David R. Beukelman, professor of pediatrics and director of speech-language pathology for UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute of Genetics and Rehabilitation, has received the 2001 Honors of the Association from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
The Honors of the Association and Fellowship in the Association are the highest honors awarded by ASHA.
In an article on the ASHA Web site, Janice Light, professor of communication disorders at Pennsylvania State University, said Beukelman is “clearly, the most influential leader in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) nationally and internationally.”
The announcement on the ASHA Web site also read, in part, “One could argue — and indeed many have done so — that Beukelman’s greatest contribution to the field of communication sciences is to its future, that is, in his role as teacher and mentor. Many of the professionals who now work in the area of (augmentative and alternative communication) are his former students or those he mentored.”
Beukelman was one of seven to receive the award in 2001. He also is professor of special education and communication disorders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.