Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Osam.
Hi Kimberly, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m a parent who refused to take no for an answer when told everything that my non speaking, autistic son could not do, especially when I witnessed him being treated as less than. That led to me returning to school and leaving my government contracting job making a significant amount of money to work in a hospital as a tech making pennies on the dollar of my previous salary. My mission was to be the clinician that I knew my son and community needed, but could not consistently get due to limited resources in our community and clinician’s not wanting to work with patients classified as severe. I went back to school and obtained a second bachelors, a Masters and completed my clinical fellowship to become the clinician that I knew my community needed. After doing that, I realized that due to politics, corporate culture and unrealistic productivity goals that adversely impact patients, that I was being limited in being the clinician that I had set out to be. My solution to that was to start my own business that was patient affirming. Fast forward to today, I now have a business , podcast and am contracted to deliver a bool to the Rutledge: Taylor Francis Publishing Company early next year along with my c0 author who is my mentor. The book, podcast and my business aim to change the paradigm in the field of speech therapy and callout ableism and the related trauma that it creates.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not only has the road not been smooth, at times there was literally no road. Struggle after struggle without help from the so called professionals due to the severity of my son’s condition. I presented at the American Speech-Language Hearing Conference last year in DC regarding my son’s case study and home a Mama Bear proved the experts wrong and effectively kept my son in the community when the road was leading to residential placement in a facility or institution. I am presenting this year on two different presentations, one of which won an award for the strength of the proposal. The award winning proposal is related to the book and it focuses on liberating science from bias in the field of speech therapy and also details the many struggles (too many to list here) that I encountered as I sought treatment for my son. In 2026 alone, (after launching my business 2025), the year started off with a major death in my family (my mother) and then at least one death every month that followed, but through the grief I am persisting to help the disability community through the multi regional and state level committees I serve on and through my private practice.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about I am Speech Therapy?
My business is a speech therapy practice and the name has many meanings. I am, after the Great I am who gives me strength to do what I do for my patiernts. I am to affirm patients who feel like the world wants them to go away and to a world that treats them as invisible that they can be say I am. I am here, I am. And lastly I am, because as an African American speech therapist, when I show up as the therapist, I am often asked when speech therapy is coming and I have to constantly respond “I am Speech Therapy”. The name has many meanings.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
None. The Great I am guides my path.
Pricing:
- Depends on the insurance copay
- Private rates $95 for treatment
- :$165 for evaluations
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.iamspeechtherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.iamspeechtherapy.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=i%20am%20speech%20therapy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MosesOsamLanguaging
