have all these different identities. Some of them being marginalized and some of them being privileged. So yes, diversity is a celebration of all lines of difference but can you truly celebrate lines of difference when Ð if those differences were present, there is exclusion or barriers? So to me, the inclusion and equity pieces are the biggest pieces, and really, the goal of the work, inclusion being, how our people have historically Ð who has been left out and if they have been there, has their voice been amplified? Do they have a seat at the table? Do they feel like they belong? Is it a climate of hostility? Is it a climate truly of welcoming people and highlighting their insurance? So thatÕs like the inclusion part and then the equity piece is where people are constantly confusing that with like, equality. We want to give everyone the same rights. No, we donÕt. We want to give everyone what they need to thrive, whether thatÕs health, equity, we want to give everyone what they need to thrive and be a healthy person and enjoy their life or educational equity, whatever that looks like but it is not the same for every single person because every single person doesnÕt start at the same place. And then the justice piece; some people add the J to DEIJ, that is the ultimate goal of where, ÒIf I can accomplish those things, weÕre going to have to change the structure.Ó Sometimes, structures are too broken to put a Band-Aid on it and we actually have to shift a structure that is not working and I think thatÕs the part that really scares people because weÕre like, ÒWell, weÕve always done it this way. I donÕt think we can change it.Ó [0:22:21.3] MD: ThatÕs the worst thing we can say, is weÕve always done it this way. If weÕve already done it that way, then retire, and letÕs do it different. [0:22:30.1] DS: And letÕs do it differently. So the justice part, it scares people but I think the acknowledgment that some structures are so dysfunctional, we have to chip away at it so that we can get to the change. Putting band-aids on is not going to work and sometimes I think, diversity is a band-aid. ÒWell, we just need more diverse people.Ó Why? So you can harm them mentally because the climate is so hostile? So that they enter a space where there are so many barriers that they feel beaten down every single day to where they donÕt even, you know, have a voice to make a change? Then no, the structure has to change. [0:23:09.1] MD: I am trying to find the book and I cannot find Ð because everythingÕs boxed up. IÕm so sorry but folks, there is a really good book that I highly recommend and it is a funny, joyful, and hard read. ItÕs called, Abolitionist Ð oh my gosh, where? [0:23:31.9] DS: [inaudible 0:23:31.6] [0:23:33.8] MD: No, hold on, itÕs on my Goodreads. It is called Ð do you have Goodreads app? I love the Goodreads app. ItÕs called. [0:23:43.9] DS: I know, I use the website all the time. [0:23:45.2] MD: Oh, yes. ItÕs Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists: A Graphic History of WomenÕs Fights for Their Rights, and itÕs by Mikki Kendall, and illustrated by A. DÕAmico. Forgive me, thatÕs Ð itÕs Italian, D with the apostrophe, Amico. Erin would show me how to do this because sheÕs Italian. But this book, when she talks about diversity always being under attack, this book takes womenÕs rights and the rights and not white Caucasian women. Women and transgender women, all the way back to the beginning of time and analyzes leadership and trials and tribulations that they overcame and succumbed to in their perpetual march forward and it takes heroines. Like, Susan B. Anthony is a heroine of mine, right? But it also talks about the fact that while she was a huge activist for womenÕs right to vote, it was white womenÕs right to vote. She did not Ð which I had no knowledge about until I read about this and then went to the Susan B. Anthony house, right? I knew one version of the history, weÕre not told the full version of the history and thereÕs reasons, right? Racist reasons but they are there and that book does a really good job of presenting material in a way that allows you to be uncomfortable but still fills you with hope for the future, right? And when you think of, when youÕre describing equity, I have to paint pictures in my head with the words of the people that IÕm learning from because IÕm a very Google learner, right? So when I think of equity, folks, I think of Ð when she says, we all donÕt start at the same place, right? ThatÕs what she said. Think about the patients that we serve that have limb differences that may require adaptive equipment to move around. Are we going to take away their adaptive equipment and then expect them to be equally mobile within the environment? No, because we donÕt have universal adaptations, which is a whole conversation for another podcast. But I do recommend that everybody listen to that episode, IÕm 99% Invisible, because itÕs freaking amazing but we give people resources so that they can physically engage, right? We have that for our patients, why donÕt we do that for our colleagues that are of a different ethnic/religious background? ThatÕs how it processes in my head, does that help? [0:26:42.0] DS: Yeah, absolutely. [0:26:45.4] MD: Okay. So when you encounter that, I mean, how do we move it forward? How do we engage and within our profession anti-racism? Because if we Ð also I filter this with the framework of my entire academic experience and IÕm the oldest of five, we didnÕt have a lot of money for college so I got my associateÕs degree first. I always knew I wanted to be a speech pathologist. I knew I had to get my master's but there was not a lot of money. So I did community college, worked a couple of jobs, probably too many jobs, did undergrad at Old Dominion University, worked several jobs. I mean, it took me longer to graduate than most but I had to work to live and then worked full-time as an SLT while I got my masterÕs degree online because I had Ð thereÕs no money and this is how we survive to make it to Ð that was what was in my familyÕs cards, right? And all of that education, I only had one professor of color, Dr. Norman, who ended up being my colleague but I still canÕt call her by her first name because she will always be Dr. Norman. ÒActually, just call me MichelleÓ and IÕm like, ÒNo.Ó I felt disrespectful but like, that Ð but if we look at the world, thatÕs not representative. [0:28:20.9] DS: At all. [0:28:22.6] MD: How do we fight anti-racism, what do we do? [0:28:26.2] DS: Well, I think one of the things is we have got to shift this conversation of, this is not personal, this is not for people who are interested, this is a matter of ethics, and it blows my mind that we have full conversations about ethics and DEI is not a part of the conversation, anti-racism is not a part of the conversation and these are ethical concerns. So if our profession is truly concerned about ethics the same energy we give to where you have to, you know, you have to be an ethical SLP, you have to do this, then it also needs to Ð that same energy needs to go towards these issues and the issues are not happenstance. The issues are not a coincidence. It is not a coincidence that you only have one black or person of color; one black professor. It is not a coincidence that in 2023, I am the first black tenure track faculty member in this department. ThatÕs not a coincidence. That is structurally, it was meant to be that way, the same way that you had to work through school and it probably wasnÕt easy because graduate programs are made for middle to upper-class white women, who can afford to not work for two to three years to get a masterÕs degree. [0:29:48.1] MD: I mean, I worked full-time in the public schools when I was going to grad school. I waited tables on the weekends. I mean, Ruby Tuesdays, you saved my skin, you fed me at night, you Ð I mean, I was Ð I put on a lot of weight in grad school but they have really good turkey cheese sandwiches. [0:30:06.5] DS: Oh, donÕt get me started on Ruby Tuesdays, oh my God. I used to Ð Okay, weÕll have a stark conversation about Ruby Tuesdays and what we ordered. [0:30:16.7] MD: Oh man, IÕm a sucker for their croutons and they literally have the best honey mustard. I will fight over their honey mustard, yes. [0:30:25.7] DS: Literally but I mean, yeah, thereÕs so many barriers. ItÕs not just Ð thereÕs barriers for people of color, thereÕs barriers based on class, thereÕs barriers based on your sexual identity, orientation, you know, your gender identity. I mean, itÕs just Ð thereÕs so many barriers and so we canÕt say, well, we Ð if we really want this profession to look like the world, to look like the people that are sitting in front of us seeking services, then the barriers, the Ð and the exclusion like, thereÕs no way we canÕt address that. [0:31:05.2] MD: So I thought I knew, I thought I knew how it worked to get into grad school, right? And I laugh, right? Because everybody thatÕs listening, you probably knew you had to take the GREs, you had to get good grades, you had to do this, this and this, right? But thatÕs like outsider looking in and then I became faculty and the inside piece of the faculty, the process for reviewing applications, the process for acceptance, those are the things that on this side of the table have to be systematically changed because they must. Because we donÕt make those changes and I do want to get into the specifics, you all, because itÕs kind of if you havenÕt been on this side, it doesnÕt make sense what happens behind the scenes. ItÕs just like this mysterious application process and youÕre either in or youÕre out but also, the simple raising awareness about our profession. I had Lauren Hastings on. [0:32:17.4] DS: Yeah. [0:32:17.2] MD: Oh, I loved her. She is vivacious. When she talks, itÕs just like, yes, but she and I were talking about it and she said, ÒYou know, when youÕre a black woman in the South, you donÕt hear about the field of speech pathology unless you know someone, because itÕs not like they show up at job fairsÓ and thatÕs something. So my first call to action, if you are listening to this podcast and you are a member of NSSLHA, if you are a faculty member and a NSSLHA advisor, if you sit on your state association, if you are a volunteer with your state association, there are built-in systems within those organizations that you can reach out to low-income areas, to areas that have high minority status and attend their career days. We can do this, and you can have your volunteers from NSSLHA, you can have your volunteers from your state association, go and have a booth, and those opportunities will just, at least, put the fields of speech pathology in audiology out and I think that is Ð those are actionable items that could easily be accomplished that I would love to see come to fruition, right? [0:33:40.9] DS: Absolutely. IÕll give you an example. So in a class that I teach, 541, diversity, equity, and inclusion, SLP education settings. We are about to, in like two weeks, there are different camps that come to the university under the umbrella of our institutional diversity. So they usually have a social justice camp, a native camp, an Asian-American camp and theyÕre high schoolers. They come on campus, you know, giving them like the college experience for a short amount of time and so last year, I did a presentation on African-American English with the attendees of a social justice camp and I said, ÒOh my gosh, what an opportunity to expose our profession to high schoolers but also to empower the diverse speakers that the way they talk is completely valid and they should show up how they need to show up because their language is a part of their culture.Ó And so this year as a part of the class, we have created a Ð the graduate students have created a linguistic justice conference and itÕs going to be just an hour where we are inviting the students, the high school students of the Asian-American camp to come to our building and weÕre going to do different topics related to linguistic justice like being proud of your accent, what are advantages to being bilingual, what is our profession and why do we need more diversity, why do we need more DEI and then also weÕre talking about like, communication injustice and the justice system. WeÕre talking about being proud of your accent, have you experienced discrimination, how to just, you know, overcome that? And so not only are we empowering them based on the knowledge that we have about linguistic diversity but weÕre exposing them to the field. In an hour, an hour. What if one of those high schoolers leaves and says, ÒI have never heard about speech-language pathology but I think I might want to go to college for that.Ó [0:35:42.8] MD: And then, what if they go to college for that and then become a clinician or a researcher, and then how many lives are they going to positively impact through therapeutic skill delivery, through advent of new evidence-based approaches but also, the impact that theyÕre going to have within their personal community to represent our profession there? [0:36:07.3] DS: Absolutely. Exponentially, this could be. ItÕs about seeds and it doesnÕt take a lot of time. It takes intention to plant seeds but it doesnÕt take a lot of time. These are things we already know, these are things that graduate students already feel comfortable talking about because theyÕve been learning about it and so you know, when it comes to diversifying our field, a lot of it has to do with exposure of our field to people who have been, you know, really excluded or just donÕt know because they donÕt have an aunt that was a speech therapist. They donÕt have a cousin who has their own private practice and they can go shadow someone. [0:36:47.4] MD: I had a student who had a cousin who was an OT and thatÕs how he found out about speech pathology. [0:36:53.3] DS: Yeah. [0:36:54.6] MD: And Ð but I mean, sorry, just that you said that. I was like Ð [0:36:57.2] DS: Yeah. [0:36:58.6] MD: Oh, IÕve literally heard that happen but this is Ð okay, so we can do outreach and itÕs feasible and it doesnÕt Ð those Ð guys, those kinds of moments, that is one afternoon in the grand scheme of your life that you can tithe up your time, you donÕt Ð I mean, maybe you have to get gas and I mean, normally, if you got students there, IÕm going to feed the students. So IÕll bake something for them or like bring them food. I try to avoid pizza because pizza, everybody brings students pizza but also I really like to bake, itÕs like a passion. I have perfected my lemon blueberry cake with layers of fresh blueberries and oh, it is Ð [0:37:43.4] DS: Oh my goodness, that sounds so good. [0:37:45.1] MD: I will have to send you a picture because itÕs really pretty because I even curled my lemon rinds. Baking makes my heart happy, not tummy not so much but my heart. Okay, so can we talk about what it looks like within the acceptance side to programs? Like when students apply to get in, we donÕt necessarily Ð weÕre not taught about the inherent biases of standardized assessments. But when we get into it, thereÕs so many inherent biases of standardized assessments. The ones that come to my mind right off the top are who are they normed off of and so normally, especially with respect to the assessments that we use for our patients, they tend to be upper-middle-class white males and faculty professors students, their own children, right? And thatÕs not for all of them, folks. But for a good majority of them but down to the vocabulary that is selected is predominantly standard English and if you are not exposed to standard English, if you didnÕt grow up with that, knowing the words in the assessments has an implicit racist bias. So those are factors that come to my mind. What are ones that pop up that youÕre like, ÒOohÓ Ð [0:39:12.3] DS: Well, I mean, you know one thing you said, we are not taught about the inherent bias. We are taught about the inherent bias in standardized assessments, we are not taught what else do we use because we canÕt depend on these. Everyone talks about it in grad school but then there is no solution or they say, ÒYou should do a dynamic assessmentÓ as if there is not tons of research on dynamic assessment and then actually explicitly teaching what that looks like. What it looks like to go to your place of work and advocate for, ÒNo, IÕm not using that standardized assessment because everybody else here uses it because it doesnÕt work for my client, IÕm actually going to do this and I am not recording that score and you canÕt tell me itÕs mandatory.Ó We donÕt teach our students to advocate, to do other things other than standardized assessment. So itÕs not that we donÕt know and then also, if youÕre a person of color, you know by personal experience that standardized assessments are biased. You know that there is bias because you have personally experienced that in your education time and time again. So itÕs like we know it but we donÕt do anything. We donÕt act and I think that acting has to be very intentional and very deliberate and it takes work. It takes work to say, ÒWell, if I just gave a standardized assess I would get a score and then I know that this number means they didnÕt do good and this number means they did goodÓ and that just gives me a security versus, ÒIÕm going to do this language sample and I am going to actually use the knowledge that I learned in graduate school and I donÕt need a standardized assessment to tell me if someone has difficulty learning the language of their community.Ó So I think we have it, we donÕt do it. We donÕt activate it, we donÕt empower our students to go into their workplace and hold the line for settings where theyÕre like, ÒOh no, everyone uses this.Ó Well, you can just pull that out of the closet, you can do that with everyone. We donÕt teach them that. [0:41:15.7] MD: So in my clinic class, oh, if a student sat through my clinic class and comes back and says then, I call [bumpkus 0:41:25.3] because I know for a fact that I taught them this but I also went to the point that we didnÕt even allow the PLS-5 to be utilized that was off the shelf because of Ð I mean, folks if you are listening, go back. IÕm clapping my hands, IÕm opinionated, go back and read the PLS-5 validity study that ASHA put out probably 10 years Ð no, nine years ago because it was between my children being born. This is how I remember the timeframe of the test, where they talk about how that test doesnÕt even accurately capture students that do have a disability because it inflates their score one standard deviation, right? So we pulled that like thatÕs not Ð youÕre not doing that and guess what? So many school districts love to use the PLS-5 because children will Ð [0:42:16.7] DS: Yeah. [0:42:17.4] MD: But why donÕt they qualify? Because youÕve used the test that is like not appropriately validated or normed and if youÕre listening and youÕre like, ÒOh, will I only have an hour?Ó Okay, so then in that hour, if you canÕt transcribe that language sample, letÕs troubleshoot this. Are you getting consent to film from the caregiver at the start of your evaluation? Because you can film your eval and then go back and transcribe it earlier. Are you sitting down in an early intervention? Are you doing, truly doing the routines-based interview? Because if weÕre doing the routines-based interview, then weÕre actually sitting there and deep diving into this familyÕs culture, into this familyÕs being, and finding out where this childÕs communication articulation from a logical impairment or their pediatric feeding and swallowing disorder, how itÕs impacting the child accessing their ADLs, their daily routines. It tells you how to plug in your skillset to engage in caregiver coaching to help this family move forward, right? We have those tools, you just have to think outside of, unfortunately, outside of the box and maybe outside of what you had been taught. [0:43:49.5] DS: And continue to seek the education. The education is there. I mean, even you know, I love our multicultural contingency groups like NBASLH and you know, Latinx Caucus and Asian Pacific Islander Caucus for providing very unique, I think the most unique professional development opportunities but even ASHA has professional development opportunities that teach us to get out of our very monolingual box and really think about how are we best serving our CLD population in regard to assessment and diagnosis. So the information is out there but I think people are resting on what we have always done and not you know saying, ÒThis is a barrier, this is a problem.Ó Over or misdiagnosis is a huge problem in our field and we have to fully be intentional about disengaging in that. [0:44:46.1] MD: Folks, we had in May, we had the Asian Ð we had two representatives from the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus on the podcast. So, please go back and check that episode out because when you listen to them, they even offer support for colleagues that are non-members. So if you have an eval for a child and you donÕt speak the language that they speak, if you have a referral, if youÕre unsure of where to start, you can reach out to that organization. They have individuals who tithe up their time to help with teaching you about correct sound production, giving you better insight into the language, what is typical versus potentially delayed or disordered. So they offer that for free, which is amazing but that is Ð yes, yes, yes. Okay, so how do we move forward within faculty? Do we eliminate the problem with this? What do we do? [0:45:49.6] DS: I wish we could, right? Okay, so I think this would be a good time for me to just explain some of the things IÕm doing in my role and itÕs not to highlight me at all but itÕs just to give example to this is what it looks like to engage in the work and I will say, you know, when I took this position, I was so excited about it. I was like, ÒOh, I can do this. I can do thisÓ and I had a very shallow idea of what the work look like. So you know, in my role, if you look up my job description, it was like the main two things you are going to teach our diversity, equity, and inclusion courses and youÕre going to mentor this diversity and inclusion fellowÕs cohort that we started when I came here and I was like, ÒI can do those things. I love students, I was a student of colorÓ and at the time, I was in my Ph.D. program, so I am a student of color and IÕm so passionate about these courses and I know I can do that but there is so much more to that and it is not easy. So in the teaching portion, one of the things that faculty need to do is to seriously decolonize their curriculum and require DEI-specific courses. Yes, you need to infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion into your curriculum. It cannot just be the one Asian professor, the one black professor, the one LGBTQIA professor to talk about these things. It does need to be included in the entire curriculum and you need to have designated required courses on the undergraduate and the graduate level to talk about these issues. You know, I get a class IÕm like, ÒDEI is such a huge topic. IÕm missing things but I have a class.Ó Some people donÕt even get a whole class, so I have a couple of classes. On our curriculum, we added a culture humility course at the undergraduate level, and then in our graduate courses, we already had a multicultural issues class and we changed the name to culture responsive practices and itÕs broken up into a complete class and a lab portion thatÕs a little more practical. We have a diversity, equity, and inclusion class for medical settings and education settings and then I teach on top of that, I teach an elective graduate course called DEI Seminar, where we focus on building therapeutic relationships using cultural humility. So that is a lot but then not only is it just teaching the content but really becoming skilled and knowledged the whole faculty on anti-oppressive pedagogy. So it is not just enough to teach the content but you have to change the way you are teaching on the content so that you can meet the needs of this generation of students, who is incredibly diverse and does not look anything like we have seen before and then we got COVID on top of that. So people need compassion, people need flexibility, people need structures and classes that are inclusive, and highly structured, and you know, all the things. So the teaching is not just the content, itÕs not just what you teach, itÕs how you teach, and then when it comes to mentoring students, it canÕt just be an effort to recruit diverse students and in our school, you know our diversity and inclusion fellows is really focusing on racial-ethnic diversity because here we are in Minnesota, where there is not a lot of racial-ethnic diversity at all and so that is an area that weÕre focusing on. And not only is the recruitment intentional but itÕs the retention that is intentional and so in my ASHA Leader article I talk about how we developed a task force because I wanted it to be an organic experience for the students to have a seat at the table to make change in regard to equity issues that actually affect them but then also to have a built-in community of support not just with the faculty of color but also with the other students of color that are in their cohort. So that takes a lot of intention, really thinking about not how weÕre going to recruit the students but how are we going to get these students through this program not by the skin of their teeth but thrive through this program and be able to enter this profession as an advocate because as a person of color, you have to be an advocate in a lot of different ways. Then I guess another thing when it comes to professional education and bringing the community along, hopefully, as your department develops in their knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion, they are having opportunities where other supervisors in the area, clinical supervisors, or other people are really tapping into that knowledge too because I think a lot of times, higher education entities kind of like pull all the knowledge to themselves. There are SLPs all in the community that need some of these things too and so like being a leader in wherever you are to provide professional education opportunities to other organizations. So those are some of the things I think we could start on in regard to, in the faculty role, what can we do to kind of activate diversity, equity, and inclusion. [0:51:39.0] MD: IÕm thinking back on the things that I didnÕt know when I went into academia and, which is a lot of things on Ð [0:51:49.1] DS: ThatÕs right. [0:51:50.2] MD: Felt it, no, thereÕs like a lot but also how to perpetually Ð implementation science, how to do it better, how to do it, how to do more, right? Take what youÕve done and then reassess. Okay, so folks, if you havenÕt heard of the term implementation science, Dr. Rebekah Wada was my very first person to teach me about implementation science. Beka got her Ph.D. Ð oh Beka, IÕm going to screw this all up, from Utah, Nevada. Nevada, I think it was Nevada and it was in COMD but it was implementation sciences, and the short answer is you put a process in place, right? But it is not enough just to put a process in place. As my youngest son, he had a hearing impairment for the first level years and so we had a lot of speech therapy. So sometimes we get words from irregular past tense, our tick is caught up and fine but like word selection. I mean, weÕre training here for a few years. So he always says, ÒMake earthÓ instead of ÒGive earthÓ but youÕre going to make birth to something to an idea but when itÕs out there, youÕve had to systematically go back and reassess. As you get new information, how do you make it better, right? So as youÕre talking about this, I come back to, for those of us that are in a position to teach that means that we canÕt use the same syllabus every single semester, every single year, which I have seen. We have Ð youÕre like, ÒUh-huh.Ó We have to go Ð we canÕt use the exact same filmed videos again and again and again. We have to reassess those and as I say that, I know the immense pressure that faculty is under but this is what weÕre charged to do. So go back and reassess, as a department do you have explicit guidelines for your syllabus that include DEI goals? Do you highlight within that syllabus targeted activities and do you have a program within your university that you can go to, to say, ÒHey, please review this. Make it betterÓ right? Those are opportunities. Also, guest speakers, I love guest speakers in my classes. [0:54:42.3] DS: Yes. [0:54:43.1] MD: One, selfishly, it does give me a minute to come up for air so I donÕt have to prep for that class. LetÕs all be honest, weÕve all had that thought. [0:54:50.5] DS: Right. [0:54:51.1] MD: But two, it is so exciting to me to sit there in my class and watch another colleague light everybody up. You could feel that in myself, right? But when they share their passion. So if youÕre faculty and you have the opportunity to have an invited speaker, letÕs critically analyze who weÕre inviting. LetÕs make sure that when weÕre sitting and weÕre seeking out speakers, are they members of, to piggyback on Kendra T. Allison's 8% summit, are they members of the 8% and how do we grow this? Because if you have one student in your class who doesnÕt look like everybody else, letÕs grow that and fill their cup. Just like you said, you have to reach out. You have to be intentional with retention. So just some thoughts. What do you think? Am I nuts? [0:55:59.7] DS: No, absolutely. The retention piece is huge. The recruitment, yes, thereÕs so many steps to the recruitment but I think I didnÕt even fully conceptualize what retention look like. You know our first year, even when we have our diversity fellows and I just love all of them and out of the 15 that weÕve had, seven had just graduated and eight are in our program now, they are all very different. They have so many different strengths and weaknesses individually but then also collectively, they show up different. I think like the first group, we were just all trying to figure out together because I knew we started this program and it was just a different vibe. The second group, the way they have come together to go to activities together, to study together, the way IÕve been able to see them grow clinically because theyÕve had even more clinical opportunities than our last cohort has been beautiful. So the biggest thing is like everyone needs something different even within the diversity. We are, like you canÕt just say, ÒOh, youÕre diverseÓ and try to clump people together like every cohort is different. Each of them are different, they have different needs, their representation needs are different. You know, I am a black woman and I feel like in our fellows, I have like maybe natural connection to some other black women. But then when it comes to maybe an Asian student, I am constantly thinking about, ÒOkay, how do I connect in this way to really think about their upbringing and their experience that could be different from mine and how am I meeting them where they are?Ó You know, I think about if I say the same message to each student, IÕm going to say it differently just because of I know how they respond to me. So the intricacies of those relationships in order to maintain the retention has to be very intentional. ItÕs not just enough to be like, ÒWell, you have this person here and you can mentor across all these lines.Ó You know, IÕd have to also learn about disability. IÕve had to learn about things that arenÕt my experience like IÕm assisting to heterosexual women, so I do need to be intentional about learning about an experience thatÕs not like mine so I can reach my students in every area and I wish that more professors would do that. The reaching and the connection is just as important as the teaching and the skills that youÕre giving them. [0:58:43.1] MD: Yes. I almost fell out of my seat, I got so excited. Did you know the ASHA disability caucus? [0:58:49.6] DS: What did you say? [0:58:51.7] MD: ASHA has a disability caucus. [0:58:53.9] DS: Yes. [0:58:54.4] MD: I think thatÕs amazing. So if you identify with a disability, if thatÕs part of who you are, they have a caucus and I will never forget, Brianne, if youÕre listening, I love you. One of my very dear friends is Brianne and she has a feeding tube and she loves that she has like a G-tube. So sheÕs got like her permanent but she also does feeding therapy. So the patients that she treats have the same equipment and sheÕs able to represent them and show them that you can do this and look like us and still thrive, right? We were at ASHA in Ð where was ASHA last year? New Orleans and she saw the caucus and oh my God, the stars that hit her eyes was just like bang, and she bolted right over to it but representation matters and that was huge but Ð oh, I had a second thought. ItÕs gone, I got all excited but yes. [0:59:52.2] DS: It matters and I think you know, we can, us as faculty, we have to constantly be thinking about our blind spots and Ð so that we can meet students where they are, you know? Not constantly think about them but constantly learn. I took a disability justice course a couple of weeks ago and really trying to be intentional. [1:00:15.1] MD: Where? [1:00:16.4] DS: Here in our institution, our university, the state system. They have lots of courses they offer all the time and most of them are really great. TheyÕre online, they're virtual, so thereÕs things out there but itÕs like yeah, do I really want to take a class while IÕm teaching four classes? Not really, not really but I did it because IÕm like, ÒNo, this is important and I got to make the time to do thisÓ you know what I mean? So because diversity Ð itÕs about intersectional diversity. So while IÕm very comfortable talking about race and focusing on racial equity as a black woman, I know that people are not just their race and I know that I can be talking to a black woman who also has a disability, who is also you know, a lesbian or you know, all these different areas of difference and we have to constantly be thinking about those and think. WeÕre self-reflecting on our blind spot so that we can make those genuine connections with the students but also with our clients, of course. [1:01:13.9] MD: It is. When I first started holding these conversations on the podcast, I was 100% uncomfortable the entire time and this is just me being like totally raw and honest. I worry I have Ð it has been instilled in me since I was a little girl to mind your manners and to be kind, right? If I didnÕt say mister or miss or yes maÕam or no sir, I mean, there was consequences, right? That was how I was raised and the first time I realized that that upbringing was not how the rest of the world engaged, I was in Arizona, I was in an invited lecture to ArSHA and so I was in Arizona presenting and a woman came in to present after me and I was cleaning up and she was an older woman, probably late 70s, had a cane. So I am going to do how I was raised, my grandma raised me. I am going to clean it up, set it up, get her set for success, I made sure I was down on eye level, ÒYes maÕam, how can I help you? Yes maÕam, yes maÕamÓ and she said, ÒIf you yes maÕam me one more time you little southern lady, I will take this cane and bop you with itÓ and I was like, ÒOh, IÕm so sorry. I meant no offenseÓ but like that was Ð and she goes, ÒWe donÕt maÕam around here.Ó She goes, ÒThat means things you donÕt knowÓ but it was I didnÕt even know that I didnÕt know that there was Ð I mean, it was just me just trying to be helpful, right? So when we first started DEI and interviews, I was 100% uncomfortable the entire time and afraid. I mean, couldnÕt be Ð I felt like authentically myself because I was going to fail and say the wrong thing and Dr. Burns is the one who gave me permission to be uncomfortable. SheÕs like, ÒItÕs okay to be uncomfortable.Ó [1:03:14.2] DS: Yeah. [1:03:14.9] MD: ÒBecause it is telling me that you have growthÓ and I was like, ÒOkayÓ but it was scary because it was at the height of the pandemic and we were all living in fear but I say that because, I think, folks if youÕre listening, you got to go there and we got to start and I am a perpetual life-long learner and I donÕt think anybody will ever be 100% culturally aware on anything unless itÕs their own personal lived experiences. So I donÕt think the end goal should be competency in that because I donÕt think we can hit competency in that. I think it should be Ð [1:03:59.2] DS: DonÕt ever reach that. [1:04:00.7] MD: Yes. I think it should be a perpetual thirst for growth and betterment. Is that Ð what do you think? [1:04:10.8] DS: Yeah and thatÕs why I love that you know, I love the framework of culture humility over cultural competency because itÕs to a place Ð itÕs there is no destination. The journey is the goal, not a destination, you know? I think not engaging in a conversation is worse than engaging in a conversation wrong, whatever that means because when you do something wrong, you know itÕs wrong because thereÕs going to be a consequence and youÕre going to learn from it as uncomfortable as it is and youÕre not going to do it again. Well, we wonÕt even get to a place to talk about things like the way they are banning, I donÕt know how you can ban something that is not tangible so keep trying but, ÒWe are going DEI, weÕre going to ban talking about slavery.Ó Not talking about slavery does not erase the history of slavery. Not talking about racism does not end racism. In fact, racism will never end. It is not about destination, itÕs about a journey to the destination. Racism will not ever end but what can we do right now that moves us, that activates anti-racism, that makes us think about how racism is a part of every institution. I can go on and on about all the other systemic forms of inequity but I think weÕre so much on this like ending point and thatÕs why I love cultural humility. There is no ending point, it is, ÒI am committed. I am committed to keep learning about this for the rest of my life.Ó ÒI am committed to continuously reflect on my biases, to acknowledge my biases, to consider my biases, and then acknowledge them on a daily basisÓ and you know, itÕs so much of a journey that you never Ð you can never possibly learn enough. You could never get to a place where, ÒIÕve done my work, IÕm an expert.Ó I donÕt even like when people are like, ÒOh, DEI expert.Ó IÕm like, ÒPlease donÕt call me that, I donÕt even know what that means. That by definition doesnÕt make sense, you cannot be an expert in this work. [1:06:23.9] MD: I have a strong feeling on when people call themselves a feeding and swallowing expert but they donÕt have board certification and at least there is a terminal point for that but if you donÕt have a set of alphabet soup behind your name, youÕre tiptoeing into the gray and the code of ethics there if not completely over the lens. So that is, hmm, hmm. [1:06:46.4] DS: Yeah and I think in our field, you know, I think in our field we kind of really over-emphasize like you need a niche and your specialty and whatÕs your Ð I had a conversation with someone and they were like, ÒWhat is yourÉÓ I donÕt know if theyÕre asking me what is your specialty or something, what is your area or whatever and I was like, ÒDiversity, equity, and inclusion.Ó They were like, ÒNo, thatÕs not an area. You know like articulation, swallowing, whatÕs yours?Ó IÕm like, ÒDiversity, equity, and inclusion, that is my lens for everything that I do. So IÕm sorry you donÕt like my answer but yeah.Ó [1:07:24.9] MD: Well, I love it. Also, I am dying, you all, you all canÕt see this but this woman above her left shoulder has a slew of books up there. So oh my god, it goes behind you, yes. [1:07:40.2] DS: Oh yes, got a little curve and oh, itÕs so good. [1:07:43.9] MD: Oh and are they all childrenÕs books because from here it looks like it. [1:07:46.5] DS: Yeah, all childrenÕs books. TheyÕre all childrenÕs books, so I even have like a special delivery. One of the little girls we work with, her name is Maya, and she brought me like this Ð sheÕs written her own childrenÕs book so she brought them to me and she has like makeup to go with it and I have her little corner. So I am a book collector, we even started Ð next door to me, there was an empty room and so we made, we created an equity engagement space. So itÕs like a library for the college to engage and use our diverse books. So I love it, I love it. I need to be in this environment like I need to feel it, you know? So the books kind of help me. [1:08:30.3] MD: I love that. Okay, you all, if you havenÕt read it, one of my all-time favorite books and I highly recommend it for our pediatric patients is, The Girl with Big, Big Feelings, have you read that? [1:08:41.2] DS: I have not read that. [1:08:42.9] MD: Oh, oh get ready. [1:08:45.2] DS: I have to get that. [1:08:46.5] MD: It is such a good book and my Bear has big, big feelings, and he feels I think it runs in our family and I know that. We feel it, we feel the spirit, we feel the movement, we feel hurt a little deeper, a little more, right? And my Bear has that big but trying to process that as an eight-year-old boy when his reading level is up to seventh grade so his compression is here but heÕs still in this tiny little awkward body where he is, you know, all kneecaps and feet because one day, heÕll grow and [inaudible 1:09:31.6] That child grew a full shoesize in nine weeks, he is going through this growth spurt and living off jars of peanut butter and not a pound on him but that book really helped us and because it talks about how to process that. It was big, big feelings Ð no, The Girl with the Big, Big Worry because itÕs The Boy with the Big, Big Feeling and The Girl with the Big, Big Worry but that book, I highly recommend. It would be a good addition to your collection so. [1:10:03.8] DS: Yes, I have to add that. I love exploring these books. I think the last one, probably my newest one is, The Day with No Words, that has been quite popular in our field. [1:10:13.2] MD: I love that. [1:10:14.2] DS: I just like boohooed after finally reading it, so beautiful and it just made me think of all the children I have worked with that needed that book and I am so grateful that itÕs out there in the atmosphere right now. [1:10:28.5] MD: It hit New York Times BestsellerÕs list. [1:10:31.7] DS: Oh, I heard that. It should, it should. [1:10:36.0] MD: Yes. Okay, one, thank you for coming on, two, I cannot wait to learn more from you, and three, at the end of every episode and I probably should have given you the heads up beforehand but at the end of every episode, we always ask the guest if there is a scholarship, a grant, an organization that somebody could donate to or tithe their time and talents if they donÕt have any extra love money lying around, who, what organization, where can we pay it forward to? [1:11:12.4] DS: I just feel moved to shout out the National Black Association of Speech-Language and Hearing. If I did not go to that conference as a graduate student, I would not be here. I would not have made it, I would have felt completely isolated and felt like this was not the field for me and so I am so eternally indebted to the organization. I absolutely love it and you know right now, we have a culture humility conference that weÕre starting. It is going to be in the fall. I just encourage you if you want to get involved with NBASLH, if you want to join, if you want to support in any way, please check out the website, please get involved. You do not have to be a black person to get involved, to attend the convention but IÕm just so Ð I just really love this organization. So much of my time goes into forwarding the mission of the organization because itÕs so close to my heart. So I think I would like to just shout that out. [1:12:25.1] MD: I am a member, everybody, so I highly recommend joining. The Cultural Humility Virtual Conference is October 14th, 2023 from 9 AM to 5 PM. They have an open, well, the [kaufer papers 1:12:39.9] will have concluded by the time we go live. [1:12:42.8] DS: Yes. The conference will be over but you can attend the conference. We also have an ambassador program along with the conference. So the ambassador program is basically kind of like a cohort feel if you want to learn about cultural humility in depth. So attending the conference will just be a part of it but thereÕll also be an opportunity to earn 20 CEUs so youÕre engaging in asynchronous and synchronous work throughout the course of the year but the conference is going to be six CEUs in October. So please support, please come. It is our first one, weÕve been working really hard on this. [1:13:19.1] MD: Awesome. Well, thank you. Thank you so much for coming on and for doing your work. [1:13:24.7] DS: Thanks for having me. [1:13:25.1] MD: Yes and IÕm going to hit stop because I have a few ideas. [1:13:29.3] DS: Okay. [END OF INTERVIEW] [1:13:34.2] MD: Feeding Matters guide system-wide changes by uniting caregivers, professionals, and community partners under the Pediatric Feeding Disorder Alliance. So what is this Alliance? The Alliance is an open-access collaborative community focused achieving strategic goals within three focused areas, education, advocacy, and research. So who is the Alliance? ItÕs you, the Alliance is open to any person passionate about improving care for children with a pediatric feeding disorder. To date, 187 professionals, caregivers, and partners have joined the Alliance. You can join today by visiting the Feeding Matters website at www.feedingmatters.org. Click on PFD Alliance tab and sign up today. Change is possible when we work together. [OUTRO] [1:14:26.5] MD: ThatÕs a wrap, folks. Once again, thank you for listening to First Bite, Fed, Fun, and Functional. I am your humble but yet sassy host, Michelle Dawson, all things PEDs SLP. This podcast is part of a course offered for continuing education through speechtherapypd.com. Please, check out the website if youÕd like to learn more about CEU opportunities for this episode as well as the ones that are achieved, and as always, remember, feed your mind, feed your soul, be kind, and feed those babies. [END] FBP 255 Transcript © 2023 First Bite Podcast 1