Legislators receive awards

Rep. Tracy Edge When the S.C. Legislature returned for the 2009 session members of the S.C. Speech Language Hearing Association (SCSHA) treated the them to a low- country shrimp and grits breakfast to thank them for their hard work.

SCSHA president- elect Dr. Juliet Stoute- White welcomed those assembled and presented awards to Sen. Hugh Leatherman and Rep. Tracy Edge, each of whom had their own stories about the benefits they or family members had received from speech and hearing professionals.

Those present at the breakfast were treated to a premier showing of "The Cost of Silence," a portrait of reimbursement challenges faced by the families of children with hearing impairments in South Carolina. It was produced by the STAR Subcommittee of SCSHA with grant funds from the American Speech Language Hearing Association.

The production chronicles the journey of 2008 SCSHA ambassador Jay Price from the day he failed his newborn infant hearing screening through his experience with hearing aids and cochlear implant. Families and hearing professionals share the woes of the antiquated and complicated reimbursement system and the difficulties it poses for children and their families.

Sen. Hugh Leatherman Nationally renowned author and lecturer Dr. Carol Flexer, professor emeritus at the University of Akron, also provided video clips for the project. Rep. Tracy Edge issued a special appeal to consider the cost of underfunding or not funding highly successful early intervention programs in these tight budget times.

Dr. Juliet Stout- White