News

School of Communication Sciences and Disorders is a better reflection of the school’s activities.

When the School of Human Communication Disorders was first created at Dalhousie in 1976, the name appropriately reflected the School’s mission and vision. The word ‘human’ was added because at the time, the word ‘communication’ often referred to the emerging technology field. Those who established the School wanted to make it clear that its purpose was not IT-related.

Over 40 years later, the School decided to change its name to better reflect the programs and services they provide. The new name — dropping the word ‘human’ and adding ‘sciences’ — is a better representation of the School’s broad scope of activities. It’s also more widely recognizable and consistent with similar schools across North America. The change was based on broad consultation with current students, alumni, faculty, staff, and local, regional and national associations affiliated with the School.

“The name School of Communication Sciences and Disorders more accurately tells the story of who we are,” says Dr. Joy Armson, Director. “It’s more of an umbrella term to encompass more fully the scope of activities within the School, which is much broader than disorders.”

Dr. Michael Kiefte, professor within the school, agrees. “We felt the name was somewhat antiquated and not quite accurate. A lot of what we do is not focused on disorders, such as our Accent Clinic. We wanted the name to include the basic sciences, and the advocacy work that we do and highlight the diversity of activities we provide.”

A wide range of services

The School of Communication Sciences and Disorders offers a wide range of programs and services within its clinics:

• The Aphasia Clinic offers a variety of programs for adults with aphasia
• The Audiology Clinic providing hearing assessment services for members of the public
• Dalhousie Hearing Aid Assistance Programs fit and provide hearing aids to low income seniors and individuals who receive income assistance
• The Neuroaudiology Clinic offers advanced audiological testing of both the peripheral and central auditory system, such as testing for auditory processing disorders
• The Accent Clinic offers pronunciation-training services to improve communication abilities of speakers whose first language is not English.