Speech Therapy Telepractice Program

International School Suva, Fiji is committed to rigorous and high academic standards and instillation of ideals of life-long learning and responsible global citizens. The school strives to ensure that every student leaves ISS with an international understanding, an ability to think critically, act with compassion, care about themselves and others and display the attributes of School Wide Learner Outcomes.

The University of Maine, Speech Therapy Telepractice program has partnered with ISS by providing telepractice services to the children at the International School Suva for several years. This multicultural experience provides an opportunity for Maine CSD students to work one-to-one with children from several different countries with a variety of speech and language impairments.  Since Fiji does not have speech-language pathologists, the children at ISS have access to speech therapy services delivered from University of Maine.  

Hartford-Sumner Elementary School and Buckfield Junior-Senior High School, are two schools within RSU#10 district in western Maine who share the belief that their primary responsibility is to provide a quality education for all children; to establish an atmosphere where children can grow academically as well as socially, physically, emotionally, morally, and mentally; to ensure that curricula are sound and current and that basic academics are defined and taught. All children will learn and be educated to their potential. In addition to raising the expectations of learning, we must stress teaching skills, which include emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking.

The University of Maine, Speech Therapy Telepractice Program has partnered with RSU 10 by providing telepractice services to the children at the elementary and middle/high schools for several years.   This service fills a critical need for speech-language pathology services in the Western Foothills community while providing the CSD graduate student clinicians with a multifaceted experience of working with children in an american public school.  “I have confidence in the quality of instructional practices and pedagogy. Student instructors are continually reflecting on best teaching practices as part their program, and there are strong levels of communication with our school team (despite the distance involved). During IEP meetings, I hear parents who are engaged, who ask questions, and who express satisfaction with the overall effectiveness of this program towards their students progress.” George Reuter, Principal, Buckfield Jr./Sr. High School. 

    The Aphasia Center of Maine is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, whose mission is to enhance the lives of persons with Aphasia and to help them grow. Our goal is to provide recreational, educational, and emotional support to those affected by Aphasia and their families. In addition, the Center is a resource to the general public and medical community to increase awareness in all things Aphasia.

The partnership between the two organizations focuses on enhancing the quality of lives of people with aphasia (PWA)  who regularly participate in programs sponsored by the Aphasia Center of Maine. Tele practice services include individual speech therapy sessions and aphasia communication groups to maintain connections of PWA who live  throughout different parts of Maine.

    Next Generation Foundation of Maine    

Our founder had a special feeling for people who are “defenseless,” as she put it especially children. Growing up, she experienced privilege at times, along with hardship and even grave danger. These experiences gave her a strong sense of fairness. In 2000 she decided it was time to take her good intentions one step further and formed this family foundation. While she was alive, the Foundation conducted a small, informal grants program each year. With a new infusion of funds from the founder’s estate, the trustees launched a large grants program in 2014. We received 726 Letters of Inquiry, of which 115 were invited to submit full proposals. From May to November 2014, we made 80 site visits and awarded grants to 79 organizations (some of which we did not visit). We are guided by our founder’s heart and mind in every decision we make. We support nonprofits in ways that make them stronger.

In align with their mission, the Next Generation Foundation of Maine generously awarded the UMaine Telepractice program funding to support operational costs, student training, equipment and related costs to provide speech-language services to children and adults with disabilities across Maine. 

   Healthy Peninsula takes the best of what our communities already offer and links services together in ways that reflect what communities want. We bring community and regional partners together to establish common agendas, adopt shared measurable goals, and pursue evidence-based actions that reinforce one another’s work and further those goals. Over the years, we’ve helped create a number of successful community-owned programs, including the Magic Food Bus, Sedgwick Head Start, Friendship Cottage, Ready by 21, Farmers and Families, and, most recently, Thriving in Place Downeast. We believe that anything is possible when open minds and good hearts come together.

Healthy Peninsula provided one of several Thriving in Place Downeast grants to support a pilot project between the Friendship Cottage in Blue Hill and the University of Maine Speech Therapy Telepractice Program. Friendship Cottage provides adult day services to dependent adults who may be coping with physical, mental or memory challenges. UMaine graduate student clinicians offer remote speech-language services to adults with cognitive and linguistic decline who attend the day treatment program.