2026-2027 Monthly Blogs

August/September 2026

Hello, my name is Maya Newton, and I serve as the Corresponding Secretary for Purdue University’s chapter of NSSLHA. In August, the executive board met to review roles, set expectations for the year, and plan engagement opportunities, and on August 27th we proudly represented NSSLHA at the Purdue HHS Resource Fair by promoting the organization to incoming students. Our first meeting of the year was also held on August 27th and served as a callout, where we introduced the organization, officers, and advisors, provided a semester overview, and highlighted opportunities such as volunteering with Grants House, National NSSLHA, and Student Advocacy Day. We also played a friendly game of trivia to allow members time to mingle amongst each other. On September 22nd we hosted a freshman and sophomore panel featuring upperclassmen and faculty who shared advice, experiences, and ways to get involved within the SLHS department and across campus, followed by a graduate school panel on September 29th for juniors and seniors, which included professors and graduate students representing the SLHS, AuD, and PhD pathways. In addition to these events, the executive board held three planning meetings to prepare for future activities, and we are looking forward to our upcoming volunteer opportunities!

October 2026

We had a busy October here at Purdue University NSSLHA! On October 6th, we hosted a viewing of the short film, “Detachable”. The film follows a young deaf woman who wakes up in the back of a car and discovers that her cochlear implant processor is missing. Unable to hear without it, she retraces her steps from the previous night, trying to piece together what happened. Meanwhile, two children discover a mysterious magnetic object in the grass. The two storylines gradually converge, exploring vulnerability, independence, and the challenges of navigating the world when communication and connection are disrupted. We had meaningful discussions centering around Deafness and accessibility, independence, vulnerability, communication, and the importance of understanding experiences different from our own.

Later in the month, on October 20th, we had our Trick or Treating Halloween Meeting. Members got to participate in various different Halloween and SLHS themed activities and received candy for completing each station. Stations included: Pin the Vowel on the IPA Chart, SLHS Imposter, a Mad Gab, a Fingerspelling Challenge, Halloween IPA Challenge, Trivia, and a word search. Our ISHA Liaison, Jill, also presented to our members about the importance of student advocacy, ISHA, and ways to get involved. Mya Taylor, who is also a  NSSLHA Student State Officer for the Central Region, also shared about her experience with student advocacy. 

Finally, on October 22nd, we participated in Student Advocacy Day. We held a tabling event where officers from NSSLHA, SAA, and the Student Advocacy Council shared information about how we can advocate against Medicaid budget cuts! Participants also had the opportunity to send letters to Congress in support of the act. Additionally, throughout the month, our executive team held multiple meetings to plan upcoming events and check in with one another about our roles. We are looking forward to November to host both our Aphasia Guest Speaker and Shireen Hafeez, the founder of Deaf Kids Code!