Episode Details

In 1968, the ASHA Convention became a moment of rupture. Not because of disorder, but because long-standing tensions were finally named. This episode examines what happened when Black clinicians challenged the limits of a profession that defined itself as “neutral,” and what that moment revealed about power, voice, and professional growth.

We explore:

• The Denver moment: Why ASHA leadership responded to internal and external dissent with heightened security.
• The “birdwatcher” debate: Whether a professional association can remain technically neutral in a socially unequal world.
• Exit and voice in action: How the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing emerged.
• Clinical consequences: How this advocacy reshaped the profession’s understanding of difference versus disorder.

Sources:

• Malone, R. (1999). The first 75 years: An oral history of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
• Williams, R., & Wolfram, W. (1977). Social dialects: Differences vs. disorders.

Connect:

• Contact Megan: therapyinsights.com/insideslp
• PACT Survey: pactsurvey.com