On May 21 from 6:00-7:30, the NYC chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America will present a panel discussion of diversity in the hearing professions. Diane Martinez, a Florida audiologist who specializes in cochlear implants, will be joined by Karen Beverly-Ducker, the Senior Director of Multicultural Practices at American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and Lyssy Pastrana, a chapter board member. Our panelists will discuss disparities in hearing-health care from both the provider and patient perspective. Does hearing loss affect different ethnic groups differently? Audiology has traditionally been largely white. Is this changing? What accounts for the disparity in audiology — and in speech-language pathology and in ENT medicine, if that is also the case in those areas? From the patient perspective, the panel will discuss the use of hearing aids and cochlear implants in the non-white population. Does a shortage of professionals of color mean that patients of color are less likely to seek care? Does the cost of hearing-health care disproportionately affect nonwhites?
‘Diane Martinez, AuD, is a cochlear implant audiologist and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of South Florida. Prior to returning to the classroom, she worked as a CI audiologist at the University of Miami’s Department of Otolaryngology Cochlear Implant Program. During her 15 years there, she provided cochlear implant programming and evaluation services for adults and children. She also provided clinical education to audiology interns, externs, and domestic and international visiting professionals. Current projects include: evidence-based practice in cochlear implant programming and managing the adult Spanish-speaking cochlear implant candidate/recipient.
Karen Beverly-Ducker, MA, CCC-A, CAE serves as the Senior Director of Multicultural Practices in ASHA’s Office of Multicultural Affairs. She is a certified audiologist, certified association executive, and an ASHA Fellow. Prior to joining ASHA, she worked in a variety of settings including a public school system, the federal government (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), the private practices of Ear Nose and Throat physicians, and an acute care hospital. In her current role, she leads a team of three speech-language pathologists. The mission of the team is “to engage and support ASHA members in the recognition of and response to cultural influences in every communication exchange throughout their professional work”. She also serves as the ex-officio to ASHA’s Multicultural Issues Board. Ms. Ducker has authored multiple articles that focus on multiculturalism in the Communicative Sciences and Disorders discipline. She is a co-editor of Exploring Cultural Responsiveness: Guided Scenarios for Communication Sciences and Disorders Professionals.
Lyssy Pastrana has had hearing loss since the age of 35. She gradually lost her hearing and began wearing hearing aids in 1989. In 2022, she decided to have surgery for a Cochlear Implant. As a person who has been active in the Spanish community in East Harlem, she realized that there was a lack of information on hearing loss and decided to create Lyssy Warriors for Hearing Loss. Lyssy has been holding workshops since 2022 at senior centers. In addition, she is a board member of the Hearing Loss Association of America’s New York City Chapter and is on the committee of the Bronx Disability Advisory Council. She is also a photojournalist.
If you would like to join us for this captioned program, click here
After registering, you will receive an email with the Zoom link.
