Grant Deepens Training for Speech Language Pathology Students

A $1.19 million grant will assist graduate students in becoming speech language pathologists.

The U.S. Department of Education awarded a five-year grant to the department of communication sciences and disordersat North Carolina Central University (NCCU). At least 60% of the grant will be used to support 18 graduate students with tuition assistance, stipends, professional development (workshops, conferences) and materials to use in their clinical practicum.

"One of the barriers of going to graduate school is (sometimes) financing," said Yolanda Keller-Bell, Ph.D., interim department chair and project director for the grant.

The grant, SLP Preparation in Evidence-based Approaches for Children with Disabilities (Project SPEAC), is aimed at teaching the graduate students to provide services to school-age children with disabilities who experience delays in literacy and communication. Those disabilities include children with autism, intellectual disabilities like Down syndrome, speech and language disorders and emotional or behavioral disorders.

There will also be an opportunity for graduate students to complete a multilingual concentration, so they can serve children with disabilities who are non-English speakers.

"This grant is especially focused on extending and providing more in-depth services to children with disabilities," said Keller-Bell.