Under a grant from the Bureau of Health professions, the center for collaborative Research at Thomas Jefferson University conducted an eHealth Training Institute from June 22-27 in Philadelphia. ASHA is a collaborator on this grant. The Institute is designed to provide occupational and physical therapists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with the knowledge and skills to develop web-based health programs for individuals in underserved communities.

A total of six interdisciplinary teams (of up to three people each) were selected to participate in the Institute, including a team of two SLPs and an audiologist: audiologist Janice Trent and Silvia Martinez, both of Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications teamed with SLP Margarita Bautista–Vigas of the Scottish Rite Center for Childhood Language Disorders at the Children’s National Medical Center.

The teams’ selection was based on their proposal, “Talking Fotonovelas for Low Literacy Hispanic and African American Populations,” which would establish a web-based site containing culturally and linguistically appropriate “talking fotonovelas” to be accessed by different service delivery sites.

The talking fotonovelas will be designed to complement speech-language pathology and audiology services by offering low literacy groups an opportunity to receive clinical instructions and health information in a format intended to increase their understanding of service procedures such as audiological evaluation, the nature of speech-language pathologies and hearing problems, and clinical recommendations.

For more information regarding this story please contact the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders at (202) 806-6990.