President's Initiative 2024: OpportuniTEAM

What is OpportuniTEAM?

“OpportuniTEAM combines the word ‘opportunity’ with ‘team’ to describe a group of individuals coming together to work collaboratively toward a goal. Sharing a vision and feeling unity. Being proactive and innovative. Creating opportunities for the successes of others. This teamwork can be seen through interprofessional practice, interprofessional education, and professionals working with families, friends, and the community. I want to celebrate members who are doing these things.”

Submit a Team to be Featured

ASHA is looking for members who embody OpportuniTEAM. Are you an ASHA member who has worked in a professional setting with other specialists to help a client or clients? Have you seen the impact a client's friends, family, and/or network can have on health care outcomes? Have you partnered with members of your community to make a difference?

Tell us all about your teamwork, and you may be featured on ASHA's social media and website!

Submit a team

OpportuniTEAM: Advancing AAC Access with Assistive Technology Innovators

The Westchester Institute for Human Development is dedicated to improving the lives of people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families through professional education, direct service provision, and innovative research. This team of speech-language pathologists (SLPs), occupational therapists, and assistive technology (AT) specialists transform communication access for individuals with complex needs. Their collaborative efforts have impacted families, schools, and preschools by enhancing access to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) through cutting-edge technology and personalized interventions.

The team is neurodiverse, and includes an eye gaze user, two quadriplegic team members, and an individual with dyslexia. They support individuals across the lifespan, including those with progressive neurological disorders. By offering solutions such as dark mode and custom page sets, they ensure that AAC devices remain accessible, even as needs evolve. They have also worked with multilingual SLPs to provide language-appropriate resources, ensuring that AAC interventions are culturally and linguistically relevant.

The team has created a sustainable model for providing AAC resources, including free or heavily discounted 3D-printed keyguards. Their ongoing collaboration with neurodiverse experts and AAC users ensures that their interventions are continuously refined to meet the unique needs of the community. They share these innovations through free resources on their website and YouTube channel, ensuring that individuals worldwide benefit from their work.

See their YouTube channel and website.

OpportuniTEAM: East Tennessee State University Baby Steps Team

At the East Tennessee State University (ETSU), the Baby Steps Clinic, audiologists and speech-language pathologists are key players in a comprehensive interprofessional team dedicated to supporting children from birth to age five who have been affected by prenatal substance exposure.

Working within ETSU Health Pediatrics, this collaborative team partners with families to ensure the best possible outcomes for these children. By identifying developmental needs early and providing evidence-based interventions, the clinic aims to support each child’s growth and help them reach their full potential.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recognized the clinic as a “Promising Practice,” highlighting its innovative approach to enhancing primary care for children affected by prenatal opioid exposure.

The team includes an audiologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, registered dietitian, board-certified pediatrician, community partners from Tennessee Early Intervention Services and Families Free, and a licensed substance abuse treatment and mental health provider.

OpportuniTEAM: Arkansas EARS Program

Audiologists and SLPs in the EARS Program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital work with students ages 3 to 18 in the state who are deaf/hard of hearing. They collaborate with the students’ educational institutions, family members, and clinical professionals. The team also helps facilitate hearing screenings for students in Arkansas. And they partner with community stakeholders to provide education and support at events for families who have children who are deaf/hard of hearing.

EARS Team Manager: Rachel Sievers, CCC-A. EARS Team Members: Shelby Bellew, CCC-A; McKenzie Csonka, CCC-A; Lana Eggleston, CCC-SLP; Darby Jackson, CCC-A; Jessica Newman, CCC-A; Dee Petersen, Audiologist; Melissa Robertson, CCC-A; Erika Studer, CCC-SLP; Carly Verucchi, CCC-A.

OpportuniTEAM: Shakespeare and Autism

A team of SLPs, music therapists and music therapy interns, and actors at the Bridgeway Academy and Therapy Center in Columbus, Ohio, are teaming up with Ohio State University’s Theatre department to offer Shakespeare and Autism—a theater program for Bridgeway clients ages 8 to 28. Clients play Shakespearean drama games and put on musical performances for their family and friends. These activities create opportunities for social interaction, emotion demonstration and recognition, story understanding, and more.

Team members: Alexa Reck, CCC-SLP; Sarah Arnold, CCC-SLP; Allie Baldwin, CCC-SLP; Melissa Sechnick, CCC-SLP. Occupational Therapists: Brooke Lovett and Allie Michael. Music Therapist: Heather Redding. Music Therapy Interns: Brittany Bambauer, Faith Burns, Rianne Gebhardt, Alisa Giammarco, Hannah White, Weijie Zheng, and Sydney Zupnick. Mental Health Clinicians: Chyann Martin and Kelly Shane.

OpportuniTEAM: Connect and Play

Farwa Husain, CCC-SLP, created the Connect and Play summer program in Raritan, N.J. The Connect and Play team integrates speech, occupational, and physical therapies. The team brings their expertise to work together on all activities. The children also have enrichment sessions in art, music, and yoga to complement these services. "Our team members collaborate seamlessly, drawing from their expertise," Farwa tells ASHA. Connect and Play also provides year-round assistance to children and their families, including webinars, book clubs, and face-to-face meetups.

Core team leads: Farwa Husain, speech-language pathologist; Dr. Joni Redlich, physical therapist; and Nina Britz, occupational therapist. Enrichment leaders: Alex Gonzalez, drumming circle; Emily Templin, music; Loring Nagle, yoga; Sarah DeWire, art; and Ali Cho, farm.

OpportuniTEAM: A Visit to The Inspiration Center in Belize

A team of SLPs, SLPAs, and a music therapist who traveled to provide care to children with speech and language needs in Belize. Ebony Green, CCC-SLP, tells us the team joined with the The Inspiration Center in Belize City to support capacity building and access to care in this community. They held a clinic that provided screenings, therapy, and parent education. The team plans to go back again this year. "Many of the parents were happy to get their questions answered. The patients received care in the short term, and parents received strategies for carryover at home," Ebony Green, CCC-SLP tells ASHA.

Members of the team include: Quintina Briscoe, CCC-SLP; Ebony Green, CCC-SLP; Sucheta Kamath, CCC-SLP; Ann Lake, CCC-SLP; Silvia Sandoval, SLPA; Amy Schafer, SLPA; Edgar Serrano, SLP; Nathan Servilican, MT-BC (music therapist); Adrienne Williams, CCC-SLP; Alice Williams, SLPA.

OpportuniTEAM: Cochlear Implant Center

IPP in Action: Cochlear Implant Center
The Cochlear Implant Center at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) uses the teamwork of interprofessional practice to help improve patient care and outcomes, increase efficiencies of care, and enhance patient and team satisfaction. See how they use an “integrative approach to bring a cohesive and holistic view of patient care to every patient, every time.”