american speech–language–hearing association american speech–language–hearing association the american speech–language–hearing association (asha) is a professional association for speech–language pathologists, audiologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists in the united states and internationally. it has more than 218,000 members and affiliates. american speech-language-hearing associationformationdecember 1925 (1925-12) (as american academy of speech correction)new york city, new york, u.s.headquarters2200 research boulevardrockville, maryland, u.s.chief executive officervicki r. deal-williamswebsiteasha.org the mission of the american speech–language–hearing association is to promote the interests of and provide the highest quality services for professionals in audiology, speech–language pathology, and speech and hearing science, and to advocate for people with communication disabilities. the association's national office is located at 2200 research boulevard, rockville, maryland. the organization also has an office on capitol hill. vicki r. deal-williams is currently serving as the association's chief executive officer. history asha was founded in 1925 as the american academy of speech correction. the current name was adopted in 1978. council for academic accreditation the council for academic accreditation in audiology and speech–language pathology (caa) is the accreditation unit of the asha. founded over 100 years ago by american universities and secondary schools, caa established standards for graduate program accreditation that meet entry-level preparation in the speech and hearing field. accreditation is available for graduate programs with a master's degree in speech–language pathology or clinical doctoral program in audiology. asha membership benefits professionals of communication sciences and disorders (csd) can become members of asha. these professionals include audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech-language-hearing scientists. as of december 31, 2021, there are more than 218,000 members and affiliates of asha. opportunities asha membership brings include access to publications associated with asha, to continuing education programs through asha, to a platform to network with other csd professionals, to career-building tools, and to money-saving programs. special interest groups asha sponsors special interest groups (sigs) within the organization as a means of promoting community and learning in more specialized topics. as of 2016, asha has 19 established special interest groups (sig). these have been added through the years. asha members can be a sig affiliate of any number of sigs, with each affiliation requiring nominal yearly dues. the 19 sigs are: sig 1: language learning and education sig 2: neurogenic communication disorders sig 3: voice and voice disorders sig 4: fluency and fluency disorders sig 5: craniofacial and velopharyngeal disorders sig 6: hearing and hearing disorders: research and diagnostics sig 7: aural rehabilitation and its instrumentation sig 8: audiology and public health sig 9: hearing and hearing disorders in childhood sig 10: issues in higher education sig 11: administration and supervision sig 12: augmentative and alternative communication sig 13: swallowing and swallowing disorders (dysphagia) sig 14: cultural and linguistic diversity sig 15: gerontology sig 16: school-based issues sig 17: global issues in communication sciences and related disorders sig 18: telepractice sig 19: speech science