One thing that starkly stood out for me when I started my education in communication disorders 35 years ago and later entered the audiology profession (while working with many speech-language therapists) was the lack of diversity in the provider population and how it failed to reflect the diversity of the population at large. According to ASHA (the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), as recently as 2019, almost 96% of SLPs and audiologists identified as female, almost 92% were white and only 8.2% spoke another language besides English. We all know that this is not at all reflective of the demographics of the general population.
Therefore, it is imperative to approach our profession with cultural humility and respect (open minds and open hearts) in order to meet everyone where they need to be met within their communities and identities as we work with them. It is in fact our duty to educate ourselves about and immerse ourselves in different cultures. But even this is not enough. We also need to actively recruit students and professionals of all backgrounds to be providers and team members so that the make-up and fabric of our profession becomes as multifaceted and rich and colorful as those whom we serve.
Together with our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion webpage on the Department website (https://www.umass.edu/sphhs/communication-disorders/our-commitment-diversity-and-inclusion), we hope this blog will help spread the word and provide a place for productive discussion in achieving these goals. Through this blog, we will share upcoming events, knowledge, resources, experiences, and perspectives of our department community.
- Tomma Henckel, Au.D., CCC-A, Audiologist/Clinical Faculty, on behalf of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee