Armed with the knowledge of the systemic inequities of our country reflected in our education, health care, and criminal justice systems, CHAT is the place for a social justice-minded clinician, or the perfect partner for an organization or school that shares our values.
In our schools, we serve students who are at risk of falling behind, of having difficulty learning to read and reading to learn, and of underperforming on standardized tests. We serve students who are often overlooked and underserved, including students of color and students whose families can’t pay for outside services. We serve students whose struggles in school put them at a greater likelihood of getting caught up in the school-to-confinement pipeline and dropping out of school. At CHAT, we take this sobering reality as a call to action—we are determined to do everything we can to empower these students and break this harmful cycle. Through our speech therapy services, we hope to chip away at the systemic barriers that disadvantage these students and provide them with the communication tools needed to succeed.
As we grow and become more involved in the communities that surround us, we are continually developing partnerships with community organizations that align with our mission to help us reach more of the individuals that need us the most. In 2019, we launched a practice area to provide gender affirming voice services for transgender/gender non-conforming (GNC) individuals, and are working to begin serving juveniles involved in the criminal legal system, youth experiencing homelessness, survivors of domestic abuse, and other vulnerable, overlooked, or misunderstood populations who need therapy and may not otherwise have access.
This work demands that our clinic remain proactive and adaptable for our multiple communities and service locations. We meet our students where they’re at, reaching them through our clinic, at their schools, and wherever else they are needed. As COVID-19 has turned our world upside-down, we have transitioned our services to 100% teletherapy to serve where we are needed, today.
If you would like to help us make these important changes in the community, please consider donating or getting involved as a volunteer. If you are a like-minded organization that would like to partner with us, please contact Brittany today.
About Brittany, CHAT's Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Lead Social Justice Warrior
Brittany (she/her/hers) first came to CHAT in 2012, when her opportunity to shadow founder Phyllis Kupperman solidified her decision to attend graduate school in speech-language pathology. She returned to CHAT to complete her clinical fellowship in 2016 and has stuck around ever since. Brittany brings a passion for social justice to her role and recently spearheaded a fundraising effort that led to the development of our new transgender/GNC voice and communication practice area. She is thrilled to continue to help expand CHAT’s impact, foster inclusive communication, ask the tough questions, and both support and push boundaries as needed for our employees and the people we serve.
Brittany holds a Bachelor of Arts from Connecticut College, where she majored in Anthropology and minored in Linguistics and Spanish. She received a Master’s of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Boston University, and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) and Illinois licensure as well as a Professional Educator License. She lives in Hyde Park with her partner and two beloved cats.