Overcoming Teletherapy Skepticism:
How eLuma Changed Minds and Outcomes
Case Study
When staffing shortages and skepticism collided, Missisquoi Valley School District in Vermont found itself at a crossroads. This case study explores how Director of Special Education Wendy Cunningham led a districtwide shift from doubt to confidence by partnering with eLuma to ensure every student received the speech services they needed.
About Missisquoi Valley School District
Serving roughly 1,800 students in a small city community, Missisquoi Valley faced mounting challenges in maintaining special education services. Nearly 37% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and staffing shortages were putting compliance and student progress at risk.
Table of Contents
The Challenge: A Climate of Doubt
When the district’s speech-language pathology team dropped from seven to just three providers in two years, Director of Special Education Wendy Cunningham had to find a sustainable solution—fast.
Teletherapy wasn’t an easy sell. Staff, families, and even administrators viewed it with skepticism, treating eLuma’s services as a last resort.
“Staff referred to eLuma cautiously, sometimes as if it were a last resort,” Wendy recalls. “It was almost like a dirty word.”
For a district that prided itself on close-knit community relationships and hands-on instruction, the concept of virtual services felt foreign and uncertain. But with mounting vacancies, Wendy knew the district needed help.
The Turning Point
The partnership began modestly. eLuma stepped in to temporarily cover for an SLP on family leave, using its flexible service model to provide a virtual provider who could immediately serve students.
What started as a short-term fix quickly proved its long-term potential. Wendy noticed that students were engaged, progress data was strong, and communication with eLuma’s team was seamless.
“They’d say, ‘That’s not best practice,’ and I’d ask, ‘Where are you getting that?’” Wendy said. “eLuma had been doing this for years, even before COVID.”
Wendy made a strategic change that shifted the district’s mindset. She stopped calling it teletherapy. Instead, she introduced eLuma’s providers as “our SLPs.”
That small linguistic change made a big difference. The “us vs. them” barrier began to fade. eLuma’s providers were now seen as full members of the team, attending IEP meetings, sharing insights, and collaborating with onsite staff to ensure student success.
Winning Over the Skeptics
Even the most hesitant staff started to take notice. At one of the district’s rural elementary schools, the principal, initially opposed to virtual therapy, became one of its strongest advocates.
“I was really not happy about this,” the principal later admitted, “but it’s actually been fine and pretty great. I see kids come out of their sessions smiling.”
Teachers began reporting visible student progress. Onsite SLPs built collegial relationships with eLuma’s virtual providers, brainstorming together and problem-solving just as if they were down the hall.
Continuity played a key role too. When the same eLuma providers returned year after year, trust deepened and outcomes improved.
Real Results, Real Relationships
Parents who were initially cautious began hearing stories of progress from their children and seeing it for themselves.
One young student, after finishing her first virtual session, took off her headphones and said, “That’s fun.”
For Wendy, those moments underscored what the data showed: eLuma’s model worked.
“If you didn’t know they were seeing the student virtually, you would have no idea,” she said. “The quality of feedback and understanding of student needs is on par with our in-person team.”
With eLuma, Missisquoi Valley not only met required service minutes but also maintained compliance and avoided costly compensatory services, all while rebuilding confidence in a modern approach to therapy.
Advice to Other District Leaders
Wendy shares her guidance for other special education directors considering teletherapy:
“Walk into the decision with confidence. Ask your principals to sit in on a session. Give it time. Once people hear it happening and see the smiles, everything shifts.”
Looking Ahead: Embracing a New Normal
As staffing shortages persist nationwide, Wendy sees teletherapy as a permanent and practical part of the future.
“This is going to be more and more the way services are delivered,” she said. “But I’m not afraid.”
Through collaboration, persistence, and trust, Missisquoi Valley turned doubt into progress and found a reliable partner in eLuma to ensure students continue to thrive.