Whereas the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for decades championed Better Hearing and Speech Month, now known as National Speech-Language-Hearing Month; Whereas communication disorders are among the most common conditions in children and adults, affecting tens of millions of people in the United States; Whereas unaddressed difficulties with speech, language, hearing, and swallowing can negatively impact academic, employment, and social success, as well as quality of life; Whereas audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids, and speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech, language, swallowing, and cognitive-communication disorders; Whereas hearing loss can be present at birth, happen instantly, or, most commonly, develop over time from excessive noise exposure, aging, or a combination of factors; Whereas the number of adults in the United States 20 years or older with hearing loss is expected to increase from 44,100,000 in 2020 to 73,500,000 million by 2060; Whereas at least 46,000,000 people in the United States have a hearing or other communication disorder that affects how they engage with their environment; Whereas 3,000,000 Americans who stutter may face mockery, bullying, and social stigma, with inadequate access to resources and treatment that can help them speak more confidently; Whereas uneven coverage of and access to speech, language, and hearing health care contributes to significant disparities in health outcomes; Whereas timely access to diagnosis and treatment for communication disorders by audiologists and speech-language pathologists and other qualified health care professionals can reverse or prevent many communication disorders, improve outcomes and reduce overall cost of care