We appreciate ASHA providing free unlimited access to the learning pass over the last three months due to the coronavirus. However, many of us were really unable to set aside time to take advantage of it. Although we all have different reasons, some of us were parenting full-time due to daycare closures while others were adapting to teleworking. Many SLPs have faced emotional stressors to include reduction of hours/wages or job loss altogether. Most notably, many of us are actively on the frontlines as essential employees serving COVID+ and non-COVID+ patients alike. Clearly, these sudden changes have impacted our collective ability to participate in furthering our education and skill set via CEUs within the specified timeframe. 

While ASHA has since noted that they will be offering short-term free access to the Learning Pass for ASHA members in crisis, this stance is dismissive of the fact that all of us have faced crises of our own related to the coronavirus. Many of us have emailed ASHA to petition individually and have been met with no definitive answers. Asking us to submit a hardship appeal adds insult to injury during these challenging times. Furthermore, ASHA's decision to make the ASHA Learning Pass free to faculty through December 2020 is an affront to SLPs in all other settings who would likewise benefit from both instructional resources and ASHA CEUs. Further making a distinction between the use of the ASHA Learning Pass for instructional resources vs. for obtaining ASHA CEUs is exclusionary and defeats the very purpose of the ASHA Learning Pass.

It would be wonderful if ASHA took all of the aforementioned details into consideration and extended the learning pass through the end of the year for all SLPs; this simple action would go a long way towards making the membership feel truly valued and heard.