“Communication is what makes us human. It is what builds friendships and relationships.”
1. What inspired you to pursue a career in Speech Language Pathology?
My initial introduction to the field came when I was younger, as my family was a foster family. While I was growing up, we fostered around 18 different children. Eventually, we adopted my younger brother, who was seven at the time. Many of the children we took in had various speech differences, such as lisps or selective mutism. We had a speech therapist come to our home to work with them. Later, during my undergraduate studies at UCF, I initially pursued nursing but realized it was not the right fit for me. I began exploring other options and eventually shadowed a speech language pathologist at a place called CECO. One of the students there had a cochlear implant, and I would wear a microphone on my shirt to help her hear me better. At the same time, I was learning ASL in college. I studied it for two years in class, and the student with the cochlear implant also knew ASL. Being able to communicate with her through sign language was a powerful experience, and it helped me understand the real impact of communication access.
2. How was your experience with learning ASL in Undergrad?
Although I’ve forgotten most of what I learned during my two semesters of ASL, I really wish I had continued studying it after graduation. My professor was Deaf and taught the entire class in ASL. At first, it was challenging—the pace was fast—but it was also really fascinating. We didn’t just learn the language; we also learned about Deaf culture and the difference between “Deaf” with a capital D and “deaf” with a lowercase d. I came to understand that ASL is not the same as spoken English. In ASL, you don’t sign every single word like “the” or “and.” Instead, it’s more about structure and hand placement, with signs flowing together to form meaning—like a connected sentence. I originally thought ASL was just signing every word you would say out loud, but it’s much more complex and nuanced. One of the coolest parts was when our professor gave each of us a unique sign name.
3. What is the misconception when people see others doing ASL?
I feel like when people see someone using sign language, they often assume that person cannot speak. Hearing individuals sometimes avoid approaching because they think, “I don’t know sign language, so I can’t communicate with you.” But I believe we should all make the effort to communicate with others, even if it is not in the same way we are used to. That mindset is one of the reasons I chose speech language pathology as my career path.
4. What does communication mean to you?
Communication is what makes us human. It is what builds friendships and relationships. Without communication, there is a sense of isolation. I know how frustrating it can be to feel misunderstood when it comes to expressing our feelings or needs. Communication is a fundamental part of human life. There are many different ways to communicate and many different aspects to it. I believe a lot of people misunderstand communication as only speaking verbally, but it is much more than that. Communication includes facial expressions, gestures, and body language. These are all important parts of communication that many people tend to overlook.
5. How can someone improve their behavior regarding treating other people with hearing loss, or disabilities in general?
The best thing we can do is educate others. I believe that many times, when people act in a mean or discriminatory way, it comes from a place of insecurity or lack of understanding. They simply do not feel informed. That is why it is so important to keep advocating and educating those around us. As a society, we need to do more to support and advocate for people with disabilities as a whole. Too often, people are indifferent to the experiences of others without making an effort to learn. If you are educated, you should feel encouraged to share that knowledge and help others grow in their understanding too.
Key Takeaways
Haworth emphasized that communication is not limited to spoken language. Greater awareness of different communication needs, along with education and open conversations about hearing loss, can reduce misconceptions and create more inclusive interactions.