A Pubic Letter to Tommie Robinson Jr., President of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association
A Pubic Letter to Tommie Robinson Jr., President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
May 11, 2010
President Tommie Robinson Jr.,
I appreciate your past work on the Board of Ethics, your work as the President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and your commitment to this field.
The ASHA website states, “Being ‘certified’ [by ASHA] means holding the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), a nationally recognized professional credential that represents a level of excellence in the field of Audiology (CCC-A) or Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP).” I am writing you today because I want the "excellence" that ASHA markets to the public to also mean excellence in ethics.
The 2008 ASHA Audited Financial Statement reported that the Program Expenses for “Ethics” was $347,956. Such resource allocation is shamefully low in comparison to ASHA’s overall financial resources. The 2008 ASHA Audited Financial Statement reported that ASHA collected $26,372,809 in membership dues and $43,051,204 in total Program Revenue. Yet, less than 1% of ASHA’s collected revenue is allocated to ethics. According to the 2008 ASHA 990 Form, ASHA’s Executive Director made more than $450,000 in total compensation. So the total compensation of one ASHA employee exceeds the Program Expenses on ethics by $100,000.
Can I suggest that in light of these figures, it appears that ASHA gives ethics a very low priority indeed? What will the public and our clients think when they learn that we spend more on a CEO than on Program Expenses for ethics? The consequences to our public image may be devastating, especially in these times of special sensitivity to high compensation at the cost of ethical conduct on Wall Street. Ethical conduct is crucial for the well-being of our clients and our profession.
On May 4 you wrote, “We rely on members and others who have evidence of professional misconduct to provide that information to the Board of Ethics using the complaint mechanism the board has established.”
ASHA is shifting its responsibility to its members, who are very reluctant to be the ones who "betrayed" an unprofessional colleague. In addition, many ASHA members are concerned about litigation and retaliation as a result of pursuing an ethical complaint. And of course, many members are understandably weary of a cumbersome, time consuming process which requires a high level of stamina and commitment.
Imagine a Wall Street banker's association suggesting that they should only rely on members who report on other members to iron out unethical conduct. ASHA is currently functioning under such an unhealthy system.
ASHA is also shifting, perhaps dumping, its responsibility on the general public who does not have the necessary specialist knowledge to detect professional misconduct, nor the knowledge that they can actually report such conduct.
So what does ASHA do to advise consumers of their rights and to help consumers express concerns about the care they receive? Does ASHA advertise information on the Code of Ethics where consumers will see it? Does ASHA advertise information on filing ethical complaints in places where consumers may see it? Does ASHA require members to display information on ethics and standards where they practice so clients/patients can see it? How easy is it for a client/patient to file an ethical complaint? How many ethical complaints were filed by clients/patients and the general public in 2009?
The vast majority of ASHA members are well-trained, dedicated and caring professionals who do not deserve to have their reputations tarnished by unprofessional colleagues. Let's take, for example, the area of stuttering. Many people who stutter are deeply unsatisfied by the treatments they have received, and rightly so. Some ASHA members appear to unrealistically/misleadingly promise the world (i.e., to stop stuttering). It might not be the world for you, but to many who stutter, it is.
To help prevent or reduce such harm, ASHA needs to enforce the strong words written in the Code of Ethics with more concrete actions. For example, a good start would include the introduction of proactive marketing oversights by ASHA, increasing the ethics budget and creating an ethics awareness campaign aimed at consumers as well as members. Such changes would work towards ensuring a rigorous enforcement of our Code of Ethics.
By strengthening the enforcement of standards and ethics in advertising, ASHA will help us elevate our commitment to those we are here to serve.
Sincerely,
Peter Reitzes, MA CCC-SLP
Co-host: StutterTalk.com podcast
CC: Board of Directors, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
CC: DIV4 email list
Posted by StutterTalk at 10/24/2007 4:20 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: tommie robinson stutter ethics stuttering code of ethics american speech language hearing association marketing asha
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: tommie robinson stutter ethics stuttering code of ethics american speech language hearing association marketing asha
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