Our primary purpose is to optimize students' freedom of communication and language choice by offering instruction to enhance overall communication skills and improve self-confidence in functional use of the English language across modalities. We recognize that students make decisions about communication in educational, social, and professional situations. As a result, they should participate in decision-making about goals for instruction. This is why we uphold an “adult-learner” model for services, meaning we prioritize collaboration with students in the endeavor of improving their communication. Students play an active role on multiple levels, such as identifying goals and priorities, selecting activities, and assessing progress and functional application of learned skills. We respect and use each students' preferred mode(s) of communication (spoken English, American Sign Language, sign-supported speech, AAC).

The Speech & Language Center was constructed in 2000 primarily to provide a facility to support students' attainment and improvement of communication aspects, particularly related to confidence and use of receptive and expressive English skills. Today, what students can target has broadened and may include, but are not limited to: articulation, voice, pronunciation, vocabulary usage, English grammar, executive functioning, pragmatics, self-confidence and advocacy, conversation management and monitoring, listening and speechreading, public speaking and presenting, group discussion techniques, interpersonal and intercultural communication, and professional communication, including job interviewing and networking.