CASLPA History Book - Celebrating 35 Years
of Growth and Achievement!

CASLPA CELEBRATES 35th ANNIVERSARY (PDF)

1999 marked the 35th anniversary of CASLPA, and celebrates its extraordinary growth into a dynamic national organization that uniquely supports and represents Canadian speech-language pathologists and audiologists. The history of CASLPA is also about the simultaneous successes and growth of these two professions, and how a unified national body has helped them advance and excel in their fields. It is a tribute to the exemplary efforts of hundreds of volunteers, from all provinces and territories, who have worked together to bring CASLPA this far.

It all began in November 1964 when 14 Canadian speech and hearing professionals, who met in San Francisco during the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) conference, voted to establish the Canadian Speech and Hearing Association (CSHA). The event capped sporadic attempts over a number of years to establish such an organization. Positive feedback from a survey of provincial associations endorsed forming a Canadian organization and helped spur the group to action.

Key objectives of the new CSHA, which remain well entrenched today, were to establish and maintain high national standards of training and practice for the professions, develop ties with existing provincial associations and their services, and build the membership. From the beginning, the Association quickly established its equal commitment to both speech-language pathology and audiology.

The newly elected first CSHA executive was president Isabel Richard, who worked with the Speech & Hearing Department, Child Guidance Clinic of Winnipeg, vice-president David Kendall, of the University of British Columbia, and secretary-treasurer Adam Sortini, of the Speech & Hearing Clinic in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The professions were just starting to bud in Canada, and were painstakingly beginning to define and validate their place within the realm of medical science, health, and education. Many provincial associations were in the throws of getting established, such as the Speech and Hearing Associations of the Atlantic Provinces, Alberta, and Ontario. Groups in Québec, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba were set up in the early to late 1950s.

Within this climate of expansion and expectation, CSHA flourished. It didn't take long for the Association to became an important platform for the continuing struggle for professional autonomy and other concerns of the professions, including training, and recognition of the expanded scope of expertise.

CSHA held its first independent conference in Halifax in 1976, with over 300 attending. Membership had reached 400, and by 1984, it had grown to 1,000. In 1985, CSHA officially became CASLPA - the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists. It marked the coming of age of CASLPA as a professional association: a unified voice for the two rapidly evolving professions. CASLPA set a landmark that same year when its certification process was officially introduced. The first CASLPA-certified member was Andrée Durieux-Smith, AUD(C).

As CASLPA entered into the 1990s, progress brought new challenges. The continued explosion of innovations widened discussions of scopes of practice. There was growing interest in building ties with supportive personnel, joint provincial/territorial membership, and other forms of collaboration.

In 1994, CASLPA relocated its National Office from Toronto to Ottawa, armed with an expanding staff to meet the needs of its growing membership and activities. Approaching the threshold of the millennium, the Association took on several initiatives to strengthen itself for a complex new world. A key strategy was to widen collaborations. CASLPA reached a milestone in April 1998 through joint membership agreements with several provincial/territorial speech and hearing associations, and a reciprocity agreement with the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. A second strategy was the adoption of the Carver model of governance. It calls for a Board of Directors, which sets the policy. The Board's role is strategic while the staff's role is operational.

Throughout its growth, successes, trials and victories, CASLPA never lost sight of its original purpose to champion the ethics and standards of the professions, promoting the highest academic and clinical standards, and supporting members' concerns and needs. The focus has remained on giving the best service to our clients - people with communication disorders.

Today, CASLPA embraces over 4,000 members from all provinces and territories, and ensures that they are well represented in the Association's annual conferences and full executive infrastructure. The Association's growing legacy includes expanded membership categories, recognized national professional standards, an annual awards program, an enhanced Code of Ethics, timely bilingual publications, proactive public and media awareness activities, quality government relations, career opportunities, insurance plans and other enhanced benefits.

As we celebrate 35 years of growth and achievement, we remain vigilant in advancing the highest standards, and in sharing our skills, knowledge, and training to meet the needs of those we serve.

This remarkable 35-year history would not be complete without paying tribute to all members, old and young, long-standing or just entering into the field, who love their work and won't stop championing the concerns and needs of the customer.

Congratulations to all the dedicated S-LPs and Audiologists, who have made this CASLPA history such a rewarding journey, and success story.

Happy 35th Anniversary CASLPA!