About Me

I'm a school-based Speech Language Pathologist.

I received my BS in speech language pathology in 2012 and my MS in speech language pathology in 2014.

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 My professional journey has led me to work with a variety of students. In my first school, I was a public high school SLP- meaning I was a case manager, a language support teacher, a post-secondary transition planner, and an SLP. This position taught me so much about the needs of young people with dis/abilities entering a work force that isn't designed for them and is not always ready to accommodate them. I was highly concerned about my students' futures. With the current events of that time and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, I found myself drawn towards conversations around equity. 

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In my current position, I work as an SLP in a public separate high school in a different district. My role is more centered on providing language therapy. Because my school is built to accommodate a wide range of students, I feel like less of a "one woman show." This ability to focus on providing language therapy has only deepened my commitment to providing a more equitable school for my students. Communication is a basic human right and all people deserve autonomy. When we are teaching students to communicate, we must act in equitable ways. It is upsetting to know that not all students have a communication system. The emphasis from some classroom teachers is on compliance and task completion, rather than individual growth and self-determination.

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What I found, between both experiences, was that students need to be prepared for life after high school. Students with even the most emergent expressive communication should have the ability to make choices about what their life should look like. Unfortunately, it's not always the case. One of the biggest barriers for students is time away from instruction. This can happen as a result of behaviors during the day, but this can also be the result of exclusionary discipline practices including suspensions and expulsions. 

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My pilot study was about Manifestation Determination Review procedures. I asked if the policies and guidelines were followed and if the expressive and receptive language of the student were considered. I will continue to research this topic for my dissertation. 

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