The creation of the Joint Audiology Commission (JAC) emerged from the Audiology Foundation of America (AFA) Standards and Equivalency conference convened in Atlanta, GA in February 1995. It was the consensus of the 125 audiology attendees to form an independent body to facilitate the transition of audiology to a doctoral level profession. This body was given responsibility for establishment of an audiology controlled accrediting body for Au.D. programs.
Capt Linda Morris, AFAA President, represented AFAA at the recent Joint Audiology Commission (JAC) meeting in Salt Lake City on 21 April 1996. Items of business included review of the JAC Governance and Structure Document, goals for the JAC and objectives for the next meeting. Members performed a line by line review of the Governance and Structure Document and several changeswere suggested. A key revision to the document included restriction of the mission statement to development of an independent accreditation agency by the audiology profession. Additionally, responsibility for past contributions to the S&E conference, or any other financial obligation to past events, was deleted from the document. It was decided to forward the Governance and Structure document to each audiology organization. Membership in the JAC will be open to all audiology organizations who support the mission statement. All audiology organization, including ASHA, will be invited to join. Members voted for JAC Chairperson, Dr. Carol Flexer to provide a press release of the Governance and Structure Document and an open invitation for all audiology organizations to join.
The goal of the JAC is reflected in its mission statement. Specifically, the mission of the JAC is to facilitate the establishment of an audiology-controlled accrediting body for Au.D. programs. With the adoption of this mission statement, the formulated goals for the JAC were deemed redundant and were not discussed further at the meeting.
The next JAC meeting will be held in conjunction with the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists Annual Convention on October 27, 1996 in Las Vegas. Agenda items for the next meeting include: a report on organizations joining the JAC, election of officers, a budget for operating expenses, and an overview of the current accreditation process including the role of ASHA in this process.