Spring, 2009

The purpose of the Legal Issues Seminar is to increase your awareness and develop your understanding of the laws which impact the work of speech-language pathologists and to appreciate how our work is regulated. The laws selected for inclusion represent the major constructs effecting how we do our job in a variety of workplaces. Conspicuously absent from the Seminar are the major laws impacting the function of speech-language pathologists in the education work sector. These laws have intentionally been omitted as they are covered other courses in the Department's curriculum.

As a professional, you should not feel controlled by or be a "victim" of the law. In the same way that knowledge of laws pertaining to driving a vehicle serve to protect you and others, knowledge of the laws we will be studying should serve to guide your work and reassure you that you are doing what is proper and required.

Its easy to feel disenfranchised from the law, the legal system, and the entire democratic process. Too many people feel that their voice doesn't matter and there is far too little that they can do to effect change in the law. This can result from not participating in the legislative process; not voting for the people who will represent you and your interests; not communicating effectively with those who represent you to support legislation that will impact your work and those you serve. As an introduction to the advocacy process, we will be meeting with our legislative representatives in their Capital HIll offices to lobby for legislation and represent our interests in the democratic process.

The goal of this Seminar is to promote your understanding the laws and legal mechanisms that impact the profession so that the work of speech-language pathologists, today and in the future, will be guided by both ethical and legal values which best serve our interests.

Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the Office of Special Student Services at 412-396-6658 in Room 309 Student Union to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.

© Rentschler, 2009