Grant #332
American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation
February 4, 2019
If You Can’t Communicate, It’s Hard To Participate. Meet A Pioneer In The Field That Helps Millions To Connect.
When we learned of the passing of Dr. Willa Alfreda Campbell-Wilson, we knew we had to call attention to a trailblazer who truly was Awesome, Without Borders. Dr. Campbell-Wilson’s obituary is a must-read; we don’t have room to do justice to her life of international service and achievement.
We’re pretty sure she’d want you to know about the work she did to help people with hearing, speech, and language problems. Did you know that one in six Americans has a speech, language or hearing disorder that can keep them from reaching their full potential? That means there are millions of people who know what it’s like when something they can’t control is making human interaction difficult, when trying to connect with other people and convey their ideas is a painful and sometimes embarrassing struggle.
Dr. Campbell-Wilson was the first African-American to do so many things in her field, starting with the academic credentials she earned.
She was a pioneer in working with children and adults who have communication disorders, and was a longtime member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, known as ASHA. Its affiliated foundation, ASHFoundation, looks into the causes of and best treatments for hearing, speech, language, and other communication-related challenges.
In honor of Dr. Campbell-Wilson’s lifetime of leadership in the field of speech-language pathology, this Awesome Without Borders grant will go toward research and scholarships provided by the ASHFoundation.
Untold numbers will benefit from her legacy, as an educator, social justice champion, scholar, and international healthcare development specialist.
Her loss has left us, well, speechless.
Follow along with ASHFoundation and ASHA’s work on Facebook and Instagram.
