Hit By A Truck At Age Five, Ahmad Alexander Recovered and Has Grown Up Wanting To 'Give Back' Through The Field Of Audiology
(Rockville, MD - June 1, 2009) A truck hit Vacherie, LA native Ahmad Alexander when he tried to cross the street as a five-year old. The accident landed him in a hospital for five days, three of which he spent in a coma. Three years of speech therapy helped Alexander fully recover from his injuries.
The work of communications science professionals made a strong, positive impression on Alexander. So much so that it stayed with him long after he recovered and grew up. Years later, he decided to pursue becoming an audiologist when he was an undergraduate at Nicholls State University.
Alexander's is one of two personal stories of communications science professionals that is prominently featured on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA) home page (www.asha.org) as part of ASHA's Share Your Stories project. The initiative highlights the difference audiologists and speech-language pathologists make in people's lives, making the professions more approachable, familiar, and accessible to the public.
Currently, Alexander is a doctoral candidate at Louisiana Tech University and serves as a graduate assistant in the Department of Speech. He expects to receive his doctorate next year. Alexander also is the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) representative to the Audiology Advisory Council and a member of the NSSLHA Executive Council.
"A great passion of mine is seeing the joy that individuals receive when professionals help them to communicate better," Alexander says during his Share Your Stories video. "That is the most rewarding experience I could ever have in the field of audiology."
"Giving back is a common theme among our 135,000 members," according to ASHA President Sue Hale. "Often, I hear from audiologists such as Ahmad, as well as speech-language pathologists, about how rewarding it is to have the opportunity to make a real difference in people's lives—that our work is about much more than the tangible benefits of a salary and job security."
ASHA plans to regularly feature segments from its Share Your Stories project on its home page (www.asha.org). "We think it's a great way to introduce the public to our members—to the kind of people they are, as well as the great value they contribute to society through their work," Hale says.
