Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion In Speech Therapy

Written by: Roselyn Mathew / Treatment / March 30, 2022/ 10 minutes read

It is being seen that the field of speech language pathology is expanding and being popular in almost all countries. Many people are approaching speech language pathologists to improve their speech, language and communication skills.

Racism

Racism as defined by Collins dictionary is “the belief that people of some races are inferior to others, and behavior which is the result of this belief. Racism also refers to the aspects of our society which prevent people of some racial groups from having the same privileges and opportunities as people from other races.” There are generally very rare cases reported of racism in the field of speech and language pathology. The different regulatory bodies of speech language pathology all over the world are against racism. These regulatory bodies have different means where people can contact them and make a complaint if they have suffered racism from a clinician. Strict actions are often taken when such an accusation is proved.

Diversity and inclusion in speech language pathology

Speech language pathologists work with a diverse population. There are diversities in the languages, beliefs and culture of different people. A speech language pathologist helps in dealing with language differences of individuals. For example, a client might be speaking a language or the dialect of a language that will include only a specific number of sounds. When they speak another language that has other sounds, they might look as if they have an articulation impairment. The speech language pathologist can definitely work on improving the enunciation of the client’s articulation of other sounds too, based on the request of the client, but the client will not be labelled as having a misarticulation. This would result in an improvement in the speech of the client which would make them move confident would help them in inclusion with the people who speak different languages. 

Speech language pathologists also work on accent modification of people. An immigrant from a different country might face issues in communication if others do not understand what they speak due to their accent. This might make them face different issues at work or in socializing with others. By working on accent reduction, they would be well understood and would feel more confident while communicating. 

Speech language pathologists also help in improving the cultural awareness of a person. They help a person in understanding the cultural differences and in adapting the culture of the person whom they interact with. For example, in certain cultures, it is rude to have eye contact or talk to elders or a respected person without being asked. People who are of a different culture may perceive that the person from this culture has deficits in eye contact or communication skills, while they were showing respect. This could create a lot of misconceptions. A speech language pathologist could make the person aware about the differences in culture and could train them to maintain eye contact and help them talk politely whenever required. This improves communication skills of the person and would help them integrate to the society even more. 

Speech language pathologists work with a diverse population. There are diversities in the languages, beliefs and culture of different people. A speech language pathologist helps in dealing with language differences of individuals.

It is seen that individuals with language disorders like Autism often struggle to understand social cues and often face difficulties in communication. Some individuals segregate them and avoid them in their social circles whereas there are others who wish to communicate with them but are unable to do so effectively as they do not understand the issues and the challenges faced by them. Speech language pathologists, along with other professionals, help in spreading awareness about the issues and also about the challenges faced by these individuals. This helps reduce misconceptions and helps others understand how to communicate with them more effectively. During therapy, clinicians work with clients and help them develop coping strategies to overcome their challenges. 

There are also individuals who have speech disorders like stuttering. Due to dysfluencies, they are unable to communicate even at work which makes them frustrated. Some people make fun of them or some avoid them while considering them as ‘strange’ or ‘unintelligent’. Hence, there are changes of them being isolated at work or in social situations. Speech language pathologists again work in spreading awareness about the issue and make others know how they need to communicate with them, like, not completing their words for them and to patiently allow them to finish their talk instead of showing frustration. They also train clients to achieve fluency and hence improve their communication skills.

There are also individuals who have good speech and language skills but have difficulty integrating with society due to their introverted nature. Such individuals often find it hard to develop friendships and relationships. They sometimes even have to face issues at work due to lack of socialization with their co-workers. As a result, most of them become moody and depressed and feel that they are not good enough and become even more asocial. Speech language pathologists work with such clients to improve their confidence and to communicate effectively at their workplace. Clients are trained to communicate freely to everyone at work and outside work, which would help them to communicate well and form friendships and relationships. This makes them more confident and helps them feel like they are a part of the society. 

Speech language pathologists also work with individuals of LGBTQ2s+ in modifying their speech and nonverbal communication patterns. A lot of people who identify as trans man, trans woman, non-binary and gender fluid attend sessions in order to modify their pitch, resonance and other aspects of their verbal and nonverbal speech. They are trained to modify their speech and this helps them to integrate well into the society while being comfortable with themselves. 

Conclusion

There have been rare cases of racism in the field of speech language pathology. Speech language pathologists often work with a diverse population. They work with both the general and disordered population and share an important role in promoting inclusivity and integration of their clients in the best way.

To speak with one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.