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by Joyce Burke and Greg Weimann
Better Hearing and Speech Month (BHSM)—which kicks off May 1—offers communications professionals an exceptional opportunity to showcase the value of speech, language, and hearing services. Wherever you work, BHSM can serve as an excellent way to raise awareness of audiology and speech-language pathology and to market your services. To assist you, ASHA offers a wide variety of materials and free products:
- BHSM poster. (see page 18).With "Communication for Life" as the BHSM theme, ASHA has created a colorful poster, which is included in the special BHSM section of this issue. The poster can be displayed in a classroom, waiting room, or used as a graphic element during group presentations. Additional posters also can be purchased for a nominal fee by calling ASHA Product Sales at 888-498-6699.
- Specialty items with BHSM logo. T-Shirts, mugs, pencils, buttons, and other items displaying the 2003 BHSM theme are available for purchase at www.asha.org/bhsm or call toll-free 866-234-2476. They can be used as giveaways at community health fairs or as gifts.
- Interactive Web site. Visit the BHSM site to find sample resolutions, public service announcements, and press releases. You can also use the materials for newsletters, direct mail, or newspaper articles. Discuss your BHSM ideas with peers by e-mailing your ideas to bhsm@asha.org. Some may be published in The ASHA Leader.
- Communication activity book. This free ASHA resource can help educate school-aged children and their parents about the importance of communication skills. Copies can be downloaded from the BHSM section of the web site. With word searches, word scrambles, mazes, and crossword puzzles, this book is a great giveaway to distribute in schools, health fairs, and waiting rooms. To order, contact the Action Center at 800-498-2071, or e-mail actioncenter@asha.org.
- Screen saver. ASHA has created an eye-catching screen saver that can be easily downloaded from the BHSM section of the Web site.
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