Members of the Munroe-Meyer Institute Department of Speech-Language Pathology participated in two events in May to raise awareness of its services.
The Blue Rose PRCA Charity Rodeo, held May 2-3, benefited Scottish Rite. Scottish Rite Masons support MMI’s RiteCare Clinics.
The MMI team manned a booth and provided information about the clinics, which offer care to patients with a wide range of speech and language disorders, said Susan Fager, PhD, director of the speech-language pathology department. The clinics, which are spread across the country, are funded by Scottish Rite Masons. Nebraska locations, which include three affiliated with MMI, are in Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings and Kearney.
“These events really allow the public to understand what we do at RiteCare,” Dr. Fager said. “You often don’t know until you have a family member in the clinic.”
The department also collaborated to display Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices during the Common Senses Festival at the Kiewit Luminarium, May 10 to June 1. Feedback on the display has been positive, Fager said.
“It gives people real experience to try the technology and experience what it’s like to use a communication device when you’re not able to use your speech,” she said.