Curriculum Guide to Grassroots Advocacy in SpeechLanguage Pathology and Audiology

1
Curriculum Guide to Grassroots Advocacy in
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

• Module 1 Understanding the Value of Advocacy

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What Is Grassroots Advocacy?

• Organizing coalitions and using a variety of
  tactics to achieve a public policy goal
• Providing legislators with adequate information
  to make informed decisions on an issue
• Providing regulatory agencies with adequate
  information to make informed decisions about
  regulations

3
What Are the Goals of Grassroots Advocacy?

• Asks something of othersindividuals, groups, and
  institutions
• Makes demands of political systems and policy
  makers
• Deals with conflicts that might otherwise not be
  addressed
• Engages people who have an interest in a policy
  or issue to take action

4
What Are the Types of Grassroots Advocacy?

• Get a bill introduced in the U.S. Congress or
  state legislature
• Change a bill that has been introduced
• Oppose a bill that has been introduced
• Ensure that a bill is enacted into law

5
What Are the Types of Grassroots Advocacy?

• The two types of advocacy are
• Legislative Advocacy
• Regulatory Advocacy

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Examples of Federal Legislation and Regulatory
Activities

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  (IDEA)
• Occupational Safety and Hazards Association
  (OSHA)
• Medicare Health Insurance Program

7
What Is Legislative Advocacy?

• Legislative advocacy is aimed at
• Introducing a bill in the U.S. Congress or state
  legislature
• Changing a bill that has been introduced
• Opposing a bill that has been introduced
• Ensuring that a bill is enacted into law

8
Examples of State Legislation and Regulatory
Activities

• State licensure laws for speech-language
  pathologists and audiologists
• State education regulations
• State health department regulations mandating
  universal newborn and infant hearing screening
• State Medicaid programs

9
What Is Regulatory Advocacy?

• Regulatory advocacy is aimed at
• Influencing governmental agencies that are
  responsible for developing, implementing,
  monitoring and enforcing regulations at the
  federal or state levels

10
What is Local/Community Legislation and
Regulatory Advocacy?

• Local and community legislative and regulatory
  activities are aimed at
• Actions that occur through the initiatives of
  elected or appointed local representatives
• Pertain to counties, municipalities, townships,
  cities and school districts

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Examples of Local/Community Legislation and
Regulations Activities

• Local noise ordinances
• Local taxes
• Local school district initiatives

12
What Are the Benefits of Grassroots Advocacy?

• Increased commitment to shared goals by
  speech-language pathologists and audiologists and
  legislators
• Greater success in implementing planned advocacy
  strategies, including legislative, regulatory,
  and media initiatives

13
What Are the Benefits of Grassroots Advocacy?

• Shared knowledge and expertise between
  professionals and legislators
• Increased cohesiveness and willingness of
  professionals to work together on future
  grassroots advocacy efforts impacting on the
  professions
• Generation of grassroots advocacy initiatives as
  a group that may not be generated on an
  individual basis

14
What Are Some Obstacles to Grassroots Advocacy?

• Lack of understanding of the system
• Lack of knowledge of proposed legislative and
  regulatory changes
• Lack of ongoing communication between
  professional and consumer groups
• Lack of knowledge about whom to contact

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What Is the Role of ASHA in Grassroots Advocacy?

• Analyze federal legislation that affects the
  professions of speech-language pathology and
  audiology and monitoring its status
• Coordinate grassroots advocacy initiatives by
  ASHA members on important federal health,
  disability, and education policy issues

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What Is the Role of ASHA in Grassroots Advocacy?

• Facilitate congressional visits by ASHA members
• Organize ASHA and its members in the political
  process through an effective political action
  committee

17
What Is the Role of ASHA in Grassroots Advocacy?

• Lobby Congress on behalf of the professions
• Participate in other political activities, such
  as coalition building on mutual legislative
  objectives
• Increase the visibility of the professions to
  Congress

18
What Is the Role of ASHAs Government Relations
and Public Policy Unit in Grassroots Advocacy?

• Develops ASHAs Public Policy Agenda
• Lobbies the U.S. Congress and other federal
  governmental and regulatory agencies
• Develops state and consumer advocacy plans

19
What Is the Role of ASHAs Political Action
Committee (PAC) in Grassroots Advocacy?

• Influence the election of individuals to national
  office who can affect policy change impacting on
  the professions
• Raise funds and promote the interest of the
  professions
• Encourage the understanding of government among
  ASHA members

20
What Is the Role of the State Speech-Language-Hear
ing Associations in Grassroots Advocacy?

• Monitor state legislative activities that may
  affect the professions
• Identify legislative objectives for a state
  association to focus on to advance the
  professions
• Develop and maintain a member grassroots advocacy
  network
• Educate members about grassroots advocacy

21
What Is the Role of The National Student Speech
Language Hearing Association in Grassroots
Advocacy?

• National organization for undergraduate and
  graduate students in communication sciences and
  disorders
• NSSLHA has chapters on 285 college/university
  campuses internationally and nationally
• Provides opportunities for students to learn
  about and to engage in professional grassroots
  advocacy efforts

22
Advocacy in Action Success Stories of Grassroots
Advocacy by ASHA Members

• Advocacy Pays Off for School Providers in
  Mississippi
• The State of Ohio Wins Budget Victory
• Louisiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association
  Advocacy Efforts Result in Changes to the
  Licensure Law