BOONE—Clients of Appalachian State University’s Communication Disorders Clinic have easier access to services following the clinic’s move to the first floor of University Hall behind Staples off Hwy. 321 in Boone. For years, the Charles E. and Geneva S. Scott Scottish Rite Communication Disorders Clinic has been located in Edwin Duncan Hall on campus, a location that presented challenges in terms of adequate clinical space and access to parking.

All of that has changed with the facility’s move.

“Having adequate space to serve our clients has been an issue for many years,” said Mary Ruth Sizer, clinic coordinator. “Because of the age of Edwin Duncan Hall, the clinic didn’t meet Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. While we have always done a remarkable job with the location we had, this new location provides us a state-of-the-art facility that meets ADA and client confidentiality requirements.”

The new space has six therapy rooms with observation rooms, a preschool language and communication classroom with bathrooms sized for youngsters, and a new audiology booth that provides easier access for clients who may have impaired mobility.

“The larger therapy rooms will give our students more room to work with children. It has been difficult to work with children at a table appropriate for the size of the child, or be able to get on the floor and work with them. It’s just phenomenal to have that kind of space,” Sizer said.

The clinic now has separate waiting areas for adults and children, a room with lockers for the student interns, and a break room for staff. It also will have on-site parking for clients.

The clinic was established in September 1968 as a training facility for students majoring in communication disorders.

The clinic also provides prevention, assessment and treatment of speech, language, swallowing, and hearing disorders. It serves people from infancy to geriatrics. It also provides services to children with language and reading disabilities regardless of their family’s ability to pay for these services.

The Communication Disorders Clinic is one of the clinics housed in the Institute of Health and Human Services in University Hall.

For more information about the clinic, visit http://www.cdclinic.appstate.edu/ or call 828-262-2185.

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