ASHA, Ethics and Resources – A Public Response to Tommie Robinson Jr., President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
ASHA, Ethics and Resources – A Public Response to Tommie Robinson Jr., President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
May 14, 2010
Dear Dr. Tommie Robinson Jr.,
As always, I appreciate your commitment to this field.
In the January 19, 2010 ASHA Leader, you shared, “My hope is that all ASHA members can find and manifest their leadership potential in aspects of what they do on a daily basis.” I agree. In fact, I am currently embracing my leadership potential in areas such as ethics and consumer advocacy.
On May 11, 2010 you wrote, “Please understand that ASHA does not and has no plans to police the marketing and advertising efforts of the thousands of ASHA members...that is neither practical nor possible, nor is it an appropriate use of ASHA resources.”
What is impractical, perhaps naïve is ASHA’s expectation that ASHA members will police one another. As I have said to you before, many ASHA members fear that pursuing an ethical complaint may result in litigation and retaliation. As far as I know, ASHA does not have a legal defense fund to pay legal fees that may arise from pursuing ethical complaints. Yet ASHA shifts ethical responsibility to members who, one can safely assume, do not wish to risk financial ruin by policing one another. In such a litigious world, ASHA may seem to be deeply out of touch with reality.
I have noticed that the ASHA website offers seminars and materials on ethics. For example, ASHA offers “Real Ethics: Applying the Code (On Demand Web/Telephone Seminar).” The charge for this seminar is $99 for members, $119 for nonmembers and $259 for groups. ASHA’s website page devoted to ethics prominently features a manual titled “Ethics Education.” When a person clicks on the link they are taken to a page that displays the fees for this manual - $65 for members and $85 for nonmembers. In addition, the ASHA website offers the “Ethics and IDEA” manual - $45 for members and $55 for nonmembers and “Ethical Issues and Solutions: Working with English Language Learner Students” - $74 for members and $99 for nonmembers.
One may have hoped that ASHA would seek to make such important ethical information freely accessible to all. Perhaps if ASHA’s executive compensation plans were more humble, and some would say more appropriate, ASHA would not have to charge people to learn about ethics. It is striking that while ASHA’s Executive Director, Arlene A. Pietranton, receives a compensation package approaching half a million dollars a year (according to ASHA's 2008 990 Form ), ASHA is charging its members and the public to learn about important ethical matters. Is it possible that the fees that ASHA charges people to learn about ethics may actually discourage the public, consumers and members from educating themselves about ethics?
On May 11, 2010 you wrote, “We do not believe members want ASHA to hire professional staff to seek out evidence of misconduct. We also do not believe many members would like to see their dues increased significantly to fund such an effort.” One could suggest the very real possibility or probability that if ASHA viewed ethics as a high priority, resources and focus could be shifted appropriately within the organization. Recently, numerous ASHA members have contacted me to say that they would approve of greater ethical oversights by ASHA and do want ASHA to play a greater role in enforcing the Code of Ethics.
I do appreciate, Dr. Robinson, your interest in how members want their dues spent. I share this interest. Have you considered that many ASHA members may view Wall Street style compensation packages to be an inappropriate use of resources and dues?
On May 11th you concluded your letter to me by saying, “While I understand that you have strong feelings about this issue, I have nothing else to add regarding ASHA’s current position.” That is a curious position indeed. After all, part of ASHA’s mission is “Promoting effective human communication.” As you have said yourself, you have been “entrusted to speak on behalf of our 135,000 members.” I do hope that you choose to keep speaking and keep communicating on issues as important as ethics and consumer advocacy. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
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 10/25/2007 5:05 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: stuttertalk ethics stuttering code of ethics american speech language hearing association stutter talk asha stutter
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: stuttertalk ethics stuttering code of ethics american speech language hearing association stutter talk asha stutter
Comments