Voices of Value
Interview with Treasyri Williams Wood, Director of Clinical Education at DePaul University
Tell me about your current role, and how you got here.
I am the Director of Clinical Education at the DePaul Speech-Language Pathology Program. I like to think that my whole life brought me to this moment—I consider this my dream job. It is more than just a job to me; it’s my vocation.
I was working as a speech-language pathologist at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab Hospital and came across a person on LinkedIn who was talking about building a program focused on social justice. I had never heard of that before, so I reached out to that person, Jayne Jaskolski [DePaul’s Founding Program Director], and said, “Hi! I see you’re looking for a clinic director. I obtained my doctorate from Northwestern with a focus on leadership and entrepreneurship, I have built clinic models, I was in private practice, and I’d love to talk to you.”
Jayne asked me to apply that same day. It felt right, and we had such an alignment of vision and core values that I came home and told my husband, “I gotta quit my job, I gotta go.” And he said “Where?” and I was like, “I don’t know, it’s not built yet!” The rest is history. From an abstract point of what got me here was a desire to serve people that look like me, and to level the playing field of access to social determinants of health.
That’s beautiful. Thank you for that—it was the perfect close to your lovely introduction! My next question is a big one: what makes DePaul’s program special?
That’s not a big question! That’s my everyday question! Our mission. We follow the tenants of St Vincent DePaul, and have a mission that’s three things: justice, equity, and service through education. We have a statue out front that I walk past every day, and it says, “What are you doing for justice?” I’ve never worked with people that really take a personal responsibility for that mission before, and that’s what makes us so special.
I love that. That’s what makes us so special, too, working with people united by a mission. And it is absolutely different.
At CHAT we use the phrase “Communication Justice.” What does communication justice mean
to you?
Communication justice means that each person deserves a voice and a chance to have that
voice heard.
How would you use ‘communication as a human right’ in a sentence?
Communication is a human right, not a societal privilege.
What is the most important advice you give your students?
I make them repeat after me, “I’m already loved. I’m already chosen. I have everything I need.” We say this after every class, before we go and take a test, and everything. The most important guidance that I give to them is that love is their superpower. We’re told—especially in medicine and health and human services fields—that love weakens you; you’ve got to be tough. But the truth is that if people don’t think you care, they won’t care what you think. I try to impress upon my students that your ability to love deeply and to love courageously and be vulnerable is your superpower.
That’s so different than how we were trained to just go in, do it right, be excellent. And if the client comes along with you for the ride, that’s great! But if not, grab them by the ankle and drag them along. Because, you know, they’ll catch up, you’re helping them, they’re welcome. I think that we have to flip that model on its head.
We’ve gotten to the point in our profession where there has to be so much unlearning, because of the historic model of education. If someone tells you that soft skills like rapport building are not valuable, and that’s your foundation, how are you going to show up in the workplace? The same way they say that what you tell a child when they’re young becomes their inner voice, what you teach a student about a vocation, becomes their inner voice as they are practicing. That then becomes something you have to deprogram before you even get them in the field. That is exhausting and a huge investment for employers.
I’ve known so many people in my career that left the field because of unrealistic productivity expectations, and just didn’t want to run that rat race anymore. I know people who have been asked to do some of the most unethical things because of productivity. It really burns people out. It’s very hard. When we talk about the support we give our staff, candidates are often surprised, but it makes our therapy much more sustainable. That’s a big part of why we have to raise money to keep our doors open. The model for care is not sustainable in this country. We have all these people who want to be speech language pathologists, and we have all these people who need services, and then we have this bottleneck of barriers and a culture of gatekeeping. We’re asking people to go to school and pay $100,000 for their undergraduate education. Most people can’t work during graduate school, so they give up their lives for two and a half years and pay another $85,000 or $90,000 for a graduate degree. Then they go off to be clinical fellows, where their income is a little lower, and come out and make anywhere between $45,000.00 and $85,000.00 on a spectrum that is arbitrary. There’s no guidepost, and they are expected to be responsible for their licensure, and so many other things. Then we tell employers, “Ok here’s what we’re going to do. We know that there’s an SLP shortage, so we want you to hire more people, but before you hire them, supervise them for free. There are no grants, no supplements, no tax breaks, no support. Just take all these students for free, and then we’re going to cut your reimbursement rates by 10%, so now not only do you not make money, but you take a loss for serving poor people. And then we go, “Well, why is there a shortage? We need more people to go into the field, go to more high schools and talk about speech pathology.”
What are your goals for your new leadership role at ASHA?
It’s not the speech language pathology that’s the tough sell, it’s the structural and systemic barriers that keep people from accessing services. We have a pipeline problem and that’s a lot of what inspired me to run for the ASHA Board of Directors—the chance to work alongside lawmakers and stakeholders on what is not a piecemeal problem, but a pipeline problem. There is a level of dysfunction in our profession; we’re like a train with dysfunction at many different stops along the route. It’s not an employer problem, it’s not an employee problem, it’s not a client problem, it’s multifaceted. We have to be able to really identify these structural and systemic issues and dismantle them intentionally.
This work is not profitable if you do it right. It’s just not. I’ve had this conversation with many business owners who have tried to do things client-centered, and you know we have these conversations about value-based care and a fee-for-service model, but there’s no way. As my aunt would say, “the math ain’t mathing!” You cannot do this work correctly with the level of overhead costs that you have and labor and make any money, not even break even. You’re doing an amazing job if you break even. I don’t know anyone who does this work right who breaks even. They usually have to sell something else to break even.
That is so true, and why we are focused on innovating ways to help us get there!
What change do you want to help make in the field of speech language pathology and
healthcare equity?
I would like to change the way that underserved populations are impacted by social determinants of health. Transportation, socioeconomic status, social isolation, and so many other factors impact access. We need to change the entire system. This is a deep need. I want to change and dismantle harmful structures of oppression. Then after that I want world peace!
Well sure. If we dismantle, the collective good ‘we’, there’s a lot of good ‘we’! If we dismantle some of the structural oppression, we’re effecting quite a bit of world peace right there.
We sure are. When you say “we,” that is so important to me. My strategy for doing this is to create critical mass. If I teach and if we do a program in a clinic, I can make a whole little army of little me’s. And they can go out and make a little army of “little thems”, who can make an army, and then eventually we will have the critical mass and take something that was so small and minute and make it the norm: that everyone deserves a voice, and everyone deserves the chance to have that voice heard.
That is just exactly it! I have two more questions. What would you tell your 22-year-old self, and your 10-year-old self if you could talk to them now?
I would tell my 22-year-old self to ignore others. I would say to her: “Girl, ignore them, because God has not given them the same assignment that he has given you.” I would tell my 10-year-old self: “Everything that makes you different right now is a gift. Your funny name with the weird spelling, your uncanny ability to memorize things, your ability to make anyone laugh, your size, the color of your skin, your curly hair, your crooked-tooth smile. It’s all a gift, a gift that you are going to use one day to help someone else.”
You’re very good at this. You should be interviewed frequently. My last question for you is, if you could tell people just one thing about CHAT it would be…
Oh! CHAT is on the move and we need to catch up! They are progressively heading in the direction that I think is going to define the landscape of what our future profession is going to look like, and we as a profession need to catch up.
I love that! Thank you!
$100 HELPS CHAT PROVIDE
$500 HELPS CHAT PROVIDE
$1000 HELPS CHAT PROVIDE
MAKE IT MONTHLY.
Upcoming Event – June 3
Community Corner
CHAT’s New Board Members
CHAT is governed by a Board of volunteers to help lead our organization. Recently, CHAT welcomed three new members. We caught up with them to learn more about what drives them to lend their time and talents to CHAT:
What drew you to CHAT?
Upon seeing how CHAT advocates and positively impacts communications struggles that I see my own family struggle with AND hearing of the justice, equity and inclusion aspect of their mission, I was convinced that this organization is where I wanted to be and help make an impact through my own efforts. Heart and thought strings were well-tugged.
Why do you serve/give your time to CHAT?
Nothing is more satisfying to me than to make a lasting and positive impact to people’s lives. We’re leaving our world to our children so prioritizing efforts that ensure helping make them the best people they can be are no-brainers to me. CHAT is a key vehicle by which I want to contribute making that lasting and positive impact.
What are you excited to accomplish now that you’re on the Board?
I want to work with the Board and CHAT team to continue building the growth strategy leveraging creative approaches. It’s important to keep the great value being provided to the community, family, and especially the children so optimizing the operations, revenue streams and value delivery will always be top-of-mind.
What drew you to CHAT?
My daughter has a speech disorder due to an early diagnosis of epilepsy and a subsequent brain surgery that impacted her Broca’s area, which is a key component of a complex speech network. As a result, I have sought to learn as much as possible about how to help her. Through a serendipitous introduction, I met Karine Fiore, CHAT’s CEO, and was impressed by her knowledge in this space and her advocacy for children who need access to life-changing speech-language services. Not only is Karine a strategic, thoughtful leader, she and CHAT’s entire team approach their work through an equity lens. They seek to make visible the systemic barriers that often preclude equitable access to speech-language services for all children.
Why do you serve/give your time to CHAT?
Simply put, I believe in CHAT’s mission. I have seen firsthand the benefits of speech therapy for my daughter. It is exhilarating to witness the development of her social and self-advocacy skills as her ability to speak expands. Diverse learners are often overlooked or misunderstood, especially those whose families have limited resources, limited English, or lack access to private therapy because they are underinsured. CHAT doesn’t turn away any child for lack of funds; the majority of students they serve receive scholarships.
What are you excited to accomplish now that you’re on the Board?
I’m excited to help raise awareness about CHAT’s mission and to build its roster of supporters. One in twelve children has a speech or language disorder, and CHAT is the only nonprofit organization dedicated to speech and language services in Chicagoland. Giving to CHAT makes an immediate impact on a child. More specifically, I hope we can identify a leader in Chicago – maybe on a sports team – who has an affinity for CHAT’s mission because they received speech services themselves or have a child who does. Their representation as a leader and advocate for children with communication disorders would be very powerful to young people.
What drew you to CHAT?
I’ve always been a part of events and groups that have given back to the communities. Be it volunteering at church, or mentoring kids who have no other source of a parental figure. So, the mission of CHAT resonates well with me. I was introduced to CHAT through trusted colleagues. After meeting the people who are leading CHAT, the other board members, and the SLPs employed by CHAT, the decision to join the board was validated in my view. Seeing passion like that only drives me to find ways where I can help the organization in any way possible.
Why do you serve/give your time to CHAT?
My life has been filled with volunteering. It started at my community church where we still do service projects every year. It continues at work where I am the Chicago office diversity chair. My job is to share the diverse community we have at work and share the various cultures our colleagues are bringing to work every day. I also firmly believe that we have to do everything we can to help kids succeed in life. The services CHAT provide are crucial to giving kids who typically are left behind because they are unfairly deemed as not good enough when, in reality, they just need a little help that we can provide to give them a chance to flourish and showcase how great they really are.
What are you excited to accomplish now that you’re on the Board?
I’m excited to help CHAT raise as much money as possible, because I know that every dollar we raise is going to be used to help a kid who deserves it.
CHAT Child
Navigating the Unknown: Alex and His Family Search for Answers
When Alex was a child, he was a puzzle no one could figure out.
When Alex was two years old, he taught himself to read. But his parents noticed that he was having trouble socializing and he would get sensory overload at birthday parties. His parents sought help, but in the span of a couple weeks, one doctor said their son was gifted; another said he was developmentally delayed.
While searching for answers for many years, Alex’s mom saw our founder, Phyllis Kupperman, speak about hyperlexia in their home state of California. Afterward, Alex’s mom determined she needed to bring her son to Illinois to see Phyllis. When they did get to Chicago for an evaluation, it was confirmed that Alex was a hyperlexic learner.
This was a place with answers. This was a place that could help their son. Alex’s parents decided to move to Illinois to get Alex the help he had so desperately been missing his whole life.
Alex started at CHAT when he was ten years old. Alex and his parents were told that he would never be able to write. But nothing is real for a hyperlexic learner until it is written down. So, one of the first things CHAT did with Alex was write down the instructions on how to write an “H,” and Alex was able to follow those instructions immediately. Within a week he was writing words. Within a month, he was writing complete sentences.
Alex received services at CHAT from ten years old until he was twenty-one. With CHAT’s help, Alex was able to develop skills in conversational language and hyperlexic learning techniques. Alex was able to graduate high school and participate in social groups.
Alex helped his dad establish a small business dedicated to employing disabled individuals and making delicious chocolates and lemonade. Alex interacted with customers and wrote notes on every receipt. Today, Alex lives with his mother in Arizona and is living every day to the fullest.
Alex’s story is representative of many children seen at CHAT. When searching for answers with a lack-of or even a new diagnosis, the road is difficult to navigate. At CHAT, we meet each child where they are at, build on their strengths, and advocate for the development of their confidence and self-sufficiency. CHAT sees the whole child and serves the whole family. The road to answers does not have to be lonely – CHAT is here to help.
Extra Chatty
Ms. Erika Reaches Clients through Music
The love of music was instilled in Ms. Erika by her grandmother, “Wawa.” For 10 years, Ms. Erika sang in the high holiday choir and travelled to different gigs within the Jewish community with her Wawa as her vocal coach. She took piano lessons, learned to play the guitar, and participated in musicals throughout high school. Later on, Ms. Erika would teach herself how to play the ukulele.
All of this talent came in handy when she was assigned to make a video for the phases of the cell cycle in 9th grade Biology. She took popular songs and changed the lyrics to science words (and she still remembers the words to this day!). This assignment was an epiphany for Ms. Erika. Having a learning disability herself, she found that using her strength in music allowed her to bridge learning difficulties into areas that were not her strong suit, like science.
Knowing what it has meant for her, Ms. Erika has brought the gift of music into therapy to help others. Framing therapy sessions with a “Hello” and “Goodbye” song provides routine for clients who need structure. Ms. Erika thinks of implementing music into therapy as another learning style. She has also found that it helps clients try something new because it’s fun! Not all clients will be a fan of music, but for right audiences it helps with transitions, vocabulary, memorization, and understanding material.
For anyone considering ways to connect while working with children, Ms. Erika advises the following: “Just try things out and don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself!”