For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey, 901/678-2843

Dr. Linda Jarmulowicz

The program, “Working with Interpreters,” is designed to address the national shortage of audiologists and speech-language pathologists who have specialized cultural and linguistic knowledge and training. Beginning Nov. 1, 27 U of M student clinicians will be trained via a modified academic program and onsite/external clinical experience.

Clinic beneficiaries will include pre-school-aged and school-aged children and their families from culturally and linguistically diverse populations who exhibit mild, moderate, or severe speech, language, or hearing disabilities. Particular focus will be on the growing Hispanic population in Memphis.

In the competitive program, three students will be chosen to participate each semester. They will each be assigned a pediatric clinical placement and will contribute 10 clinical hours a week for two semesters in a new clinic with onsite interpreters, in addition to completing academic coursework requirements. In return, the students will receive four semesters of financial support, including tuition, fees, and a stipend.

Students who successfully complete the program will graduate with an emphasis on cultural and linguistic diversity (CLD) within their broader program of study

“We are very excited about the opportunity not only to train our students better, but also to address a need in the community and in our profession,” said Dr. Jarmulowicz, principal investigator of the project. “We are also looking forward to developing relationships with community leaders and with other programs at the University of Memphis. This project has some interdisciplinary components that will allow us to interact with and benefit from programs like the Interpreter Training Program in the School of Public Health and with the Center for Research in Educational Policy.”

Other organizations closely involved in the program are local school systems and Latino Memphis.

For more information, call Dr. Linda Jarmulowicz or Teresa Wolf at 901-678-5800.