To Whom It May Concern—

My name is Norah AlJunaidi and I am a clinical fellow in speech-language pathology. I am writing in regard to the ethics complaint against Dr. Ianessa Humbert. I am appalled and discouraged by this situation. I entered this field to not only provide skilled therapy in the areas of communication and swallowing but to serve and advocate for all clients. Many I see in the private practice setting are people of color who need an SLP that looks like them. Additionally, it’s very apparent who is lacking in our field, and instances of clear racist intent like these are exactly why we have only 8% of racial minorities. The voices that we and more importantly, our clients and patients, so desperately need. It is on us to allow for black women to succeed in our field, to move it forward the way Dr. Humbert has done. With that in mind, I have come to the following conclusion: 

The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) should be encouraging ALL its clinicians, notably the PHD-educated ones, to push the envelope of our clinical skills and expertise. And while this endeavor may sometimes lead to new territory that makes us feel uncomfortable —or it may perhaps fail altogether— it is unacceptable to censure such forward- thinking individuals. Seen in this way, Barbara Sonies’ and Paul Rao’s complaint isn’t just unwarranted at face value, it also represents a series threat against those who strive to advance our collective knowledge. As a new and fellow clinician, I formally and unequivocally express my condemnation of Barbara Sonies’ and Paul Rao’s complaint as well as ASHA’s concomitant investigation. Although this complaint has since been retracted, and the investigation terminated, this incident has already sent a chilling message to current and future professionals in our field that they risk losing their license if another party (unjustifiably) believes they have thought a little too far out of the box, especially when other white professionals do the same. This discourages me as a early career professional, and makes me question whether I’ll be able to see the change at the administrative level that myself and many other SLPs work so hard to achieve. There is a clear message that ASHA does not support diversity. Time and resources are spent investigating this claim when it could be addressing the greater systemic and workplace challenges that SLPs have been bringing up for years. 

In conclusion, I call on ASHA to perform an internal review of the Board of Ethics to determine whether procedure was followed and if a formal investigation of Dr. Humbert ought to have been pursued. If that’s the case, there are many other SLPs that are to be investigated as well. I also call upon Barbara Sonies and Paul Rao to respond to this matter and issue an apology. 

Each party— ASHA, Barbara Sonies and Paul Rao — has a unique responsibility to repair the damage they have caused our profession and the institution of learning; I look forward to seeing their efforts to rectify this wrong doing. 

Respectfully, 

Norah AlJunaidi M.A. CF-SLP