Interview with Delores Battle Ph.D., President of American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
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Beck: Good Morning Dr. Battle. Thanks for meeting with me this morning.Battle:Good morning, I'm happy to meet with you Beck:If you don't mind, I'd like to start by learning about your professional background and education?Battle:Sure thing. I graduated with my bachelor's from the University of Massa
Beck: Good Morning Dr. Battle. Thanks for meeting with me this morning.
Battle:Good morning, I'm happy to meet with you
Beck:If you don't mind, I'd like to start by learning about your professional background and education?
Battle:Sure thing. I graduated with my bachelor's from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I did my master's work here at Buffalo State College, and I earned my doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo, also known as SUNY Buffalo, or just U.B.
Beck:Who was your mentor at U.B., and what was your dissertation on?
Battle:I had very good mentors throughout my education and professional life. My undergraduate mentor was Inez Hagerty at U. Mass. When I was at Buffalo State and while I was working at Buffalo Children's Hospital my mentor was Dr. Rolland Van Hattum, also an ASHA president. He encouraged me to get the doctorate and he mentored me in professional service. At SUNY Buffalo, Dr. Mary Mann was my mentor and Dr. Richard Campbell was my dissertation advisor. My dissertation focused on stress patterns used by children with severe articulation and language disorders. We did spectrographic analysis the old fashioned way -- with the burning drum, and we studied production of short sentences. I combined my interest in speech and language disorders with Dr. Campbell's interest in speech science to complete the project. I finished my doctoral studies in 1978.
Beck:That's an amazing coincidence. I went to Buffalo just about that time. Dr. Mann was my advisor and she was the first person that ever mentioned "audiology" to me, and based on her analysis and recommendation, I earned my bachelor's and master's from U.B. too, in Communication Disorders and audiology, respectively. Dick Campbell taught my psychoacoustics and research design classes. OK, that's enough of that....back to your story!
Battle:Small world. U.B. had an amazing faculty in Communication Disorders. Jack Katz, Derek Sanders, John Muma and others. All leaders in their respective areas.
Beck:Where did you go after earning your doctorate?
Battle:Actually, before I earned my doctorate I worked at Children's Hospital for 5 years. In 1970, I joined the faculty at Buffalo State College. I worked at the college full time while I was also a full-time doctoral student and a full-time wife, and mom to two children. I eventually became department chair at Buffalo State and led the program to its first accreditation. The program at Buffalo State was speech-language pathology only, with a strong audiology program for speech-language pathologists. We had a great faculty; Rolland Van Hattum, Don Hess, Stan Dickson, Marshall Duguay and Joe Page, Judy Duchan (before she went to UB), and Nan Lund. The program was small and its curriculum was focused on speech-language development and disorders in pre-school and school aged children. But because the audiology faculty was very strong at U.B., many of our undergraduate students went on to study audiology in their graduate program.
Beck:Dr. Battle, I know you have an enormous interest in diversity and related issues. How did you become so focused on diversity?
Battle:You might say my interest in diversity started when I was born, and developed as I moved through the educational system. My first professional relationship with diversity was as chair of the ASHA committee on the Status of Racial Minorities, in the early 1980's. We wrote the ASHA position paper on Social Dialects. This came about following the integration of schools in the south and across cities in America. It was a time of great immigration from non-European countries and the face of America was changing, as were the needs of our professions. The interest through the 1980's was on awareness of the needs of children who's first language and first culture were not standard middle class American. There was little mention of cultural or linguistic diversity in text books at that time, and ASHA began major efforts in this area. I wrote the textbook on Communication Disorders in Multicultural Populations and numerous textbook chapters and gave talks and began to really focus on multicultural issues in the professions.
About 9 years ago, the new president of Buffalo State College asked me to work on diversity issues on our campus, based on my previous interest in that arena. That's when I left the Speech Language Pathology Department and started as the Senior Advisor to the President for Campus Diversity. As such, we address issues such as recruiting minority faculty and making sure we have diversity in the curriculum, and to see that we reflect and respect diversity and individual difference across the campus. Of course, I still teach a class or two every year or so in SLP, but the majority of my time is spent in diversity.
Beck:What are the key issues in diversity in 2005?
Battle:I think the country and the professions have come to accept the value of diversity in American society. When I address diversity, I paint that discussion with a broad stroke...diversity is more than race and ethnicity. It encompasses so many other issues too, such as cultures, what makes us the individuals we are, geographical differences, national origin, our abilities and disabilities, our gender and sexual orientation too...so there are many components and we really cannot speak only in terms of race and ethnicity. Another point I like to make is that we cannot really speak about "them," diversity is about "all of us." We are all diverse! The task is to help professionals see and appreciate individuals as unique. The problem with diversity, in 2005, is not that we don't appreciate and value diversity. It is that the use of the term "diversity" often masks the real problem, i.e., covert and institutional racism. It is easy to recognize the value of diversity. It is not so easy to recognize that even in this great country, racism still is a factor that people of certain racial and ethnic groups face every day. The challenge of this century is to erase racism.
Beck:Those are excellent points, and of course, it goes back to the very foundation of the "melting pot" concept for our nation. If I recall the marble inscription over one of the buildings on the Main Street Campus at U.B, it says something like "Let us each become all we can be."
Battle:Exactly. I think the idea of the melting pot has disappeared. We want to recognize and value each person for their individuality and the uniqueness they bring to every situation. But until we as individuals and professionals can see past skin color and physical appearance, and value individuals for who they are and what they stand for, we will not progress as a college, a school, a society or as a profession.
Beck:Excellent points Dr. Battle. I wonder if you can tell me, as President of ASHA, what percentage of the ASHA membership are racial/ethnic minorities?
Battle:The most recent data I have seen indicates that only 2.7 percent of the ASHA membership identify themselves as members of ethnic minority groups such as Hispanic or Latino and 6.3 percent identify as racial minorities . However, again, we know that percentage is misleading as it does not include so many other relevant diversity factors, which help identify diversity characteristics. ASHA data does include sexual orientation and disabilities, so the ASHA demographic database does encompass more than most, but it too, could benefit from a more comprehensive questionnaire.
Beck:Yes, but then again, another factor to consider with respect to the questionnaire is the response itself, i.e., voluntary participation. In essence, I believe many members are reluctant to answer personal questions such as sexual orientation and disability issues as they feel uncomfortable giving that information to any group, in fear that one day it may be used against them in some form or another?
Battle:Certainly that was an issue, too, just as it is in the U.S. Census data. The best we can say is that the numbers represent at least 9%.
Beck:What about across the USA?If the percentage of people in ASHA that self identify as minority group members is 9 percent, how does that compare to the national statistics?
Battle:Nationally, the numbers are approximately 25 to 30 percent., again with the same problems of voluntary self identification.
Beck:So in essence, the bottom line is that racial/ethnic minorities are essentially under-represented within ASHA. What can you tell me regarding ASHA's roles and responsibilities to better represent minorities, or to better reflect the populations we serve?
Battle:Well, that's a good question, and in fact, less than one percent of the ASHA membership is able to provide professional services in languages other than English, so we have a significant problem beyond just race and ethnicity. T here will not be an easy, quick or simple solution. ASHA's approach to the situation is two-pronged. There is a significant issue to recruit more people of color into the profession. There is also a significant issue to educate all professionals about providing appropriate service to individuals according to their language and according their culture. Continuing education, professional education, materials, resources and other supports are under constant development by the ASHA Office of Multicultural Affairs, under Vickie Deal-Williams. . Recruiting people of color into the professions is very important, but there is much more we need to do. I believe we need to focus on how to provide professional services for the large and diverse populations we serve, in a way that these services are efficiently and maximally provided. So we need to understand the individuals that we interact with, and their needs, on their terms! Not on ours. And this holds for all people we serveeven those in the majority.
Beck:And of course, these are long term goals, as you mentioned previously.
Battle:Sure, change happens, but it happens slowly. I am an African American, and I'm also American Indian. Not many people know that. I was raised in a very low income family in a suburb of Boston with African American cultural values, not American Indian values. Knowing these things about me helps you to meet me on my terms and to better understand my needs and issues. So if I'm the professional addressing communication disorders, I need to know who that client or person is, what their background is and what their individual and personal needs are, before I can help them "address" their speech and language issues.
Beck:Dr. Battle, I know you're schedule is amazingly busy, and I am very appreciative of your time this morning. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.
Battle:My pleasure Dr. Beck. Thanks for the invitation.
-----------------------
For more information on Buffalo State College, www.buffalostate.edu.
For more information on ASHA, www.asha.org
Battle:Good morning, I'm happy to meet with you
Beck:If you don't mind, I'd like to start by learning about your professional background and education?
Battle:Sure thing. I graduated with my bachelor's from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. I did my master's work here at Buffalo State College, and I earned my doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo, also known as SUNY Buffalo, or just U.B.
Beck:Who was your mentor at U.B., and what was your dissertation on?
Battle:I had very good mentors throughout my education and professional life. My undergraduate mentor was Inez Hagerty at U. Mass. When I was at Buffalo State and while I was working at Buffalo Children's Hospital my mentor was Dr. Rolland Van Hattum, also an ASHA president. He encouraged me to get the doctorate and he mentored me in professional service. At SUNY Buffalo, Dr. Mary Mann was my mentor and Dr. Richard Campbell was my dissertation advisor. My dissertation focused on stress patterns used by children with severe articulation and language disorders. We did spectrographic analysis the old fashioned way -- with the burning drum, and we studied production of short sentences. I combined my interest in speech and language disorders with Dr. Campbell's interest in speech science to complete the project. I finished my doctoral studies in 1978.
Beck:That's an amazing coincidence. I went to Buffalo just about that time. Dr. Mann was my advisor and she was the first person that ever mentioned "audiology" to me, and based on her analysis and recommendation, I earned my bachelor's and master's from U.B. too, in Communication Disorders and audiology, respectively. Dick Campbell taught my psychoacoustics and research design classes. OK, that's enough of that....back to your story!
Battle:Small world. U.B. had an amazing faculty in Communication Disorders. Jack Katz, Derek Sanders, John Muma and others. All leaders in their respective areas.
Beck:Where did you go after earning your doctorate?
Battle:Actually, before I earned my doctorate I worked at Children's Hospital for 5 years. In 1970, I joined the faculty at Buffalo State College. I worked at the college full time while I was also a full-time doctoral student and a full-time wife, and mom to two children. I eventually became department chair at Buffalo State and led the program to its first accreditation. The program at Buffalo State was speech-language pathology only, with a strong audiology program for speech-language pathologists. We had a great faculty; Rolland Van Hattum, Don Hess, Stan Dickson, Marshall Duguay and Joe Page, Judy Duchan (before she went to UB), and Nan Lund. The program was small and its curriculum was focused on speech-language development and disorders in pre-school and school aged children. But because the audiology faculty was very strong at U.B., many of our undergraduate students went on to study audiology in their graduate program.
Beck:Dr. Battle, I know you have an enormous interest in diversity and related issues. How did you become so focused on diversity?
Battle:You might say my interest in diversity started when I was born, and developed as I moved through the educational system. My first professional relationship with diversity was as chair of the ASHA committee on the Status of Racial Minorities, in the early 1980's. We wrote the ASHA position paper on Social Dialects. This came about following the integration of schools in the south and across cities in America. It was a time of great immigration from non-European countries and the face of America was changing, as were the needs of our professions. The interest through the 1980's was on awareness of the needs of children who's first language and first culture were not standard middle class American. There was little mention of cultural or linguistic diversity in text books at that time, and ASHA began major efforts in this area. I wrote the textbook on Communication Disorders in Multicultural Populations and numerous textbook chapters and gave talks and began to really focus on multicultural issues in the professions.
About 9 years ago, the new president of Buffalo State College asked me to work on diversity issues on our campus, based on my previous interest in that arena. That's when I left the Speech Language Pathology Department and started as the Senior Advisor to the President for Campus Diversity. As such, we address issues such as recruiting minority faculty and making sure we have diversity in the curriculum, and to see that we reflect and respect diversity and individual difference across the campus. Of course, I still teach a class or two every year or so in SLP, but the majority of my time is spent in diversity.
Beck:What are the key issues in diversity in 2005?
Battle:I think the country and the professions have come to accept the value of diversity in American society. When I address diversity, I paint that discussion with a broad stroke...diversity is more than race and ethnicity. It encompasses so many other issues too, such as cultures, what makes us the individuals we are, geographical differences, national origin, our abilities and disabilities, our gender and sexual orientation too...so there are many components and we really cannot speak only in terms of race and ethnicity. Another point I like to make is that we cannot really speak about "them," diversity is about "all of us." We are all diverse! The task is to help professionals see and appreciate individuals as unique. The problem with diversity, in 2005, is not that we don't appreciate and value diversity. It is that the use of the term "diversity" often masks the real problem, i.e., covert and institutional racism. It is easy to recognize the value of diversity. It is not so easy to recognize that even in this great country, racism still is a factor that people of certain racial and ethnic groups face every day. The challenge of this century is to erase racism.
Beck:Those are excellent points, and of course, it goes back to the very foundation of the "melting pot" concept for our nation. If I recall the marble inscription over one of the buildings on the Main Street Campus at U.B, it says something like "Let us each become all we can be."
Battle:Exactly. I think the idea of the melting pot has disappeared. We want to recognize and value each person for their individuality and the uniqueness they bring to every situation. But until we as individuals and professionals can see past skin color and physical appearance, and value individuals for who they are and what they stand for, we will not progress as a college, a school, a society or as a profession.
Beck:Excellent points Dr. Battle. I wonder if you can tell me, as President of ASHA, what percentage of the ASHA membership are racial/ethnic minorities?
Battle:The most recent data I have seen indicates that only 2.7 percent of the ASHA membership identify themselves as members of ethnic minority groups such as Hispanic or Latino and 6.3 percent identify as racial minorities . However, again, we know that percentage is misleading as it does not include so many other relevant diversity factors, which help identify diversity characteristics. ASHA data does include sexual orientation and disabilities, so the ASHA demographic database does encompass more than most, but it too, could benefit from a more comprehensive questionnaire.
Beck:Yes, but then again, another factor to consider with respect to the questionnaire is the response itself, i.e., voluntary participation. In essence, I believe many members are reluctant to answer personal questions such as sexual orientation and disability issues as they feel uncomfortable giving that information to any group, in fear that one day it may be used against them in some form or another?
Battle:Certainly that was an issue, too, just as it is in the U.S. Census data. The best we can say is that the numbers represent at least 9%.
Beck:What about across the USA?If the percentage of people in ASHA that self identify as minority group members is 9 percent, how does that compare to the national statistics?
Battle:Nationally, the numbers are approximately 25 to 30 percent., again with the same problems of voluntary self identification.
Beck:So in essence, the bottom line is that racial/ethnic minorities are essentially under-represented within ASHA. What can you tell me regarding ASHA's roles and responsibilities to better represent minorities, or to better reflect the populations we serve?
Battle:Well, that's a good question, and in fact, less than one percent of the ASHA membership is able to provide professional services in languages other than English, so we have a significant problem beyond just race and ethnicity. T here will not be an easy, quick or simple solution. ASHA's approach to the situation is two-pronged. There is a significant issue to recruit more people of color into the profession. There is also a significant issue to educate all professionals about providing appropriate service to individuals according to their language and according their culture. Continuing education, professional education, materials, resources and other supports are under constant development by the ASHA Office of Multicultural Affairs, under Vickie Deal-Williams. . Recruiting people of color into the professions is very important, but there is much more we need to do. I believe we need to focus on how to provide professional services for the large and diverse populations we serve, in a way that these services are efficiently and maximally provided. So we need to understand the individuals that we interact with, and their needs, on their terms! Not on ours. And this holds for all people we serveeven those in the majority.
Beck:And of course, these are long term goals, as you mentioned previously.
Battle:Sure, change happens, but it happens slowly. I am an African American, and I'm also American Indian. Not many people know that. I was raised in a very low income family in a suburb of Boston with African American cultural values, not American Indian values. Knowing these things about me helps you to meet me on my terms and to better understand my needs and issues. So if I'm the professional addressing communication disorders, I need to know who that client or person is, what their background is and what their individual and personal needs are, before I can help them "address" their speech and language issues.
Beck:Dr. Battle, I know you're schedule is amazingly busy, and I am very appreciative of your time this morning. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.
Battle:My pleasure Dr. Beck. Thanks for the invitation.
-----------------------
For more information on Buffalo State College, www.buffalostate.edu.
For more information on ASHA, www.asha.org