Increasing diversity in the communication sciences and disorders workforce has been a priority at ASHA for more than 50 years. With so much history, it’s no surprise that what was originally scheduled for one forum on increasing diversity in the workforce soon grew into two parts. You can find Part 2 of the forum in the latest issue of the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (AJSLP).

Drs. Danai Kasambira Fannin and Kerry Callahan Mandulak once again served as co–guest editors for Part 2 of the forum. Fannin said that for health care providers and educators, a more diverse workforce results in better outcomes. She also pointed out that linguistics, speech, and feeding are all tied in to culture, further amplifying the importance of having a culturally competent workforce.

According to Mandulak, one goal of the forum is showing undergraduate and graduate students what’s possible in terms of diversity in their future workplace. These eight articles focus on supporting those students from historically underrepresented groups who are studying CSD and preparing a more welcoming space for them at work.

Supporting Diverse Students in CSD

The forum opens with an article by Mahendra on mentoring underrepresented students in the classroom—including training, leadership development, and getting them involved in research. Later in the forum, Girolamo and colleagues explore how applicants to a master’s program in CSD are evaluated, and these same authors discuss how a holistic admissions review can increase diversity in the clinic.

Two articles discuss developing cultural competence in CSD students. First, Taliancich-Klinger and colleagues look at the development and implementation of a program intended to engage graduate students in culturally competent care early through a community outreach program. Then, Hudnall interviews speech-language pathologists (SLPs) from cross-cultural backgrounds about their perspectives on instruction and training in cultural competence.

Medina and colleagues identify the speech-language pathology Praxis® test as a barrier for culturally and linguistically diverse students, comparing pass rates of diverse and White students. In the next article, Richburg shows that non-White and male students—two populations underrepresented in the workforce—reported little exposure to professions in CSD and showed less interest in these professions.

Creating a Welcoming Workplace

Two articles in the forum focus on creating a welcoming CSD workforce not only for coworkers from underrepresented backgrounds but for clients, as well. These articles focus on the concept of race neutrality in the professions—as well as accent services.

Yu et al. critically reviewed professional standards documents in speech, language, and hearing services, finding little to no considerations of race and racism; these authors argue that this finding is consistent with the concept of color-blind racism. In the final article of the forum, Grover and colleagues offer a contemporary viewpoint on accent modification services, calling on SLPs to consider and address their biases against accented individuals.

“This Work Has Been Going on for a Long Time”

Fannin and Mandulak agree: Although calls for equity in ASHA’s professions have increased since Summer 2020, many have been trying to start these conversations for more than 50 years. “This work has been going on for a long time,” said Fannin, adding that, now, “everyone is pitching in to try to accelerate the process.”

We’d like to thank Drs. Fannin and Mandulak for their work on this forum, as well as former Editor-in-Chief Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer for initiating the forum. You can hear more about the importance of this forum in the interview posted above.

If you haven’t already, be sure to read Part 1 of the forum. You can read Part 2 of the forum in the latest issue of AJSLP, or check out the individual articles from both forums below!

Explore Part 2 of the Forum

Girolamo, T. M., Politzer-Ahles, S., Ghali, S., & Williams, B. T. (2022). Preliminary evaluation of applicants to master’s programs in speech-language pathology using vignettes and criteria from a holistic review process. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(2), 552–577. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00352

Grover, V., Namasivayam, A., & Mahendra, N. (2022). A viewpoint on accent services: Framing and terminology matter. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(2), 639–648. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00376

Hudnall, M. (2022). Self-reported perspectives on cultural competence education in speech-language pathology. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(2), 631–638. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00338

Mahendra, N., & Kashinath, S. (2022). Mentoring underrepresented students in speech-language pathology: Effects of didactic training, leadership development, and research engagement. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(2), 527–538. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00018

Medina, A. M., Alfano, A. R., & Moore, S. (2022). Considerations for addressing the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse speech-language pathology praxis test takers. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(2), 601–612. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00358

Richburg, C. M. (2022). Underrepresentation of students from diverse backgrounds entering communication sciences and disorders programs: An investigation into the university student perspective. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(2), 613–630. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00010

Taliancich-Klinger, C., Arcos-Hernandez, N., & Maurer, A. (2022). Engaging graduate students in cultural experiences early: The development, implementation, and preliminary student perceptions of a community engagement clinical experience. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(2), 539–551. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00335

Yu, B., Horton, R., Munson, B., Newkirk-Turner, B. L., Johnson, V. E., Khamis-Dakwar, R., Muñoz, M. L., & Hyter, Y. D. (2022). Making race visible in the speech, language, and hearing sciences: A critical discourse analysis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(2), 578–600. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00384

Explore Part 1 of the Forum

Abdelaziz, M. M., Matthews, J.-J., Campos, I., Fannin, D., Rivera Perez, J. F., Wilhite, M., & Williams, R. M. (2021). Student stories: Microaggressions in communication sciences and disorders. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 1990–2002. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00030

Alicea, C. C. M., & Johnson, R. E. (2021). Creating community through affinity groups for minority students in communication sciences and disorders. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 2028–2031. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00342

Daughrity, B. (2021). Exploring outcomes of an asynchronous learning module on increasing cultural competence for speech-language pathology graduate students. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 1940–1948. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00196

Easton, C., & Verdon, S. (2021). The influence of linguistic bias upon speech-language pathologists’ attitudes toward clinical scenarios involving nonstandard dialects of English. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 1973–1989. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00382

Ellis, C., Jacobs, M., & Kendall, D. (2021). The impact of racism, power, privilege, and positionality on communication sciences and disorders research: Time to reconceptualize and seek a pathway to equity. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 2032–2039. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00346

Ellis, C., & Kendall, D. (2021). Time to act: Confronting systemic racism in communication sciences and disorders academic training programs. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 1916–1924. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00369

Fannin, D. K., & Mandulak, K. C. (2021). Introduction to the Forum: Increasing Diversity in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Workforce, Part 1. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 1913–1915. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00258

Guiberson, M., & Vigil, D. C. (2021). Admissions type and cultural competency in graduate speech-language pathology curricula: A national survey study. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 2017–2027. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00324

Hendricks, A. E., Watson-Wales, M., & Reed, P. E. (2021). Perceptions of African American English by students in speech-language pathology programs. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 1962–1972. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00339

Hopf, S. C., Crowe, K., Verdon, S., Blake, H. L., & McLeod, S. (2021). Advancing workplace diversity through the Culturally Responsive Teamwork Framework. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 1949–1961. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00380

Unger, J. P., DeBonis, D. A., & Amitrano, A. R. (2021). A preliminary investigation of social justice perceptions among U.S. speech-language pathologists: Clinical implications. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 2003–2016. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00286

Wong, A. A., Marrone, N. L., Fabiano-Smith, L., Beeson, P. M., Franco, M. A., Subbian, V., & Lozano, G. I. (2021). Engaging faculty in shifting toward holistic review: Changing graduate admissions procedures at a land-grant, Hispanic-serving institution. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(5), 1925–1939. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-20-00383