Asian Pacific Islander Speech-Language-Hearing Caucus

News & Events

API Online Dialogue Series (No. 2): Speech-Language Therapy in Cambodia

This Online Dialogue features Elizabeth Chafcouloff, Alice Smith, and Sidrich Chhour and their clinical, academic, and volunteer work in Cambodia. In this 3-part dialogue, they discuss:

  • Their work providing speech, language, and swallowing services in Cambodia;
  • Their involvement with Speech Therapy Cambodia, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide SLP education and certification; and
  • How you can get involved with these efforts!

Part 1: Alice Smith

Dr. Alice Smith is a speech-language pathologist who has taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the University of Arizona, and the university of Iowa. She specializes in craniofacial disorders and is Chair of the Speech Council for Operation Smile International. Dr. Smith has provided speech therapy for children in Cambodia since 2002. She adopted two children in Cambodia in 2000 and 2001.

Dr. Smith provided a social and historical context for understanding Cambodia as a developing country and its need for speech, language and hearing services. She discussed the impacts of poverty on access to healthcare and education in Cambodia. She also shared her own experiences working with children and training professionals in Cambodia through Operation Smile Cambodia, All Ears Cambodia, her own E & E Speech-Language Therapy Clinic over the last 15+ years, and her partnership with Elizabeth (Betsy) Chafcouloff via Speech Therapy Cambodia since 2013.

Resources mentioned in Alice’s video:

Part 2: Sidrich Chhour

Mr. Sidrich Chhour is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Communicative Disorders. He is currently employed as a therapist in Applied Behavioral Analysis. He volunteered with Elizabeth in Cambodia in July of last year. Sidrich is a second generation Cambodian-American and he shared his family’s story of immigration to the U.S. as refugees. A search for “Cambodia and SLP” while he was an undergraduate led to him finding Elizabeth and Speech Therapy Cambodia. He shared his impressions of Cambodia and what he learned from his visit as a volunteer.

Resources mentioned in Sidrich’s video:

Part 3: Elizabeth Chafcouloff

Ms. Elizabeth Chafcouloff is the director, president, CEO, and founder of Speech Therapy Cambodia. She has 14 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist, treating speech, language, swallowing, and cognitive disorders. She specializes in work with the geriatric population. Ms. Chafcouloff travels to Cambodia for 5 months each year to develop speech therapy programs.

In this presentation, Ms. Chafcouloff recalled falling in love with Cambodia and how that led to the founding of Speech Therapy Cambodia. The mission and goals of Speech Therapy Cambodia include treatment for adults and children, training of medical professionals, and building local capacity for speech-language therapy in Cambodia. Ms. Chafcouloff described the nature of the work, what they’ve accomplished, how the program has grown, the challenges along the way, and the need for more volunteers. She discussed future directions, such as supporting the first university-level course in speech-language pathology in 2017, expanding to village communities, tracking patients’ long-term outcomes, and fostering Cambodian teachers of speech pathology.

Resources mentioned in Elizabeth’s video:

API Online Dialogue Series (No. 1): Passing the Torch

The aim of the API Caucus Online Dialogue series is to promote conversation and engagement around issues relevant to speech, language, and hearing wellness in the API community. The theme of our inaugural Online Dialogue on April 3, 2016 was Passing the Torch. We had conversations with two long-serving and accomplished API pioneers and ASHA members: Ms. Melody OuYoung and Dr. Kenneth Tom. They recounted how they got their start in the Communicative Disorders field; reflected on the challenges and rewards of being among the first API professionals in the field; and shared their advice for the next generation of API professionals.

In part 1 of the dialogue, we talked with Ms. OuYoung who shared her first years as graduate student in Illinois from Taiwan and how she became interested in speech-language pathology. She reflected on the tremendous amount of work and personal growth required to reach where she is today. She urged new professionals coming in the field to find their own confidence and strength.

“It’s not how other people look at you. It’s how you look at yourself.” 

In part 2 of the dialogue, we conversed with Dr. Kenneth Tom who discovered speech-language pathology through a background in music and performance. He shared his experiences growing up in San Francisco and what he learned from his family . He credits his mentors for showing him what’s possible and advised each of us to reach out to others.

“When you make known what you do, you not only are affecting your patients, your own work, and the environment, but you’re acting as a model. You’re visible.”

In the final part of the dialogue, we opened the conversation to all of the participants. We enjoyed a lively discussion about issues affecting practitioners who are non-native speakers of English, how to be an effective professional communicator, and how to promote more awareness of the Communicative Disorders field within the API communities.

Honoring the Contributions of Asian Pacific Islanders

“In honor of API Heritage Month, the following profiles highlight two pioneering ASHA members who have dedicated their life’s work to the advancement of API issues.”

The content above was originally published in Tan, Greta T., Yee, Michelle, Kuo, Christine Y. (2008). Honoring the Contributions of Asian Pacific Islanders. The ASHA Leader, 13 (7), 23. doi: 10.1044/leader.FTR3.13072008.np.

May is Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month

“May is a month of many celebrations. In addition to being Better Hearing and Speech Month, May is also nationally designated as Asian Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month, which commemorates and recognizes the inherent diversity of API languages and cultures. It is a celebration of the achievements and contributions of API communities in America.

ASHA promotes issues related to API communities through organizations such as the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Multicultural Issues Board, and Multicultural Constituency Groups. The API Caucus is one of the six ASHA Multicultural Constituency Groups and comprises speech, language, and hearing professionals and students who are from an API background or have shown an interest in the API communities.

The API Caucus began in 1985 as a small group of speech-language and hearing professionals who held their first meeting at the ASHA National Office. Lilly Li-Rong Cheng recognized this forum as the beginning of an organization that could foster culturally and linguistically appropriate services and education for the API population. Through this forum, API professionals made presentations and began an ongoing dialogue about the API populations at ASHA, and slowly and steadily gained a presence for the API community. These events eventually led to the formal establishment of the API Caucus.” (…Read full article at http://leader.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=2289757.)

The content above was originally published in Tan, Greta T. (2008). May is Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The ASHA Leader, 13 (7), 23. doi: 10.1044/leader.AN2.13072008.23.