Across the country, state speech, language, and hearing associations are reimagining how students engage in advocacy. Through hands-on experiences, mentorship, and creative programming, state associations in Washington, Florida, Kentucky, and Indiana are building meaningful pathways for students to develop their voices as future professionals. Although each state approaches advocacy differently, several clear themes emerge:

• Preparation matters.
• Experience is transformative.
• Students do not need to be policy experts to make an impact.

Washington: Preparation That Leads To Action

Washington’s state advocacy model stands out for its emphasis on authentic, real-world preparation.

A large-scale preview webinar brought together a lobbyist, a clinician, and an advocacy leader to help students understand not just what to say but how to communicate effectively. This preparation translated into action, with students participating in dozens of legislative meetings across multiple districts during their most recent state advocacy day in Olympia.

What makes Washington’s approach unique, however, is its focus on the unpredictability of advocacy. Students reported navigating meetings that ranged from 2-minute conversations with aides to longer, more formal discussions. They quickly learned to

• adapt messaging in real time;
• prioritize key talking points ; and
• not only deliver concise “elevator pitches” but also share longer narratives.

Students also encountered unexpected questions—such as the role of artificial intelligence (AI)—in the field, highlighting the importance of critical thinking and collaboration with practicing clinicians.

The model that Washington employs does more than just prepare students for advocacy—it also readies them for the reality of advocacy.

Florida: Building a Continuous Advocacy Pipeline

Florida takes a different approach by focusing on sustained engagement over time.

Through its annual Hill Day, students in the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (FLASHA) gain hands-on legislative experience alongside clinicians. However, what sets Florida apart is what happens outside of that single event:

• “FLASHA on the Road” brings advocacy and networking opportunities to different regions of the state.
• Student-focused convention events, including networking sessions and a Knowledge Bowl, create accessible entry points for engagement.
• Grant support from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) helps reduce financial barriers to participation.

These initiatives ensure that students are not only introduced to advocacy but are continuously exposed to it throughout their training. This model works so well for Florida because they normalize advocacy as a regular part of professional life—not just a single, one-time experience.

Kentucky: Bridging Training and Application

Kentucky’s advocacy initiative—known as Train and Educate Advocates through Mentorship (TEAM)—offers a very structured and comprehensive approach to advocacy training.

The program is intentionally designed as a two-phase experience:

• Virtual Training: Students learn about the state’s legislative process, advocacy tools, and communication strategies.
• In-Person Application: Students participate in legislative visits, observe committee meetings, and engage directly with state policymakers.

What makes this model especially impactful are its hands-on learning components:

• A “100 for 1” competition where students design advocacy one-pagers
• Guided legislative visits using student-created materials
• Development of advocacy action plans to bring back to their programs

This approach ensures that students not only learn about advocacy but also create, apply, and sustain it. Kentucky is bridging the gap between knowledge and action by making advocacy practical and transferable.

Indiana: Representation and Scale in Advocacy

Indiana highlights two powerful elements of advocacy: (1) consistent student involvement and (2) professional representation.

Each year, the Indiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association brings 30–50 students from across the state to participate in Advocacy Day. This level of participation reflects strong collaboration across university programs and a shared expectation that students will engage in advocacy as part of their training.

Indiana also demonstrates the impact of having professionals embedded within the legislative process. Having a state legislator, Chris Campbell, who is also an audiologist provides a unique advantage, ensuring that policy discussions are informed by clinical expertise and real patient needs. Additionally, clinical faculty across Indiana’s university programs routinely testify as subject-matter experts on legislation affecting audiology and speech-language pathology. For students, this visibility reinforces that advocacy extends beyond a single event.

Indiana highlights that advocacy is strongest when it exists at every level—from students to clinicians to policymakers.

Takeaways and Reflection

Across states, one message is clear: Advocacy is not something students learn once; it is something they grow into.

The most successful initiatives achieve the following critical results:

• Prepare students with practical, relevant skills
• Provide real-world opportunities to apply those skills
• Support students through mentorship and collaboration
• Reinforce advocacy as an ongoing professional responsibility

Perhaps most important, these programs challenge the idea that students must wait until they are “experts” to get involved. Instead, programs like these demonstrate that showing up, being willing to learn, and engaging in the process is enough to make a meaningful impact—no matter one’s age or level of career experience.

As state associations continue to refine their approaches, the goal remains the same: to empower students not only as future clinicians but as advocates for their profession and the patients they serve. By prioritizing preparation, mentorship, and meaningful engagement, these initiatives are shaping a generation of professionals who are ready to lead both in the clinic and beyond.